truckdog I agree any kind of split rim are dangerous,theres different types,what I am saying is rim wasn't built wrong,it comes apart buy workers fault or defect in rim/ring by either rust corrosion ,just have to be very carefull inspect everything,clean it with wire brush if damaged toss them,never ever put anything to lube them big no no,wd 40 to help brake them down will hurt you,put rim together exactly as it came apart,same position as parts came off,,if one dosent do that your asking for trouble,everthing wears,more people are hurt/killed by todays tires overinflating,wrong tire size on rim,then ever was hurt by split rims,my option and I had way to much coffee

 

We need to be talking about the same things here. The wheels having outer rings, called side rings or locking rings, are safe to keep in service if undamaged or rusted, like you describe. Safe handling is required. It's the RH-5° style that most shops won't touch anymore for insurance and lawyer reasons. There was a full scale recall effort pushed back in the 1970s by the NHTSA and insurance industry (IIHS). It failed in 1980 I believe for political reasons. The good that came of the recall effort was agreement from industry (Firestone Accuride, Budd, K-H, Goodyear Motor Wheel) to cease production of the RH-5° which ultimately happened in 1976. The old truck hobby, however, is still dealing with them. Stu

 

The Firestone 500 tire debacle of 1978/79 caused Firestone to go bankrupt (probably on purpose to avoid paying all the claims).

Firestone was then bought by Japanese tire maker Bridgestone that still owns it today

 

Agree, Bill. If Ralph Nader, Joan Claybrook, et. al. would have succeeded in the recall effort, that began under Nixon and looked inevitable under Carter, the wheel industry could have been bankrupted. Instead of the recall, enhanced training of techs, and wall display charts, were the only required remedies. The Firestone RH-5° was the dominant rim design used by Ford and Chevy/GMC, the dominant vehicle brands. Dodge and IHC seemed to use Goodyear locking side ring designs exclusively while Studebaker was a mixed bag. Stu

 

I understand truckdog,i was just saying,if one has never took apart these rims don't do it,I would keep the tires and put on whatever you feel safe with,seen a lot of guys hurt and killed messing with tires,putting fix a flat in a tire with crack in rim then forgetting to let it out before welding it,young 22 yr old life loss,using starting fluid to mount a tire so the bead would seat,but forgetting to take valve stem out and throwing a paper on fire in the tire,i seen a lot of dumb stuff working around big machinery,

 

as you can tell I like original,do as you please just be careful,

 

Darwin was right. Stu

 

Any good sources for parts for these trucks like door and window seals,door glass,signal light lenses,patch panels stuff like that?

 

Several suppliers. some better than others. Dennis Carpenter consistently has better quality than the others. LMC, Mac's and of course ebay. If you watch ebay, sometimes you can get a good bargain on quality stuff.