anyone have some suggestions on rims to put on???? just looking for suggestions . def want to go vintage.

 

If you want vintage, why not find stock OEM rims? There was a set that sold on ebay a month or so ago very cheap. I bid, but just to give them a home if nobody else bid. One other person wanted them and I got outbid by a dollar. They were over in MO and would have been easy to go pick up. Since you're in Illinois, I've got a couple that would get you started on a set if it would help. Stu

 

im really kicking myself in the butt with getting the f2 instead of an f1 but the deal was so sweet ya know. i would like some vintage 8 lugs but not OEM which is the problem. how many do u have and how much do u want for them?

 

Since you've got over 25 posts, do me a private message.

Don't talk bad about F-2s. Some of us think trucks should be trucks, built to work. Stu

 

lol sorry for talking bad lol . didnt kno. haha.

 

Just giving you a hard time. Stu

 

So are all 2 pc.7.50x17 rims the infamous 'widow-makers' ?
That is what I have on the rear of my F3.

 

As original equipment on F-3s, yes. But, there were also 17" wheels used on one ton Chevies of the late 40s/early 50s that are a three part design that are not widowmakers and are still safe to use. The Ford design is technically known as a Firestone "RH-5°" and the Chevy is a Firestone/Kelsey Hayes "AR" design. One distinguishing feature between the two, besides the obvious locking ring design, is hub cap clips. The Chevy wheel has them, the Ford has the nubs that hold the hub cap. Also distinguishing them apart, I've posted a pic of the widowmaker from the back so you can see the raised band like area near the middle. That's the joint where the front and back connect. On the Chevy wheel, you can see the small ring that holds the larger side ring in place on the face of the wheel. Here's pics of each. First is the Ford WM, then the Chevy.

 

Stu,
Well I think those are what I have.
What I don't understand is that when about two years ago when I got new tires all around, I got them from a local franchised tire place and they said nothing and had no problem doing the mounting. After that I started reading about the widow makers and thought that I read that no tire shops would mess with them so I figured mine were ok.
They seem fine, are they dangerous now or just when being mounted?
Brian

 

what makes them so dangerous that they have that name? is there something more safer to go with? post links please

 

"...are they dangerous now or just when being mounted?"

Both. They are most dangerous to the tire tech while mounting because the design doesn't allow the tire tech to see the joint where the halves interconnect to know while inflating that there is a good seat of the wheel halves. Plus, rust/metal fatigue/bends or other damage can further weaken the rim and lead to failure. There are records of wheels blowing apart while in service.

"what makes them so dangerous that they have that name? is there something more safer to go with? post links please"

F-2 wheels are not dangerous. They are a one piece design. It's the F-3 and bigger trucks that were equipped with these wheels that are at risk. We've discussed alternatives at length previously. Do a thread search of my name or the "widowmaker" term and you'll find lots of alternatives. Plus, when I'm done here, I'll go switch to a different computer and edit to link some old threads.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...els-again.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...9-ford-f3.html

I'll post a link to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety web site for anybody that wants to read why they say they are so dangerous. I'll also give some history to make it easier to follow.

The Firestone RH-5° design, at the federal level anyway, has never been recalled or outlawed. But this is to me a fascinating case study in how the courts, insurance companies, and lawyers can facilitate positive change when the federal govenment doesn't act. These wheels have been around since the late 1940s and were the dominant design used on trucks for three decades. In the 1970s the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), citing the high incidence of injuries associated with these wheels (as well as with Goodyear "KW" and "KB" rim designs used with Dayton big rig wheels) began a campaign to have them recalled. In fact, the IIHS really wanted to have all multi-part truck wheels recalled and replaced with one piece tubeless wheels but focused their push on the Firestone RH-5° and Goodyear "KW" and "KB" designs because they had by far the worst safety record. The IIHS really began pushing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to do the recall in about 1972.

If you read through the archived copies of the IIHS Status Reports (link Latest issues of Status Report) they show that the recall effort progressed on track until the late 1970s when the wheel manufacturers began seriously pushing back. The wheel manufacturers argued that the RH-5° problems were really due to lack of proper training of wheel service techs. To my recall, it was in 1978/79 when the wheel companies notified the IIHS and NHTSA that they would not do a voluntary recall of the wheels. Ultimately the manufacturers' lobbyists convinced OSHA that there should be increased training required of tire service personnel, and that safety posters should be displayed in all service facilities. Much cheaper than recalling and replacing millions of wheels. In 1980 the NHTSA ended the recall effort completely.

So, since then it's been the insurance companies and courts that have defacto made these wheels unserviceable. If you do a Google search of the "RH-5°" you'll find plenty of wrongful death/injury court cases. There are still some old time tire shops that will work on them but from everything we hear they are becoming rare. I visited a shop in a small town north of here a few weeks ago looking for wheels and learned that the old guy that runs that shop will still do them. Other shops that we've heard of, however, will confiscate the wheels if they are brought in for service. What I don't know is whether some states have themselves enacted laws regarding them in the absence of federal laws.

 

Stu,
Thanks for the education. Not sure where I will go from here but at least now I know for sure just what you have all been talking about. I will check those posts next week as we have our annual "Lost in the 50's" car show this weekend. Approx. 500 cars and trucks so lots to do.
Brian