CONGRADULATIONS MY FRIEND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ken - please be careful checking that wheel. Widowmakers as a breed are dangerous, but a damaged one is a whole lot worse. Let the air out before messing with it please.

Mark/Ken - I know I've been through this before in an old thread, but am too lazy to search. So I just re-researched it and here's what Ken has, and what he needs. Ken's truck has the 6 lug x 7.25" pattern in a 17" x 5.5" Budd wheel #65720-1 and having Ford #TCAA 1007-A. Budd changed their number in later years to #74720-1. This wheel has 5" of dish, same a dual wheel, but is listed as a single (why I can't say). It has a "coined in/out mounting" and uses a 90° cone cap nut. It has a Firestone RH-5° (widowmaker) outer rim. The books show that the '53 and '54 F-350s used this wheel, then in '55 Ford switched to use of the shallow 1/2" dished wheels for the SRW F-350s.

So, we're looking for tubeless wheels having this bolt pattern, mounting specification, and similar dish. The only size options are either 17.5" or 19.5". The ideal solution would be a 19.5", but I only find two that were made. One has 1/2" of dish, the other 3.5" of dish (Budd #72720). Since Ken's stock wheels have 5" of dish, I don't know whether he'd have rubbing of the fender wells using the 19.5s with 3.5" of dish. Might be risky. The 17.5" option sounds better to me since they were made having 4.75" of dish. The Budd numbers for this wheel are either #71320 or, a later number change, #79120. The Ford number for this wheel is B6Y 1015-A. The NWRA number is X-45057. An advantage to this wheel is that it was used by Ford, Dodge, IHC, and Studebaker which should widen the search options. I've seen them a few times on Craigslist, so would think Ken might have luck checking the various northwest CRs for them. Stu

 

well Stu I found 4 wheels with the right bolt size and offset (almost at 5inch) they come off a small truck problem is 13 inch wheels !!!it's a suzukie truck found it with duels so close ...and I have been looking at Hino trucks as well ,,the widow's have worked for 50 years with proper respect and a good cleaning they will continue to work ..I can build a cage or find one to repair a rim and tire..you all know the elation of the first road run ,,and the total fear that you missed something ..this was not a restoration..it was ..and is lust plain and simple..she was gonna be parts ..but I love the old fords..the motor was loose so i figger why not it looked all there..half an hour of tinkering and she startted talking to me..after 10 years of resting...the breaks are all done now so she stops..I thought the stearing was good...that is next under 30 she hump's and shudders.. at 45 speed wobbells I guess the grease and crud holdinig it together has fallen out..she has majior rust in the corners,,the tires are square and rotten and if I'm in 2nd gear Ican't get my leg between the shifter and the stearing wheel...without sliding my *** over to get my knee clear to reach the pedel..or shift to neutral..damm it was a great run..Mom always told me "God protect fools and little kids" so either way I'm covered..this truck is like the redhead girlfriend.... wonderus and terrifying at the same time..

 

Man, is there wisdom in that statement! An adventure at every turn.

Wheels - you gotta stay away from the 6 lug wheels used on Hinos, UTs, and other oriental brands since their bolt pattern is metric. You'll never get them to seat correctly. Also, I on purpose didn't list anything in a 16.5" tubeless size since I doubt they'd clear your drums. The reason being that the 16.5" has a 14" center mounted in a drop center rim. Same concept, though, applies to the 17.5" with its 15" center, 19.5" with its 17" center, and 22.5" with its 20" center. A 17.5" clears a 14" drum and is to my mind a good solution. Stu

 

16.5??? in 6 bolt??? tubeless!!! gawwd the posibility's....stu to be honest I don't mind trying metrics just to see if it will work..if not then I have learned something..the 19.5s I think are really pricey ...but available ...and widow makers...I married a redhead the first time..I have learned to be careful... so keeping the old rims is ok with me if i can find rubber for them...here on the island my choices are limited so I need to plan for excursions to the mainland or learn shipping rates..it's all good ..

 

Here's a Seattle Craigslist posting that might be worth checking into. His description is mixed up, but he does say they are 6 lug 17.5s. Stu

6 lug dually steel rims and tires

 

I'm just gonna go to the bone yard and ask him if he has any 17.5 or 19.5 tubeless 6 bolt Ford rims. he will know what i need and show me what he has if anything. Then i can get a rim number and someone else can figure out if they would work. I dont know what it is Stu, but when you start talking about wheels, my brain cant keep up even when i read it twice.

 

Well heck. Just trying to give complete info. When I answer these questions for guys I don't want to be too general and lead to guys buying wheels that won't work. I sorta feel responsible. But I accept that I'm a numbers freak. A lotta years ago I was a parts man, and spent the years since then dealing with federal regulations at work. I'll try to write more clearly. Stu

 

well today I got the exhaust cleaned up .so she is quiet now..3 tire shops .no 17 inch tires ,and no one will touch the split rim..the tires have a half inch to 3/4 lump from sitting ..sidewall cracking..she shudders all the time... going to try a run around town to warm up the tires to get them round again..what do you guy's do for tires ??am I just scareing the tire guy's with this truck???are 19s easier to get ??then 17 or 17.5 tires??getting frustrated..

 

E-mailed snahomish about the wheels..hope they will work ,seattlecraigs. thanksfor the message...an' I don't mind the detail you put in it helps me to understand options and all the vairiables...I'm learning things here I could never find out otherwise!!!

 

Well, do I dare bring up another option? Going an entirely different direction. F-350s could be equipped as either a dually or single rear wheel option. The dually option was a 16" "lock ring" design called a Firestone "RHP". Naturally having the same bolt pattern as the single rear wheel models. If you could find an old 53/54 dually parts truck in a yard somewhere to rob the wheels off of you'd be in business. Both the single wheel option and dually option had 5" of dish. Lock ring style wheels can still be serviced. Below is the "RHP" cross section picture. Stu

 

i am not busting your chops Stu, i think it is great that you have a vast amount of knowledge on wheels. you have helped me a ton and i doubt i could ever repay you. it was more of a statement on how slow I am. you keep up the great work and research and pay no attention to me. if it were not for you i would not know what my f3 was suppose to have, or that the 19.5 tubeless would work, or the fact that i will probably never see another pair of 16s for the f2.

 

well the tires are getting round again..almost 150 miles on her got up to 45 mph today ,before the speed wobble set in..getting real good at double clutching..is it normal for this tran's to need double clutching?? I have a spare trans to rebuild or is there a better unit to put in that will give me full syncro??anyone else playing out here?most of the truck i see are amazing restorations ,does anyone else here have a survivor...something dragged back from the pile??just wondering...