Factory spare tire info?

cougarshaman · #1 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 10:10 AM

Anyone know what the factory equipped spare tire would have been on my 73 F100?
I have an old bias ply hanging underneath and wanted to make sure I'm not tossing a time capsule out instead of a dry rotted waste of space.

Jermafenser · #2 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 02:13 PM

Bias ply? It's probably original. Tires were equipped according to GVW and region.

Mine still has the original Firestone L78-15 bias ply snow tire rotting underneath the rusty spare tire brackets.

I plan to replace the spare when I get a new set of tires for the truck.

cougarshaman · #3 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 03:44 PM

It has an old Firestone G78-15 under it.
Truck was originally sold in TN from what I understand.

Jermafenser · #4 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 08:35 PM

F100?

Then it's most likely it is the original tire.

NumberDummy · #5 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 12:18 PM

Y'all know...of course...that the spare tire was an option on some of these trucks.

You could order the spare tire as an "assembly" or the wheel only.

When the spare tire was an option, so was the spare tires mounting brackets.

Ford did not offer Radial Tires on F100/350's until 1974.

Radials were an extra cost option over the standard equipment bias ply's.

Most of these trucks did not have Radial tires as original.

Jermafenser · #6 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 12:50 PM

When was the entire spare an option? As far as I can remember, you had to have some sort of spare even back then.

One of the of two times I bought a Ford truck new, I had one with the rim only. It was delivered to me with a wood spacer on the arm to compensate the void.

The forsaken Firestone 500 (probably old guys would remember that) fiasco was what kept me from buying radial tires until the late '80s.

terceslil · #7 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 06:26 PM

I have the mounting brackets under the bed of my truck. Looks original.

NumberDummy · #8 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jermafenser

When was the entire spare an option? As far as I can remember, you had to have some sort of spare even back then.

One of the of two times I bought a Ford truck new, I had one with the rim only. It was delivered to me with a wood spacer on the arm to compensate the void.

The forsaken Firestone 500 (probably us old guys

would remember that) fiasco was what kept me from buying radial tires until the late '80s.

Spare tires...on the trucks, not elsewhere.

From Model T days, thru the 1970's.

I remember one customer that had bought a 1972 F250. He was PO'd when he had a flat, looked underneath and saw only the rim!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ahhh yes, the Firestone 500 peeling tread debacle of the late 1970's...I remember it well.

After fighting it out in the courts...and losing, Firestone declared bankruptcy rather than replacing all the gazillions of defective tires.

Firestone was then bought by Japanese tire maker Bridgestone who still owns it today.

btw: This had nothing to do with the peeling treads of Firestone tires installed on Explorers, cuz that occured with different Firestone Tires in the 1990's/2000's

cougarshaman · #9 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 08:29 PM

I did not know that at all, regarding the spare.

Thanks for educating me on this.

To be clear, was the spare an extra cost option or did some states require it?

NumberDummy · #10 (**permalink**) 10-28-2009, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cougarshaman

I did not know that at all, regarding the spare.

Thanks for educating me on this.

To be clear, was the spare an extra cost option or did some states require it?

The spare tire was an option on some models.

AFAIK...even today, there is no law that requires a vehicle to have a spare tire.

Speaking of old guys...how many of y'all remember the Good-Year Captive Air tires sold for cars in the 1950's?

This was two tires in one, with one tire inside t'other.

The idea was...since the tire (supposedly) wouldn't go flat, you didn't need a spare tire...allowing more room in the trunk.

But...back in those days, the trunks were sooo huge, you could carry FIVE spare tires and still have room for boo boo bear's pic-a-nic basket.

btw: Y'all know...of course...that ALL the truck rear bumpers were optional...every single one a them.

Jermafenser · #11 (**permalink**) 10-28-2009, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NumberDummy

Speaking of old guys...how many of y'all remember the Good-Year Captive Air tires sold for cars in the 1950's?

btw: Y'all know...of course...that ALL the truck rear bumpers were optional...every single one a them.

I remember those. What a half-cocked idea. I also remember they did a crazy advertisement with those tires, intentionally punching them flat and drive the entire length of the Old Spanish Trail to prove you didn't need a spare.

Did'cha remember the Goodyear ILLUMINATED tire? Think it was from 1960 or so. Even dumber idea. I bet it was hell balancing those without breaking the bulbs!

The rear bumper was optional up until the 1997 model year I think. People who ordered without one eventually put on one, anyway.