ok guys it's warm out and obviously im attempting to get motivated and do something with my trucks but i gotz a question . i was messin' with the 49 the other day and my rims are 18.5's . they do not appear to be widow makers . they got some rust on a band riveted to the center of the whell but no major issues . i'd have to go look again { my memory is about as long as my pinky finger } but i'd swear they were tubeless . before id'a swore they were the dangerous types , but thats standing around in cold weather and not really paying attention . so did ford offer the 18.5 in a tubeless freindlier version or am i just fortunate and someone has already done the swappin ' for me ????by the way headed to a boneyard north of me today that supposedly has lots of old iron . i'll grab some pics and post 'em if i remember the camera , and they have what sounds to be a 56 ford tow truck wastin away there , maybe even a cab over from the description i was given .

 

Kevin - Please take another look at them. I've never heard of 18.5s. F-4s, though, were equipped with 18s when set up with dual rear wheels. My bet is that's what you've got. And, yes, they probably are widow makers. They will look like tubeless rims from the front, but when viewed from the back you'll see the band where the halves overlap. Stu

 

stu yer right . those prescription drugs i waz takin' must be affecting whats left of my brain cells ....... i think i'll go lay down now before i pass out from stupidity ...............

 

Sorry I was right. Now you have the hard part of the problem to deal with. My part was made easier by all sorts of old manuals. Stu

 

Those darn Widow Makers are really deceptive. Too bad, now you're going have to start hunting for a set of replacements.

 

i have been lookin' bob and had several leads including the set i traded that sbc intake for that turned out to be off a mid 70's dodge truck , but they were 16's , 8 lug . sight unseen ya know .it's not going anywhere as i really dont have any dain time to do a thing and the 53 has priority . that 54 wrecker i was speaking of in the boneyard , i thought had what i needed but nope when i got up on it split rims , and i think they were 6 lug like my ol' 55 . he had an old dodge motor home in the yard as well as a whole lot of other goodies , but no luck on the rims on it either . when i'm not looking i'll find a set .

 

Kevin - Talking about that old Dodge MH, some of them used 17" lock rings. Those will fit your truck too. I've seen a F-4 tow truck that had one of them on it. Matter of fact it was the Budd part number I look for for my trucks. The guy wouldn't sell it. Said he put it on because he couldn't find an 18"er. The 17s look about the same as 18s, the tires are about the same outside diameter, and the best thing they're lock ring. Here's a pic of that truck. The 17 is on the driver side front. Stu

 

a lil work and that could be a sweet ol' truck there . i'll keep my eyes open for those also . i carry a tape with me everywhere so i can measure the pattern out .!!