Is the f3 flange width (where the wheel bolts on) wider than the f 1? What is the measure if different. Have a rear located thats close,with good ratio but still have wheels on the truck and busy with a death in the family and remodel project. Thanks

 

Might depend on what year truck you've got, and if it's a '51 it might depend on when in the year it was produced. On the '52 F-3 in my signature block the wheel mounting surface (WMS) to wheel mounting surface measurement is 63.5". The axle case measures 57.5" from backing plate to backing plate. It might matter your year because I know that the earlier axles having the 14" drums (before mid year 1951) had narrower cases, 55.5" back plate to backing plate. I don't know whether the earlier brake hardware was wider on each side to make up the 2" difference in track width.

I also looked at both my '51 and '52 Salesman's Handbooks to see if they would clarify this, but they don't. The early '51 F-3 pages only say that it is 62" center line to center line of each rear wheel/tire. In late '51 they changed the charts to show that it is 70.3" from outside of one rear tire to the outside of the other rear tire. The same measurement is shown in the '52 book.

Both '51 and '52 Salesman's Handbooks show it is 60" center line to center line of the F-1 rear wheels/tires. So hope this info is close enough to give you what you need. Stu

 

Thanks. Mine is a 52, with the express bed.i have a 80 chevy
c -10 66" flange to flange.maybe i could make it work.

 

Thats a 80 c -20

 

My diagrams show the '53 F350 has 62.5" center to center of wheels, and the F3 at 62" even. Also shows the '53 F250 at 62" even. I suspect this is from the base stock wheel itself being wider starting in '53 for the F350? measurements for the '53 F350 are 7 x 17 6 P.R. tires loaded. measurements for the F3 are 7.50 x 17 8 P.R. tires loaded. measurements for the '53 F250 are 6.50 x 16 6 P.R. tires loaded. So oddly enough, the F3 wheel is a half inch wider each, yet half inch narrower altogether. Were these not the same axles?

 

We're getting down to splitting hairs here I guess, but which F-3 chart are you looking at? Could it be one that Julie/Dan posted long ago? If so that might be the same '51 chart I have that shows the 62" measurement.

As for the half inch difference on the the F-250 vs F-350, these models had different rear axles. The '53 F-250 had a Timken A-150, while the F-350 had a B-150. Whether there were small differences in wheel width and offset that would account for the difference I don't know without putting way too much mental energy into it! Stu

 

No need to strain the mental energy, lol. I just happen to be looking at the SRW vs. DRW rear axles on F350's for my potential hauler project, and saw this thread. So I looked at my diagrams, which were plucked off of here some years ago, and Earl's World. And noticed some odd things. the half inch difference being one of them. Another being the F4-6 having the same 67" wheel to wheel center, but each wheel's outsides being wider as the truck gets bigger. I would bet the DRW and SRW use the same axle, only the reversed wheel changes the appearance of it looking narrower.

I also would bet the '80 C20 axle is too wide.

 

I think I agree that two extra inches on each side might risk putting the tires into the fender lips. Edit - well maybe not, since we're talking about 66" vs 63.5". That's only 2.5" difference total, 1.25" on each side. Stu

 

Thanks for all of the input fellas.soon as time permits i plan to take both wheels off,bolt a piece of flat stock onto a lug on each side and get a true measurement.

 

I'm building a 52 f3 and am looking at swaping a 86 f150 axle for the stock one, the 86 I found the measurement of 65.25" will this work on my 52