I posted a few more pics of a 53 F350 express bed. It was another one that we let "slip away" It was a good solid running truck that my Dad sold on Ebay for like $1300 a couple years ago. To make it worse , the guy that bought it turned it into a 'darksider'. But i think he kept the 9 foot bed.

Were the Tailgates special on these beds??? were they taller?

link to pics:
http://public.fotki.com/heck91426/53_f350_expressserv/

i can email you the full size ones if you want
Mark

 

They were taller and wider.

 

Lots of good information about the truck,& the 9' bed. 50 of them on the road?Probably no more than 100?I almost hate to put the cummins in it now...But I searched for 3 years for such a truck,now I have it,& I really want to use it to pull my vintage goosneck around the country picking up old junk,so I am getting started on the new running gear changeover today,There will be 51 of them on the road by Dec.31st!!!!!!!I will try to post some pics of my 55',if my smart computer will let me.Keep the information coming guys,there are a lot of f100 guys that do not know anything about these trucks,I told an old f100 parts guy about my truck having a 130" wheelbase,He snorted & said they never built an express bed truck that long,someone must have converted it! Someone once said (Life is a school,it teaches us something new every day)I am off to start a photo gallery,if I can.

 

sounds like a great idea/project........ love the Cummins/ZF combo you got planned.

but i 2nd the thought about your 60 rear. i think a 70 or 80 (maybe a Sterling or 14-bolt) would be more matched torque wise.
i dont think dodge ever ran 60 behind the cummins from the factory. even if yours has 35-spline shafts and thick tubes, i would still be alittle worried about the carrier/housing.

might be able to use your 60 disc brake stuff on a 70?

 

I have a 55 f350 express 9' bed 4 speed 239 v8 original I'd give it a 9 out of 10.
Raven black with original wheels, (yes widow makers) just had new 17" tires installed, no problem...best truck on the road.

 

This is an old thread but hey, it works for me.

 

Look around in "my garage" for my low mileage 56 F350 express one owner.
This was four speed (some did have three sp) sweet 272. This truck would blow the doors of my 96 F350 and its got a 460. Why in hell people repower these things with modern junk is beyond me. And why I sold it is also beyond me.
And this weeks update, I have already machined the adaptor plate for the
flathead to the AOD. Unfortunatly I have to use the 460 starter. I like the sound of the flathead starter but cant. Gotta buy a majic electric box for the tranny to shift. Cant wait to open hood for some gearhead, and theres a flattie in a 96. At least it will be dependable. And I will vidio the day I take all that
460 computor crap and flatten it with my dozer period. The end of that money pit. And no I do not have a CNC either.

 

That may well turn out to be a foolhardy move on your part that has moral and legal ramifications. My friend's father-in-law was cut in two while driving in his car. Truck next to him spit a Firestone rim right through his door, him, and the other door. Oddly enough, he is still dead. That's right. Using them can be fatal. Knowingly using them is, in my opinion, asinine. Sorry if that upsets you but I say what I feel and I feel strongly about this.
I'll say my prayers for you and those around you.

BigJob, I'm laying in my supply of popcorn for the movie!
And CNC is highly overrated. Heck, I still use anvil and forge at times!

 

I'll ditto Jeremy's point of view on this. The RH-5° rims on your truck can't be trusted. In your case, however, no one is at risk standing on a street corner as you roll past. Your single rear wheel style wheels would blow in toward the truck. Could cause a wreck and would make a real mess of a 9 out of 10 F-350. Stu

 

Bought this one about 8 years ago and sold it a few years into the building recession. Like yours, it was way too original to alter. I also wanted to run a diesel and later running gear so when I stumbled upon this near perfect 9' flareside bed while passing through Spokane Wa, on the dry East side of the state, I clamped it to my bumper and off we went. I later picked up a '59 f350 for my donor. The bed had the short detached running boards for a '57-'66 style truck. The '59 had all 8 holes already drilled into the frame from the factory. The truck now has an '88 cummins 6at from a ups truck and a gm sm 465 4 speed. This cummins is smaller than the dodge's 6bt, but fit in nicely and all mechanical. Rear axle is sterling 10 1/4 from a '92 f350 dually pickup. Converted the front hubs for matching one piece 8 lugs with 255 85 16s. I have a long history with one ton pickups, having owned 5 over the last 40 years.

 

I evidently don't know enough about split rims to be concern. My rims appear to be two pieces that look like one. They seem to be "riveted" together n the center. A very well known nationwide tire shop installed my new tires with no problem with no questions asked. It looks impossible for one to split and come off the hub assembly being that the lugs are holding the wheel on. Am I wrong. Sorry if I offended anyone for using the originals...

 

Do they have a 2" wide raised section around the inside of the hollow section? Without rivets? If so, they're widow makers.
Otherwise, they may well be three piece lock ring wheels. I run lock rings. They work fine, last a long time. Plenty of pictures of widow makers on this forum. I'm sure that I came off as being quite harsh. I am trying to convey the serious risk that the Firestone RH-5* wheels present. I hope you have good lock rings.
Oddly enough, some folks call both (and other) styles "split rims."

Oh, and welcome to the forum. I'm not always this derisive.

 

No no, and I don't what to be offensive either. The risk with your wheels is the joint line along the center of the outer rim. There is no issue where they bolt to the hubs. The RH-5° outer rims have a well earned reputation for coming apart without warning at their centerline joint. I'm really surprised your shop mounted your new tires on them.

One of my interests here is to help guys find safer alternative wheels. In most cases an array of other vehicles can be found to donate their safer wheels. Not so easy in your case. In 1955 SRW F-350s went to a shallow 1/2" dished wheel having the 6 lug x 7.25" bolt pattern. The only alternative wheels made were the one piece tubeless type first offered in 1956. They were Budd #73230 in a 17.5" x 5.25" size, and Budd #70740 in 19.5" x 5.25" size. These were optional on F-350s through 1966, and on Dodge one tons through 1968. Finding a set of one or the other will be a task. A more workable solution would be to have a company like America Wheel Specialist in Pasco, WA, build a custom set if you come to that. Stu

Edit - the stock wheels on '55 F-350s are Budd #68600. They have RH-5° outer rims. No other SRW 17" wheels are listed in the catalogs having a side ring/lock ring design. Stu

 

I appreciate your reply. I have tried and tried to find suitable replacements as I would prefer a tubeless ride but kept hitting dead ends. I have heard of American wheel but having not contacting yet, that route seems like it will be very expensive. It would seem I have no alternative and will reply when I contact them.

The rims have what looks like rivets piecing the 2 halves together. There is no 2" raised section. They also do not appear to have a lock ring as seen on larger type trucks. To my knowledge these are the original 1955 f350 17' rims that came with the truck along with the side mounted spare wheel/tire. If I was any good at taking pictures I would. Maybe I'll trying taking a few shots and posting them. As always I welcome and appreciate any rely, they are nothing but helpful.

 

Do you see a raised area similar to this where the center rivets to the outer rim? That raised area is the joint. This pictured wheel is a 17" widow maker from an earlier F-3 model, but my hunch would be that you'll see a similar design on yours. Stu

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...els/f-3rim.jpg