I'm a total newb on FTE, just got my '51 F4 two days ago. I learned about the dangers of Widow Makers while reading a thread by Speedyweasel and I don't know how to tell for sure if my wheels are WMs, but I think they are. Also, is this only a problem with the rear wheels, or can the front wheels also be WMs?




Any insight will be appreciated.

 

If they're the original wheels and they all look like that one on the rear, they're WM's. The fronts will be too. You can tell by that raised band inside the middle, as seen in your rear wheel pic.

 

Thanks for the fast response. Guess I better start saving for new wheels and tires.

 

Nice looking truck Joe!

 

Thanks. My son found it but decided it needs too much work to be a daily driver any time soon. I just couldn't leave it there, and went back the next day to buy it.

I yanked that bumper off this morning. It looks better already.

 

Am I right those are 18s, or are they 20s? The stock F-4 DRW option was 18s, but a SRW option also existed which was four 20" wheels and tires. Over the years many owners dualled up the single 20s to increase the load capacity of their truck. The 20s, at about 37.5" outside diameter for a 7.50 x 20", would also improve road speed over the 18s which were about 34" tall for a 7.00 x 18".

If you want the taller wheel/tire combo, instead of the 19.5s you could go with 22.5s. The 22.5" tubeless wheel is the technical equal of a 20" tube type. A 22.5" wheel would use a 9R22.5" tire that will be about 38" tall. One of our members, Kevin Bigwin, has a set of the 22.5s for sale if you want contact info. To my recall his wheels are the early 5.25" variety. Technically that wheel wasn't spec'd for the 9" tire, which is the narrowest available today, but a lot of guys use them together with no issues. I think it especially would be no problem since I doubt the truck will be put to much real work anymore. Stu

 

I like the hub caps, they aren't original to the truck, they came on earlier Ford dualie trucks. I have a set of four I'm going to use on my F-4. I'll mount them to front using a piece of flat stock bolted into the dust cap.

 

You're right, they're 18's. I haven't yet decided what to do except replace them. And I'll have to wait a few months for that. Thanks for the info. I've learned a lot from this group in the past two days! The amount of knowledge shared here is remarkable.

 

That's the only hubcap on the truck. I didn't know if the other side was lost, or if this was a wierdo. Now I'm wondering if it was put on there to hide something! I'll have to pop it off and see.

 

Here's a CL listing for a set of 19.5s if you're interested. Stu

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/an...492014115.html

 

Thanks Stu. OK, so I'm really a newb here. This CL listing is for19.5 in Dodge wheels. They will work on a Ford F4? Boy, I have a lot to learn... I would never have considered that. And another dumb question, since I've never owned a dually before... are all 6 wheels the same, with the two outside rear just turned backwards?

 

Truck wheels weren't made by Dodge or Ford. In the case of the 19.5s, they were made by the Budd Company (that no longer exists - has now been absorbed into the Hayes-Lemmerz Co). Your truck has the same bolt pattern as the Dodge motor homes, 5 lug x 8" bolt circle. Ford motor homes used these wheels too. I have a pair of the Ford wheels that are NOS and still have the Ford part number sticker on them. There were two different 19.5" widths. The 5.25" width is Budd #72070 and the 6" is Budd #89340.

The rear outer duals are just turned concave side out. Something else you're gonna have to learn about too are the terms "stud piloted" and "ball seat mount". The wheels/hubs on your truck are "stud piloted". The wheels' lug holes have a rounded seat for the nuts that are called a "ball seat". The nuts center the wheels on the studs, as opposed to another system, called "hub piloted", where the center bore of the wheel centers it on the hub (old Chevy and most modern trucks).

The "stud piloted" mounting system uses an inner and outer nut on the rear duals. I'll post pictures below that show the set of nuts that you'll find on your truck. You must also know that the studs are right hand thread on the right side (passenger), and left hand thread on the left side (driver). The studs will have "L" and "R" molded into the ends, and the nuts will have these letters stamped into them. Also be aware that the nuts are on there with about 450 to 500 pounds of torque.

Don't try to work on these yourself. If you do remove your old WMs, let the air out first.

 

I saw a '70s Winebago on CL for $800 that looked like the right wheels but the picture was too small to be sure. I can't spend the $800 right now anyway, but that would certainly beat the $3,700 for new wheels and tires (including a spare).

 

I wonder if these wheels would fit your drums? they look like they would??
they are 17" though so might ride slighlty lower but probably not much, 1/2" or so??
ksl.com - Classifieds for Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming

price is right, especially if the tires are good.
I've also got some 19.5" wheels available but tires are no good.

 

Josh - the 17s won't clear rear drums, I've tried it. But they will clear front drums. Interesting that the center of a 19.5 is exactly the same diameter as the center of a 17. The logical explanation is that the drop center of the 19.5 allows more space around the perimeter of the drum. It'd be great if 17s would work because there are tons of them always on CL with people having switched their motorhomes over to 19.5s. Most of these that you see will be the Budd 66520s that we've swapped notes about. Stu