Hey guys,Hope everybody had a great 4th. I am trying to keep my split rim 16" wheels, and ready to remove\replace the tires. The old tires are tube type, and I dont want tube replacements. How much trouble will it be to install a valve stem on the rim that isn't a tube stem?

 

I don't think you can do a valve stem with a split rim.

 

nope... cause that means drilling and blah blah blah not good for the tires... best to buy a new set. you can pick up 4 pair for a rang of 250-300$ depending were ya go

 

Lock ring wheels must have tubes and flaps. Will not accept valve stems.

 

They won't hold air either....

 

Yea, mabey, but my 4 I have had on the truck for 11 years now ,only added air to one last year got them thru c\list , they are firestone dueller 8 ply and look to be decades old. Besides, just bought a set of h\caps for all. finally got my 12" wide outies I'm keepin the nostalgia stuff, goin tube type

 

You've had tubeless tires on split rims? That's what I meant--split rims won't hold air, they need the flaps and tubes as per prior post.

 

I've got the tubes

 

Aren't these the type rims that were known to kill people? Or was that just the split rim 16.5"?

 

The really bad one's are a two piece wheel--search "widowmaker" here or just scroll back a couple months and find a thread with pics.

Like so:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...4&d=1220827330

Lots of info here, including the above:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...erience-2.html

Improperly assembled locking ring wheels can pop the ring off and kill you, but are generally "safe" if assembled properly. A cage or other barrier along with a long inflation tool is your friend with any such set up.

 

A 16.5" is a tubeless one piece wheel, not a multi-part. Stu

 

These are the ones I was thinking about. Good luck...wear a helmet

 

The o.p. emailed me off-line with questions about his wheels, and sent pictures. Here's a couple of his pictures, and a copy of my email back to him. Thought it might be of interest to others.

Gayle - A Budd #87510 is a 16" x 5.5" with an "F" profile for the rim base. It's shown to have 9/16" of offset. The way I'm reading the books, this wheel started production in 1967 or so and had a Goodyear outer rim with what's called an "LTS" locking ring. After a few years of production Budd changed the number to #88290-28 and substituted a "Duo" design outer rim with a "C" type ring. The Duo design introduced humps on the inner rim base that were intended to prevent the bead being dislodged during rapid deflation like would happen with a flat tire.

The Duo design was, however, subject to a safety investigation in the late '70s by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). After a Google search I don't, however, find any report of the results of the investigation. No recall was ever done, though, I know that. Interestingly, though, Budd returned to use of the LTS rim/ring combo for the 16 x 5.5F wheel in their 1979 catalog.

So, if all your wheels are the #87510 I'll guess that you should be able to find a Goodyear logo on the rim base, maybe inside under the tires, and the letters LTS on the ring. They are fine to use and can be serviced at any real truck tire shop. Avoid the Walmarts and other type places. To your question on FTE, there's no way to convert them to a tubeless tire. You could run tube type radials if you want with radial tubes. If it was me, I'd get some new bias ply 7.50 x 16s and call it original. Places like Universal Tire sell these if you can't find them locally. You can Google Universal Tire and see their catalog on-line. Stu