Kirk - Let me respond this way rather than call you right away so that others can see the answer. Joe has paid good attention and has it right. GMC wheels from the 1940s will be hub piloted, as will Studebaker wheels from the early 1950s. I'll post pictures below that shows the straight edged lug holes on a GMC wheel made by the Motor Wheel Corporation, and the second pair of pics will be a Studebaker's wheels showing the nut and captive washer that's distinctive of the hub piloted system.

If you have access to a good yard you'll do better looking at old Dodges and IHCs. They used the same 5 lug x 8" pattern but were more inclined to the use of Goodyear style locking rings than was Ford. Ford was so closely associated with Firestone that just about all their trucks had the Firestone outer rims.

If your yard has wheels with the 5 lug x 8" pattern and tires in the 19.5" or 22.5" sizes you'll want to grab them. You will be able to find them good new homes. The set of mine that you asked about are long gone.

If you'd share your yard's location I'd like to come over sometime and see what I can find too. Stu

 

Stu,

Is it safe to assume that a wheel with other than 5 hand holes will not fit our trucks, period? I noticed these hub piloted wheels are all greater than 5 hand holes.

 

No, some Budds and K-Hs have six hand holes and are stud piloted. And some Motor Wheel Corporation wheels with eight hand holes were stud piloted. Just depends. Stu

 

Stu, I know I told you earlier that I've become obsessed with these wheels... today I saw a Mitsubishi Fuso truck with a 5 bolt pattern that looked (from 20 feet) like it would fit our trucks. I have searched the Internet with no luck trying to find more information. I'm sick.

Sorry about the hijack...

 

Stu,
I appreciate your response. But I'm not sure that I completely understand the difference. I believe what your telling me is that the Ford lug holes are tapered for the nut and the GM aren't. I got an email from a guy who said he drilled out the lug holes from 3/4 to 1 1/8 on a set of 51 Chevy wheels and used them. I ask him for more detail on exactly what he did. Do you think there's something to that?

The place I found the wheels is here in Lebanon. It's not as much salvage as an old vehicle sales. I'll get some contact info and post it. He has several old trucks from what I seen, mostly cab-overs.

 

Haha!! Sounds about right. I drove through the Wal Mart parking lot tonight just to look closer at a Winnibago to see if it had the right size. I stopped three times between Ft Leonard Wood and Lebanon on my way home from work just to look at old school busses out in fields. I'm impatient because I want to get this truck on the road by next week and start doing some work with it.

 

Well, you're looking in the right places... old RVs and old school buses. I almost wreck my car craning my neck to look at wheels. My wife prefers to drive so I can stare at wheels. I'm not sure this will stop even after I have found my wheels. I really want 22.5s for greater road speed and looks (I won't be changing the rear end) but 19.5s are more prevalent, I think. I really won't know until I am ready to buy the darn things and can look in earnest. But that's just a few months away for me. I found two more RVs on craigslist close by tonight that look like the right bolt pattern.

 

I'm pretty sure the Fuso/UD/Izuzu wheels are metric, meaning they won't fit.

Hope your time at Ft. Leonard Wood has been more enjoyable than mine was back in the '70s.

Seems there's more and more of you guys that are catching the fever. Just don't have a wreck, or get a crick in your neck! Stu

 

These guys know what they are talking about. Loads of good info on this site......
Have fun! Click on the "Y" >>> Y

 

Well, Ft Leonard Wood isn't my favorite place. But it's better than a stick in the eye. :-) The service has been good to me and my family. And it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. Now that I'm nearing the end though, I'm ready to build trucks, shoot guns and set on the front porch.

 

Stu answered that in his last post:
"Bad idea. The lug holes on a stud piloted wheel are curved for the "ball seat" of the lug nut to fit in to to center the wheel. Just drilling out the hole, or grinding an angled edge won't do it."

And I only responded so I could end the day with 600 posts.

G'nite y'all.

 

G'nite?? My sickness must be more severe because I'll be up 'til midnight reading more posts "again" tonight.

I'm thinking of making a jig for a drill press or mill and making the rounded pilot lug holes. Im thinking that maybe I can match the radius of the nut with a cutter and cut the rounded holes for the lug nuts. Not sure until I get a set of wheels side by side, but necessity is the mother of invention.

 

IMHO If you open up the engine, completely rebuild it before putting it back together. I have seen more running engines ruined because a well meaning but clueless backyard mechanic opened up an older engine and disturbed/partially cleaned out the sludge that has built up inside the engine. The disturbed sludge then is loosened by today's high detergent motor oil and very quickly plugs up the small already choked with a coat of sludge internal oil passages, the oil pump pickup screen, the pressure check valve and the engine oil starves. It takes very little loosened sludge to cause irrepairable damage.

 

Here's an engineering drawing of a nut showing the .875" spherical curve of the "ball seat". Keep in mind that by doing this you're impacting the safety of others as well as yourself.

BTW, thank you for your service. Stu

Aetna - Heavy Duty Truck Wheel Bolts & Nuts, Wheel bolts, Wheel studs, Heavy duty wheel bolts, Heavy duty wheel nuts, Class 8 wheel bolts, Class 8 wheel nuts, Double end wheel studs, Double end shoulder studs, Tapered hex head wheel bolts, Knurled wh

 

Ax,
That's a good call I'm sure. I've looked at some of the parts warehouses but can't find a kit specifically for the 256. Is it safe to assume that I could use a 239cid kit with a different set of rings? Where is the best place to buy?

Stu,
I would most certainly be careful. And check and double check. And maybe I wont even have to, I have three more salvage yards to check today. Thank you for the specs on the nuts. And you're welcome. It's been my honor to serve my country. And it's been the best 22yrs of my life.