Ok I'm confused. A Nice man Curtis Sutherland from Baraga, MI sent me a pair of 16 inch wheels for my '54. I got them on Friday looked Ok other then some normal rust. Problem started today. I pulled down the 3 original wheels I already have. When matched up to the other 2 not even close in size. Mine were 16 1/2 inches across the top & 6 inches wide. While the ones he sent me were 17 1/2 inches across the top & 5 inches wide. Not sure what to do at this point ?? Anyone have a clue first what really belongs on my truck from the factory ? And also can I use the 2 he sent me & 2 of my original then use my other original for the spare ? I just want a fully set of original to have when I chose to use them. Currently have 15 inch chrome wheels all the way around. But wanted the original set also.
Also was going to have the wheels power coated the metallic blue color of my truck. Would it be best to run tubes in them ? What exact size tires should I use ? Thought was to use black wall light truck tires ?
I ran into similar problems when i restored my truck. I had 2 trucks to start. I recommend that you have the same width on all the wheels. My originals were 16 1/2 by 6. I went to Coker for tires and tubes and got a radial that looks like the original white wall.
I don't know Steve~ If you don't need them right away, I'd send them back with a thank's anyway card and keep looking for similar wheels. I believe that the originals where 16.5s. (and split rims at that?) Do they have hub cap clips? Good luck with that.
Yo, Steve O! Trying to get back in the groove with useless info, so i thought I'd start with you. According to the Chevy master parts catalog, if your truck is a 1/2 ton, you should have 16x4.50K wheels with a 1/2" offset. GM part #3693214. I've given up on trying to find 16" wheels. Mine's gonna have 15" wheels with tastefully done pinstripes!
Ha, Ken got a photo of the 15 inch wheels ? I just want to get a pair of original 16 inch wheels to match the 3 perfect condition wheels I already have. My truck is a 3100 1/2 ton. Yes Zig the wheels he sent me and also my 3 have all the hub cap clips on them. What do you mean by split wheels ? These seem to be held together with large looking rivets at various mounting points.
Also should I be running tubes on these wheels ? Anyone looking for 2 Nice 17 inch wheels with the original hub cap clips ?
Split Rims Steve, there are a few threads on here that have to do with these type of wheels. They're the ones that you want your mother-in-law to inflate just incase you get to much air in them while filling and they happen to fly apart on you. (Or you could pull out your handy cage to put around the wheel to keep it from killing you with flying metal parts) I was under the impression that they were stock, but... I believe that any wheel/tire combo came with a tube back then. I think "tubeless" was a late 60's/early 70's idea? About the time radial tires hit the streets? (I'm just guessing here) Ken~ HELP!
Tubeless tires have been around forever B. F. Goodrich introduced their version in 1947. Firestone was before that. As far as running tubes in the original wheels, it's not necessary as long as your wheels are in good shape and will hold air. I found an interesting article that i thought i'd share with you guys. Hope it enlightens! www.businessweek.com/autos/content/...tm?chan=autos_classic+cars+index+page_insight
Radials Vs. Bias - Ply Tires Good article , I really enjoyed the stupid comment from ' Old Tire Man ' who said the support is to the middle of the rim (where the tire doesn't touch !) ~ what a goofball . I see he was afraid to sign his name there.... There is NO DRAWBACK to fitting radials to vintage vehicles ! . PERIOD ! .
I was having the same deliema. My 1953 has some aftermarket 16" chrome wheels on it but the guy I bought it from also gave me what he said were the original rims. I have no reason to doubt that they are the originals - he was the only owner. They are 17.5 inches in diameter, 5.5 inches wide and have three hubcap clips on each one. I want to put the stock rims back on it and I was just about to ask about putting radial tires on the old rims so thank you!
