Hello All, Finally made the move and set up a User ID. Have been a fan reading the site forum for the last fear months. Any way I'll apolizige up front for the rookie questions. I have 3 original 16 inch wheels for my 1954 3100 truck was wondering if any one knows if I can use 1951 wheels are they the same ? Thanks, Steve Owens
Hey steve welcome to the site. We all get along pretty good here and we pick on each other ALOT. There is a lot of knowledgable people on here that can answer your questions. Sorry I'm not one of them on an original question though. Thought I'd just say welcome.
Yea, they work. i have a 54 3100 and had to search the whole world to fine good 16 inch wheels, or 16.5 (forget which it is). you'll get a lot of wheels for sale, but a lot have bad valve stem holes. Be sure to get the wheels with the hubcap clips on them. The older chevy cars had some 15" that will work and according to the info i scraped up, they were an option on the 54. the 15" are wider, thus you can get a softer ride, but the speedo will be incorrect. also, got to watch the 15" as there are several widths and you should not mix the different sizes.
hubcap clips i'm pretty sure you can buy those hubcap clips aftermarket and put them on later, too if you can't find original ones. jon
Tall Skinny Tires Are Best ! Yep ; You can use the various truck 16" wheels , GM used several different vendors for these so don't worry if the ID stampings are different . most wheels made in America have the ID stamped near the valve stem hole . Passenger car wheels also fit from the 40's , they were 16" untill '48 or so . Adding the hub cap clips is pretty simple if you buy a later wheel with the holes drilled but no clips . If you go to the older junkyards or farm supply places , you'll usually find a huge pile of wheels with rotted tires still on them as they're considered Haz-mats by the scrap places ,wear grubby clothes and go digging , carefully as there's often various nasty spiders and scorpions etc. hiding but the result will often be a full set of 5 matching wheels On The Cheap , have your local powder coater re-do them in the color you like , for under $45.00 per wheel this should include all cleaning and bead blasting for a show quality wheel . As mentioned , look carefully in the valve stem area for deep rust pitting , also in the lip where the tire bead seats ~ some pitting is O.K. but not deep pitting as this is where rims split when they get too rusty . (BTDT no fun) The correct size of radial tires is mentioned elsewhere on this site in the archives , if you get good quality LT rated tires , they'll not only look good but will outlast passenger car tires by a wide margin , $aving you $ in the long run . Just tires and America's Tire Store , plus many ohter chains , sell the correct size in Dayton for $75.00 ~ $85.00 each , list price . They'll have to order them in but it's no biggie , apart from what a lazy salesman may tell you .
Oh Well, Got a chance to look at the so-called "slightly surface rusted wheels" this morning. All were rotted out in various areas and the valve stems areas were severely pitted. Needless to say did not purchase. Nice when people are not honest would have saved 3 hours round trip travel time. Will continue the hunt for 2 more 54 wheels. Steve
Steve, sorry I don't know if I'm keeping mine or not. I got 4 '54s on my truck in redoable shape! But after seeing Nate's truck, I'm thinking maaaaaaaayyyyybe.......... I already have the original GMC hub caps. I'll need to check if they'll fit the Chevy wheels. I'm sure they will though.
Zig, I have a set of chrome wheels with moon's currently. My truck is stock still with 6 volt so I would like a set of original wheels to switch off as I like. I also Nate's truck was nice. Will post some photos of mine when I get them. What is tough around here is finding honest people selling parts. Steve
Honest {arts Sellers Well ; I highly agree and the # 1 thing to remember is : don't EVER ask a seller at the Auto Jumble ' will this fit my old truck ? ' ~ They''ll LIE to you every time . Good luck hunting , old wheels are everywhere , you just need to beat the bushes and see what falls out . Amazingly , I find perfect vintage wheels all over the place , tossed out in the trash , dumped in the street after old buildings are cleaned up for new businesses etc.
