Dayton or Houk wheels?

[Reno Speedster]

I have a full set of wire wheels that I have always believed to be Daytons, since that is what is on the hub caps. Last night, I was reading an article about wire wheels on the northwest vintage speedsters web site that said that Dayton wheels had an upset ring on the outside of the pin holes, which my wheels do not have. The article says Houk wheels are virtually identical to the Daytons but don’t have the upset ring. According to the article, the Houk wheels will go on Dayton hubs but will not tighten down properly. My wheels mount and tighten down just fine. So, were there Dayton wheels that did not have the upset ring around the pin holes? I have found some contradictory/erroneous information in some of the older articles on T speed equipment so it would not surprise me if the information in the article was not definitive.

[Kevin Pharis]

Take a closer look at the article where they show the difference between the 3 brands of hubcaps. You will notice that the tapers are different angles. I would suggest that you measure the taper angles on your wheel centers, hubs, and caps to ensure they match. Dayton wheels are relatively common, Houk wheels are quite rare

[Reno Speedster]

The article shows the Dayton, Buffalo, and Pasco hub caps, but not the Houk. I have checked the wheel and hub angles and they are the same.

[Kevin Pharis]

Are there any identifying markings inside the wheel centers…? You won’t find a brand name, but often there is a serial number and sometimes a small logo. Might be similarities with other known wheels. How bout some pics…?

[Reno Speedster]

I looked at the wheels. One has what appears to be a poorly stamped “11” another has a poorly stamped “12” within a diamond (see pictures). I have also thrown in a shot of one of the wheels and the inside of a wheel hub.