Hi,
I have 1940 one ton truck, wheels are 17 in 2 pc, no one will work on them, they say it is too dangerous.

does anyone know where I might find a good replacement wheel and tire combo(tubeless, one piece)? coker has tubes and tires, but no wheels.

current specs - 17 inch wheels, tires are 700x17 with tubes, 31 in tall. bolt pattern is huge - 5x 7 inch lugs are about 1 inch diameter, I can reuse my current lug nuts, left hand side is left hand thread, right hand side is right hand thread.

or do I need to replace brakes all around and go with a more modern expedition type combo?
thanks,
mpr

 

First thing I'll do is ask where you've tried to have your stock wheels worked on? If you've gone to the local Sears or similar chain that work mostly on cars it's understandable that they won't want to, and won't know how to, work on your wheels. If, however, you go to a big rig tire shop you should find somebody that knows how to do it. I'll post a couple of OSHA web sites that cover safety issues related to multi-part wheels.

http://www.tireindustry.org/pdf/osha_Demount-Mount.pdf
http://www.tireindustry.org/pdf/osha_Rim%20Matching.pdf

Your wheels are unique to your truck. The bolt pattern is what makes them unique. It is technically a 5 lug on a 6 7/8" bolt circle. No other car of truck that I've found used similar wheels. Others used that bolt pattern, but not in a single wheel configuration.

They are what's called "lock ring" style multi-part wheels. They probably have a one piece/non-split ring on the outer surface of the wheel. If that's what you see, they are a Firestone design most likely called an "RH". I'll post a cross section picture of it. If you have split rings they are then probably one of several Goodyear designed outer rims. Here's the Firestone "RH". I bet that's what you have.



Finding replacements isn't in the cards for the above reason. Swapping rear axles will get you into a modern wheel, but there's no similar easy fix on the front that I'm aware of unless you go with one of the Mustang II type custom set ups.

My advice would be to keep looking for a shop to work on your stock rims. Stu

 

Unfortunatly, most tire shops (real ones) around me wont even work on those types of rims. For two reasons, one is the safety of them,(they didnt call these and split rims widow makers for no reason) second is there really isnt anybody that knows how to work on them.

One option you have, if you can find a good machine shop (and I mean good) is to have them remove the centers of your existing rims, and put them on a newer style outer rim. Other than replacing your suspension out to a more modern styling, I think this may be your only option. Short of having a set of rims custom made, and I dont even want to think of the $$$ it would cost.

I have the RH style on my 1 ton, but once I'm done with it, they will either be sold or sent to the shredder.

 

Well, on this we'll disagree. The "RH" is not a widowmaker. The widowmaker is the "RH-5°" which is a completely different wheel. It didn't come out until the mid to late 1940s and was the dominant wheel used on Ford's bigger models from the late 40s on into the 1960s. Today no reputable shop will touch them for insurance and legal reasons. There was a recall effort on them that failed in the 1970s when the NHTSB ruled that accidents associated with them were due to lack of training rather than design defects. Today it's viewed differently. Here's the cross section of it:



I'll agree that finding a shop to work on old rims can be a challenge. But given the fact that similar lock ring rim designs are still sold new today for Dayton demountable applications on the big rigs, shops are out there. Lock ring rims can absolutely be dangerous if not handled properly, as is described in the above OSHA citation.

There are companies as you suggest that can pull centers and remount them in new tubeless outer rims. The better know companies are Stockton Wheel and American Wheel Specialist. The cost to have this done is severe. Finding a local machine shop to pull your centers and remount them is also possible, but the legal risks there are considerable if a rim should fail and injure somebody. At least by going to an established company you'd know that they have the experience to do it right and the insurance to back up their product.

 

I have always worked on My own multi-piece rims (I used to work in a truck shop), but when I came across the RH-5 wheel recently I didn't like the design and refused to use them. They go in the scrap pile in my opinion. The other kinds are not to bad to deal with, but an untrained person should not mess with them. Safety is a real big concern. I've seen tire cages with the sides bent out about 10 inches each side.

 

I'll ditto that. I should also probably add to my above comments that I've got three different sets of Budd lock ring rims (#44820, #59340, and #66520) for my two MHs, plus a set of tubeless 19.5s. One of the lock ring sets is the Firestone "RH", the other two sets are Goodyears with split rings. Mine are the Budd dually style with 5 lug x 8" circle. I've had no trouble finding shops to work on them. There's two locally that I've had break down "RH"s, and there's a third in a small town near by that I've called about having it done but never have needed to take a rim there.

 

Hi,
thanks everyone for the invaluable advice. only on the internet!! I belive i have the RH type, not the widow maker, and I may have found a big rig shop in Fresno, TX, about 15 miles west of Katy, TX.

Q. Since I have all 5 wheels, and they are in great shape, doesn't it make sense to keep the truck as original as possible for retaining collector value??

upon further inspection, the fronts are 7 inch, rears are 7.5 inches.

Q. which size should I use? does it matter? cooper has both sizes/tubes.

Q. also, does anyone know where to get a few of the hubcap clips, think they get riveted on?

thanks again, this site and friends are priceless.

-mpr

 

To my value system keeping them original is best. In your case that's also your most cost effective option.

I've got a 1947 wheel catalog that shows the 1940 through 1947 one tons were either equipped with 3.75" wide or 4.33" wide rims. Those measurements are taken on the inside of the rim between the two lips. If you measure across the lips the measurements are 5" and 6" respectively. Either 6.50 or 7.00 x 17" tires could have been mounted. If you have the wider rims you could probably go with the 7.50s too, but that's just my opinion.

Sorry, but I'm no help on the hub cap clips except to maybe say check a local salvage yard. Stu