I want to put on a set of nice looking rims and tires on my 52 F1.

I don't want to spend a fortune. Prob around $1000 for a set of wheels and tires.

Can anyone recommend a good looking setup? How about offsets, oversize tires/wheels?

And are any of those mail order sites good? I see a lot of them with wheel and tire sets for $500-$1500 including shipping, mounting and balancing.

I'm leaning towards a polished aluminum wheel because I live near the beach

 

Everyone's tastes are different on this one man...I personally wouldn't use aluminum wheels on a F-1 to save my life...won't dog someone for doing it though. I love my painted steelies with beauty rings, bullet caps, bullet lugs, and wide whites...personally. They look good tucked up in the fenders or at stock ride height in my opinion.

I honestly have no idea what living near a beach has to do with wheel and tire combo...did I miss something? I live near a river, should I have used something different?

 

Well living in Indiana you probably don't have experience with the damage salt air from the ocean can do to steel rims

 

This is true. We do however have salted roads due to ice, so salt and moisture still are something to plan. Aluminum may hold up to the elements, but it needs cleaned and polished to do so or it will oxidize. Steel wheels would need the same...maybe a paint job every so often.

I wasn't trying to be sarcastic...my appologies if I was crass. It was an honest question. I wasnt exactly thinking about the salt water...just the water part!

 

No, you were fine. Thanks for the honesty.

I've seen this 52 and it looks like it has aluminum wheels. Looks good to me

1952 ford f1

 

Here's a shot with slotted mags;


Here's a shot with Cragars;


I also like Torque Thrust wheels.

You got to pick what you like. Aluminum wheels aren't safe from salts either, they can get pitted.

Bobby

 

Torque Thrusts or virtually any 5 spoke.

 

looking good to you is all that matters. i am putting billet spec. street lites on mine. don't fall in the cheap class but i like them enough to spend the $ on them. currently has american eagles on it that the p.o. didn't take care of and look like poo now

 

I really like these Cragar 500 series, but I also like the old school steelies.

I think when the time comes I'll get a photoshop wizard to make me a few "preview" pics to help me choose... Maybe you could do the same? Surf the net, find a few wheels and tires you like and then photoshop them onto your truck.

 

Those are very cool!!

Bobby

 

I used 255/60/15 copper tires cost around 450 and 8 inch dick creeper rims from summit . They got good prices on rims cost around 450.

 

Bobby, do you really have two different style wheels on your truck, one for each side?

Anyway, some advice from someone who's wholesaled tires and wheels for more than two decades.First, pick the style of the truck, tradional, custom, pro street, etc. This will also point you toward the style of tire and size. Keep in mind that tradional and customs tend to use older, established styles. Smoothies and cragars, for example, aren't cutting edge today, but will still be in style 5-10 years from now, and can be replaced if damaged. Current, cutting edge styles may still be popular 5 years from now, or the style may have changed and your truck will look dated. I often look at street rods and can tell when the owner purchased the wheels just from the style. Fluted, polished alloy means early to mid 90's, for example. Choose carefully or your truck will be wearing bell bottoms or hip huggers, waiting for the style to come back.
Second, choose an established company, like cragar or american racing. Avoid the no name, imported wheels, which are often imported by fly by nights, who soon disappear. Getting a center cap, or a replacement of a damaged wheel may be impossible if your wheel company has dissappeared. Also, if a wheel failure causes an accident and the companies gone, you're next in line for liability. Been down that road with a cheap alloy wheel that simply folded up in a corner.
What did I choose for my truck? I chose traditional. Five chrome smoothies with painted centers, 16 x 7. I can use chrome center caps, or bullet caps to change the look. Made by Unique wheel, which is private label Cragar. Cooper CS4 all seasons, P235/65r16 in back, P235/60r16 in front, with a P215/70r16 spare. Price was not an issue, the wheels were distributor cost, and the tires were no cost, it's just the look I was after.

 

I think it's hard to beat the Torque Thrust D's!

 

What about getting your current wheels blasted and powedercoated??

 

I personally can't stand modern wheels on old cars. It just doesn't look right. When I see an old vehicle with modern wheels, the wheels are the first thing my eyes see. Custom wheels are supposed to accent your vehicle, not be the focal point. Same goes for the wild graphic paint jobs, multi-colored interiors, etc. The classics deserve to look just that....CLASSIC. Try looking for wheels that were around when these trucks were the more common vehicles on the road. The wheel & tire choice is just as important as the stance, paint, interior, etc. You've got to make everything flow and work well together. A vintage truck with modern wheels is just as stupid looking as a modern car with wide whitewalls. Two eras that don't mix.

A set of stock painted steel wheels with hubcaps wrapped in wide whitewall tires is a classic look. The wheels and tires don't stand out and only enhance the overall appearance of the truck. They work with a classic restored look, or a custom "traditional" style...




Chrome steel wheels are a good way to make the truck appear more "custom". They work with blackwalls, but the whitewalls further enhance the look...




Cragar S/S wheels give the truck a late 60's-late 70's appeal, they look good with blackwall, thin whitewall, or raised letter tires...


Same goes for slotted aluminum mags. They were available in the mid-late 60's. They look best with blackwalls. Torque Thrusts were available in the late mid-late 60's. They look best with blackwalls, but thin whitewalls can often look good. Wide Whitewalls are not a good option.

Any of the centerline, boyd, weld, billet type wheels just blends into the whole modern wheel thing. They don't match the classic smooth flowing lines of the body, so as a result, they don't look right on the old vehicle.

That's just my $.02