My dad purchased a 48-50 F-7. I am not certain what exactly the plan is at this time. The truck is supposed to be an ex fire truck with 8,000 miles on it. Everything above the frame behind the cab is gone. The outer wheel on each dual is missing. Here is the picture I have seen of the truck.



What type of wheels does this truck have? The tires are supposed to be really old and worn. Since I have liked the big 337 motors for years I already have three carburetors, a distributor, and several other engine parts. I also have an engine out of a Lincoln. This should be interesting.

 

Looks like it's in great shape, as you'd expect for an low mile fire truck. Great find.

The wheels used on F-7s and F-8s are unique to Ford. No other vehicle manufacturer that I've found record of used the 8 lug x 10" pattern. All are Budd products, but there are 10 different ones from that era that I find information on. They are as follows:

#49770 20" x 6.5" Goodyear LW;
#59830 20" x 6.5" Firestone RH-5°;
#67290 20" x 6.5" Goodyear LBW;
#66970 20" x 6.5" Firestone RH-5°;

#49530 20" x 7.0" Goodyear LW;
#49500 20" x 7.0" Firestone R-5°;
#67250 20" x 7.0" Goodyear LBW;

#60890 20" x 7.5" Goodyear LW;
#49750 20" x 7.5" Firestone R-5°;
#67260 20" x 7.5" Goodyear LBW.

The likelihood is that an F-7 would have the narrower 6.5" or 7.0" widths, but there's no telling what might have been swapped onto the truck or especially ordered at the time of purchase. I also find later Budd numbers in a 1960s era catalog, but I'd think there's slim chance of the truck having those wheels. If you don't find the above numbers please come back with what you find and I'll see what I have. You've seen me post the RH-5° widow maker diagrams plenty of times, so I won't do that again. Any of the Goodyears will be split lock ring style and easily serviced, keeping in mind that the rings must be kept together with their matching rims, so I won't post them either. The R-5° is the three piece style and a little unusual here, so I'll post the cross section diagram of it for you.



I'll also mention that I have record of two tubeless 22.5" wheels in later catalogs that match the description. One is #70420 that is 6.75" wide and the other is #69640 that is 7.5" wide. If you want to pursue a set of these I'd suggest checking with Chuck Mantiglia. I know that he has a set on his Coleman, and may have a line on others. Plus, if you find that you have the RH-5° widow makers, Chuck would be a good source for better locking ring style wheels. Stu

 

Good find. Doesn't seem to be many bigger trucks like the F7 and F8s around. Have fun with it!

 

All F-7's came with RH-5° widow makers, and that's what you have. F-8's all had the double lock ring wheels, which are only safe if they are in very good shape. Tubeless wheels would be the way to go, but your chances of finding a set are slim to none. I would plan on having a new set of wheels made, or weld your centers into some tubeless tubs. Call me if you want my help.
Chuck
chuckstrucksllc

 

Chuck - now you've got me wondering who used those Goodyears. Agree that the 7EQ 1007-A pictured in the chassis catalog and Big Job catalog for the Q model are widow makers, but none of the wheel catalogs list any other vehicle manufacturer using an 8 x 10" pattern. Gotta be some other industrial application that used them, but how to find out who or what? Might be another deal like those airport tugs that had the F-2 M-H wheels. Stu

 

Great looking truck. The chrome bumper is a nice touch!

 

Stu,
I have yet to see one of those Goodyears. But, Fruehauf advertised the availability of 8 stud wheels on their trailers specifically for fleets that ran Fords. I have yet to see a split rim on a Fruehauf, so how much you want to bet they used the Goodyears? I would love to find one of those trailers today! That's even rarer than the Holmes 650 wrecker body that I haven't found yet!
Chuck

 

Interesting what you say about Fruehauf. Going back through the period catalogs the only listing I have specific to Fruehauf is in a 1947 NWRA catalog which would predate the introduction of F-7s/8s in '48. Also predates any reference to the existence of an 8 x 10" pattern. It lists only Dayton style spoke wheels and rims used by Fruehauf. Later Budd Company and NWRA references that list the 8 x 10" pattern only mention that the pattern could be used on "trucks, buses, and trailers", but nothing more specific. Stu

 

The F-7 finally arrived at Dad's yesterday. So far the only important thing he has seen that is missing is the original air cleaner. Does anyone have an extra stock F-7 / F-8 air cleaner for a 337 in decent shape?

 

My uncle's F8 went to a junkyard in Little Falls, MN last year. I don't have their contact info, but a google search might help?

 

My dad sent pictures.
The carburetor is wrong, and it may have a car distributor. I have no idea which transmission it has. There seems to be no provision for a parking brake. The engine seems to have good compression but will need some tinkering to run. The brakes do not work.
Here is the good, bad, and ugly:

 

Sure don't look too ugly to me!

That carb looks like a Stromberg WW (I've got 2 on my 337.) off an early Buick or Dodge V-8. It was probably easier to swap than to rebuild the old 885 Holley. The original Would have had a governor on it.

What are the differences between car & truck distributors? Vacuum advance?

 

The truck distributors were 2 piece assemblies. The base included the vacuum controls for the governor on the carb base. The electrical portion was a tuna can size top that clamps onto the base.

 

Here's a pic of my uncle' F8 for comparison:

 

Here are a few more pictures:






Dad took a picture of the tire size, 10.00-20, and accidentally got the wheel part number in the shot. It looks like the dreaded widowmakers:


Havi, do you know what yard that truck ended up in? I googled junkyards but nothing in the town itself came up.