The wheel with the single piece removable bead ring and no lock ring was considered to be a "light duty" item, and the heavier-built wheels were probably an upgrade. It's difficult to describe the assembly/disassembly process without a video clip or pictures. Since the locking lips are relatively thin, proper assembly and careful inflation is a must, and the fit of the lips is prone to get loose and dangerous from decades of rust, and abuse while changing tires. Clean. good condition wheels are pretty safe, but any wheel 50+ years old that's probably had dozens of tire changes has a pretty big risk factor involved.
There is also a version of the removable-bead wheel that has a very heavy bead flange, a split, and no locking ring. That one is disassembled by simply spiraling the lock ring off with a pry bar, and reassembled by spiraling it back on with firm taps with a bead breaking hammer. Of all the sectional wheel designs, that one's probably the easiest one for a tire guy to work with, and the least likely to get assembled wrong.
