Greetings all,

My '59 was delivered to the Marine Corp as part of a fleet purchase. It is running 16 inch rims. Coincidentally, I also have a former marine M38A1 (Jeep). The rims look suspiciously similar to the 16 inch Jeep rims.

Were 16 inch rims an option from the factory or does it sound like I have a field mod?

Thanks

Greg

 

16 inch wheel were factory in 59 on the f100 .The bolt pattern on a jeep is 5 on 5 1/2 the same as a f100

 

Thanks - now all I have to do is find some 16" rims...

I need one for the spare and will soon know if any of the existing ones are bent. I'm hoping the low mileage and generally good condition of the truck means that they are still straight.

Thanks again,

Greg

 

Hi Greg,
It actually depends on your truck's Max GVW.

F-100.........4,000 GVW.....6.70 x 15 tires
F-100.........4,400 GVW.....6.70 x 15 tires
F-100.........5,000 GVW.....6.50 x 16 tires

F-100 (4WD)...5,000 GVW.....6.50 x 16 tires
F-100 (4WD)...5,600 GVW.....7 x 17.5 tires

I hope this helps.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-Sep-02 AT 05:19 PM (EST)]>Thanks - now all I have to do is find some 16" rims...
>
>I need one for the spare and will soon know if any of the
>existing ones are bent. I'm hoping the low mileage and
>generally good condition of the truck means that they are
>still straight.
>
>Thanks again,
>
>Greg

I realize you guys are discussing a 57 but I'm wondering if the wheel issues I ran into on my 56 apply.

I just went through restoring the 16" wheels on my 1956 F-250. When I had the tires mounted I was told by the tire outfit that it would be very hard to find replacement wheels since the hub cap retainer nubs are on the inside of the bulge on my original wheels whereas the newer 16" wheels will all have the retainer nubs on the outside of the bulge. I do remember that the 1970s Ford car and pickup caps snapped on the wheels OVER the retaining nubs and NOT INSIDE them like on my 56. Any comments on this situation?

My wheels are sevicable but have quite a few rust pits. I'm not looking to replace them now but I'm wondering if there is a source out there that sells authentic replicas including all the little details like the nubs on the inside and the original inner bolt area stamping pattern?

George

BTW Greg, you can find the stock wheel sizes along with just about everything else you'd like to know in the shop manual. Best money you'll spend on your truck. They're available at the online store. Highly recommended.

 

Dohhhh!!

I should have checked the manual. Its down with the mechanic right now, but you are right - that would have the answer to my question.

The truck is a 1/2 ton so I'm thinking it should have 15" rims. ##### has 15" rims for F1s and F100s up to '56 for $89.95 each. Since mine is a '59, I'll keep looking or consider an aftermarket rim.

As I originally posted, the truck has 16 inch wheels but lived on a marine base. I'll bet that some fleet mechanic with a mountain of 16 inch wheels and rims (military issue for jeeps and such) made a command decision to swap out the original 15inchers for the 16 inch.

I need to check an earlier post where Kenny decoded my VIN to confirm that I have the 1/2 ton. I just want to know that the speedo gear matches the rims.

Greg

 

Hi Greg,
If this helps, the model/tire size info I posted above came right from page 36 of the '59 owner's manual.

 

OK - I'm a twit....

The truck is locked up at the painters and the manual is at the mechanic's shop. And I want to try to figure out my GVW so as to determine if 15 in or 16 in rims are appropriate for my truck.

From the VIN, can I determine the GVW? I retrieved some earlier posts where Kenny decoded my VIN. The earlier post is summarized below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The VIN is: F10C9A17374

The 2nd line on the data plate reads:

WB Color Date Trans Axle
110 S F10C 10F C 01


Kenny replied at one point:

Your Vin de-codes as follows:
F10 ......F-100 (Conventional 1/2 ton)
C ........292 V-8 2bbl.
9 ........1959
A ........Atlanta (Assembly plant)
17374.....Sequential production number
110 ......Wheelbase
S ........Special (paint color)
F10C .....F-series 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive
10F ......10th day of the month, Month of June
C ........ Fordomatic Transmission
01 .......3.70 axle ratio
--------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't look at the dataplate right now. Does it have the GVW stamped on the data plate?

As always, Thanks for everyone's help,

Greg

 

Hi,
Yes, it's definately on the plate. You probably just didn't list it in your post because you already knew what it meant.

 

Thanks Kenny,

I am a Mega-twit!! I found a digital photo of the data plate and the truck has a Max GVW of 5000. Per your earlier response, this puppy should have the 16 inch rims and to my relieve the correct Speedo adaptor.

Now I can get the body shop to pop the rims off so I can run them down to the tire shop to see if they are straight.

Thanks to all!!

Greg