The heavy camper has caused the front end to lift up a bit, so it's easier to steer. Take the camper off...then try steering it.

 

Sounds like a great find. I've paid thousand more and not regret it.

 

i found the log book with gas and milage logs and repairs since new to 1991 so it has 169k on it for sure. very well maintained by the first owner and what looks to be his son and the last guy never drove it much. the only issue i have is the fuel gauge switch is touchy. and it needs tires. Im wondering if i can put tires rated load "D" on it or not, my friend has a old set of 7.5x16.5 8 lug 76 gm rims and tires that arent dry rotted, but Im afraid with the camper i could have issues. I think they are rated 2300lbs max.
I also want powersteering and front disc brakes and rear discs would be awesome but not needed.

 

If you wanted a "strong truck" why would you only put 8 ply tires on it? Load range E (10 ply) are only a couple dollars more and will hold up better. The truck is 43 years old and will ride like a lumberwagon either way.

I blew every one of the 8 ply tires out on my car trailer before I hit 5,000 miles. Replaced them all with 10 ply.

by the way, if you aren't already aware every letter of the alphabet in tire rating equals 2 plys:

A: 2
B: 4
C: 6
D: 8
E: 10

Edit: Just caught that you were looking at used tires...8 ply would probably be fine but I would still opt for 10 ply, depends on your budget.

 

Im just scared of these old split rims and dry rotted tires...Its just till I can figure something out so I can move the truck a few miles without worrys. whats a modern size for these on a 16 rim? 31x9.5x16? 7.5x16 doesnt tell me the height of these tires. I will probably go to the local junkyard for rims and tires. got no job right now. another out of work mechanic who doesnt do tires obviously, mount and dis mount, balance em and thats it, I dont like busting tires too much

 

Look to these trucks/vans for non split rim wheels: 1967/98 F250/350, 1975/2011 Econoline: 8 lug wheels on a 6.50" bolt circle.

 

only some 67ish trucks? why does my 68 have em? i know they quit using them along time ago. these things are pretty cracked so I figure the tires on thes 16.5 steelies are free from my friend so other than the fact the rims are worthless due to being a discontinued diameter Im probably better of and safer with the load D tires, or wait are my split rim safer since i have innertubes inside my dry rotted bias ply tires?

 

decided to add some pics, sanding under way soon so why not put up pics of how it is now.

 

The problem with the old split rims is no one wants to put tires on them...so you may have to do that yourself until you find some replacement rims...as noted, any 16-inch 8 lug Ford rim up to 1999 will work. I've had several tires on my 69 F250, but it has 16-inch rims, not split rims, and had the best luck with 235X85X16 and 265X75X16...closest sizes to the old stock tires I think.

 

1967/79: Some trucks had split rims, some did not. Stay away from '67/79 Camper Special wheels, they use unique 16" wheels (8.75" x 6.75") and tires (9.00" -16").

You'll be better off getting the wheels from a newer Econoline.

 

+1 on what Bill said. Late Econoline or up to 98 Ford pickup 8-lug rims. Your best bet is to make sure they are 16"x7" as they will expand the selection of tires and still accept your original hub caps. Go for the tallest tires you can get for the rims, as this will reduce RPM at highway speeds. I use 285/75/R16. They are just over the edge for a 7" wide rim but have improved my highway drive ability dramatically. I believe stock tire height would be equal to 245/75/R16. Good places to compare tire sizes/specs/rim width requirements, online, is Tire Rack and/or Summit Racing. Search/shop by tire size, NOT by vehicle.
Just My $.02,
Gene

 

What he said, times 3...taller tires are your friend in these old bumps, especially if you have manual steering.

 

Dodge rims will work too, I have a pair on my truck. Stay aways from chevy rims though, I bought a pair and they don't fit over the hub on the back. They will fit the front though.

Sam

 

Stay away from split rims, especially as a DIY. I've known of more than one professional tire installer that was killed or paralyzed by a split rim failure during fillup.

P235/85/R16 is probably the closest to stock size and what I run on my F250.

The way to figure out a metric tire size is:

The first letter is use designation (P-passenter, LT-light truck, T-trailer). P or LT will work fine for your truck, stay away from T.

The first number (after P) is tread width is millimeters.

The second number set is the sidewall height as a percentage of tread width (i.e. in the case above, 85% of 235, or a sidewall height of 199.75 mm)

Obviously the last number is rim diameter in inches (25.4mm per inch).

So for a P235/85/R16 tire the equivalent inch height of the tire is (199.75mm + 199.75mm + (16 * 25.4)) = 805.9mm or 31.7in

 

so a set of 33x9.5x16 is that comparable? they look like 29x7.5x16 but its hard telling since they are pizza cutters. if taller is better i want to go by the old sizes that list the whole deal so 31s or 33s or whatever will fit. I should be able to just measure from top to bottom for the first number for standard sizes?