UPDATE: More on Transportation Parts Company thanks to Barney Goodwin of Barney’s Jeep Parts.

Barney wrote, “I hope this helps for your question on Transportation Parts Co.  I put together a little display. Those of us in business who have older inventories have Transportation boxes peeking out at us on the shelves. Shown below are several vintage items from our inventory including a whole tray of gauges.

The name SEAL TEST® is owned today by someone in Europe who produces quality parts supplying to dealers. An example is the shiny box to the right behind the tray.

In our library we have several of their catalogues and can be valuable quick references which are very accurate compared to some today. Inside the catalogue shown in the back of the display and which I’ve put in a ring binder for frequent use, I have copied the introduction which gives a good, brief history of the company in their own words.

The vintage belt buckle is a promo from Transportation.

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Original Post November 27, 2022: This photo was posted to Facebook by Quinton. These private-labeled “Seal Test” Dualmatic lever-style hubs were sold out of the Transportation Parts Co, a jeep parts reseller out of Huntington, New York.

I’m sure someone knows more about Transportation Parts (or even dealt with them in the past).

UPDATE: Still Available.

(10/02/022) These hubs look similar to Cutlas Bulldog hubs, but the design of the mid-section sides just below the “knob” is shaped slightly different (larger side scallops) than the image on the Bulldog brochure. Given the two section design, I will guess that these were a transition hub from the Cutlas Model 100-2 conical design to the later Bulldog hub design? Anyone have insights on these? I don’t have a brochure for these.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/pts/7555714076.html

“Cutlas lock hubs, 10 spline for old jeeps and scouts. May trade for ammunition or towards firearms. No reloads!”

Bulldog example:

Here is another example in my archives. I also labeled these, perhaps incorrectly, “Bulldog” hubs:

I just discovered this set of Cutlas hubs for Chevys on eBay. They look like Bulldog hubs, but have no scallops at all along the mid section’s side:

Aaron Holdaway discovered this unusual set of hubs. He posted pictures of them to Facebook. He plans to disassemble them and take photos. I’ll share those photos if/when he does.

Tom shared this ad. It’s the dimpled version of the hubs (the earlier version is waffled).

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/814188986408060/

Blaine forwarded photos of a Willys Wagon with the one-lever-style Dualmatic hubs that include a center bump. I don’t have docs that conclusive identify this one-lever hub as a Dualmatic, but it seems highly probable. Given the design, an attempt to secure the lever with a bump to keep it from shifting, it is likely it was an iteration of the original Dualmatic one-lever hub.

Below is what I have documented for the one-lever Dualmatics and my related guesses as to why. (For two-lever variations of the Dualmatic hubs, try this link)

As a reminder, here is the original patent by Simonsen for the Dualmatic:

Here’s what I believe that original hub looked like:

This was likely the second version, this time with two circular bumps:

One of the issues with both of the early versions was that the internal forces apparently could cause the lever to bend. Here’s an example:

To halt that from happening, as photographed by Blaine on a Willys wagon, Dualmatic may have gone with this design:

A similar design was photographed on a Dodge truck (or I was told it was a Dodge truck):

Perhaps Dualmatic concluded that the simple one lever design simply didn’t hold up, so the company shifted to a two lever design. This is the point where it would be good to compare the internals of the one-lever vs. two-lever design.

A set up Dualmatic-style two-lever hubs appeared for sale on Facebook the other day. What made this set unique was that the hubs were private labeled for Kelly Manufacturing. It’s the first set I’ve seen with Kelly’s information on it. I doubt there are many other hubs bearing these stickers.

This shouldn’t be too big of shock, as Kelly also private labeled Kayline tops for sale in the late 1950s. And, of course, Dualmatic was offering to private label their hubs for Sears, Allstate, and other entities.

These hubs have seen some serious wear on their faces. Evidence suggests it was Husky that private labeled this hub for Allstate (more on Husky history here).

What is interesting to me is that the back side of this hub looks identical to the backside of the early Husky, Dualmatic, and Free-Lock hub, too. I don’t have enough information to compared the eternals of each of these, but I suspect that some of the Husky and Dualmatic hubs reflect evolutions (or copies) from the early Free-Lock hub.

View all the information on eBay

Bottom of an early Husky hub (with more splines, but same underside design with the lock ring):

This version of the Husky hub, also appears to be identical on the backside (also private labeled with Allstate). See the rebuild of this hub here:

Continue reading →

This hub appeared in a Facebook photo posted by Josh. It appears to be a Watson hub (may have been private labeled through Sears), but part of its case was either 1) cast differently or 2) modified. Given The Jeep has spent its life in California, it’s likely some form of the Watson hub, but I’ve not seen one quite like this.

The odd hub is on the left and the Watson hub is on the right, itself a derivation of a Dualmatic hub (and having the same patent number as a Dualmatic).

They look like a good price for a vintage set of Husky produced and Allstate branded hubs.

https://corvallis.craigslist.org/pts/d/lebanon-willys-cj2a-locking-hub-pair/7378170580.html

“Surplus to my needs are a set of 2 matching Allstate locking hubs that came off of a 1947 Willys jeep flat fender. I do not know much about them other than the brand shown on them. They appear to need some cleaning, but I assume they work as they are supposed to. You be the judge of that.”

Brian posted these pics of a hub he has to FB’s Flatfendering Aficionado Monthly group. It’s not something I recognize. The work looks good enough to have been a prototype hub that never made production. It may have been an auto-engaging hub? Some commenters suggested a type of limited slip hub, where when a wheel begins to slip it auto-engages.

Brian wrote, “Has anyone ever seen these locking hub contraptions? Were these produced or is it a one-off? It appears to use 3 clutch plates and the ring in the center moves down over the roller cams to apply pressure to the plates. The covers look to be welding bottle caps that have 2 access holes to pry the collar from the outside.”