Just thought I'd share my solution for getting rid of the 49 F-2 17 inch widow makers. Actually the truck had the 17X 7.5s on the rear and 16 X 7.50s on the front. The fronts were the one piece riveted type--not sure if they'd hold air in a tubeless tire etc.

Anyhow I bit the bullet--rather than spend weeks hunting and pecking around junkyards-- replaced all four wheels with new steel 8 lug 6.5 inch 16 X 6 F250s from Southwest wheel. Then I prepped and painted using vermillion red Ford tractor paint--a pretty good match to the rest of the truck. Then I bought 4 blackwall Goodyear wranglers 215 85 R16 (on sale). These are fractions of an inch taller than the orig 16 X 7.50 (obviously an inch or so shorter than the 17s). Tread width about 1/8th inch or so wider.

Wheels and tires fit perfectly--tires look pretty good...Truck steers better and rides fine. (Still working on double clutch downshifting)

Now the big problem is finding hubcaps. The orig was the stainless moon 9 inch with the blue FORD stamp--fit on the nubs on the inside. The new wheels have the teats on the outside and are about 11 1/2 inches diam teat to teat--no obvious way to fit these caps.

Many thanks to all of you guys who gave suggestions a couple of weeks ago especially Bob Jones (bobj49f2) whose posts here initially alerted me to the dangerous two part 17 inch rims. You guys conviced me that safety trumps appearance even sacrificing orig condition. And local tire guy in ME said he wouldn't work on those old rims for any amount of money.

 

these guy here also informed me about the dangers of the "widow makers" that were on my F-3 when i got it.

i got myself some used (new style) 16" steel wheels myself and am looking for some tires. i'm thinking 7.50/16's or 235/85r16's myself. i'm very curious how tall your new tires are, i thought 215's would be shorter than 7.50's. if it's not to much to ask, could you give me an actual tire height of yours?

maybe post us a picture of your wheels too...... they sound like they came out very nice. and good luck on the hubcap search.

 

I had a similar dilemma for hubcaps, but with 15" wheels. I found these dog-dish ones off eBay, I believe they are '70's and '80's Ford basic hubcaps. Kind of timeless and they fit over the outside nubs.

 

The goodyear 215 85 R16 SR is 30.4 inches tall and tread width is 6.2 inches. I considered the 235, which is 31.6 inches tall, if I recall, but figured the greater width --I think the 235s are 6.7 inches wide-- would make the orig steering that much more difficult. The 215 is tall enough and is dead ringer for the orig 16 X 7.50 that I removed from the front.

By the way, my truck is not a daily driver. Fair weather around town etc. And I'm not hauling any loads or going faster than 50-55 (not that I could with the orig 4.86 rears).

I'll try to post a couple of photos os the new wheels and tires, but it might be a week or so.

 

Ross: Thanks for the tip on the hubcaps.

Flyepoint

 

Good to hear everything is working out with the wheels.

Now about the down shifting. I had a lot of trouble down shifting around corners until I talked to the original owner of a '51 truck. He gave me the low down on how to do it and since then I have had about 90% success rate.

When you come to a corner leave up on the gas, push in the clutch. As you round the corner move the stick over to the lower speed, keeping neutral. Leave up on the clutch, goose the gas a little and shift down into the lower gear. You're trying to match the speeds of the engine and transmission. Just like double clutching up the gears it takes a little practice, maybe a little more, down shifting. I don't find it a problem,I think it adds charactor to our trucks. It makes them unique and not every one can just get a truck like ours and drive away. Just let a friend try it once, it can be a lot of fun to watch.

 

Downshifting around corners, if I slow down enough, is getting better. Now for down shifting uphill while not losing too much momentum.

I swear I'm going leave a big chunk of steel on the road on of these times. Hope this baby has enough guts to withstand my abuse.

 

I try to baby my truck as much as possible but I still run it hard at times. It just takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

 

Hey 52'F3 Does your Truck have 14" brake drums on the rear? If so, any problems with the 16" wheels clearing the drum?

 

Hi
I found that the new Dodge rims off a 2007 3/4 ton are 17" and fit but, the off set is deep I'm trying to find a used 235/70/17 to try on it as they are narrower and might rub on the drag link. Myself I'm going to change the backing plates and drums so I can run the old 16" ford wheels so my hub caps will work
Glenn

 

sorry, i don't know, I swapped out my rear axle for a Sterling 10.25.

 

52'F3...Thanks anyway