Are these widowmakers?



Sam

 

No. The '38-'47 tonner wheels have what's termed a Firestone RH rim design. Not the widow maker RH-5°, but becoming a challenge to find service on as shops see fewer of them. Probably decline to work on them rather than train their new techs. The old shop I've used locally has new owners who no longer work on them, so I've found another shop.

There were two widths, 3.75" and 4.33". The rim and ring part numbers of each width are different meaning they don't interchange. It's always important to keep rims and rings together as matched sets. Stu

 

If you have any extra of these, I would be interested in them.

 

I have a 40 tonner... if you can get the rings off the wheels (very deflated tires and a pry bar.... then do what I did.. it is safe, just be careful.
1. have them sandblasted if they can be reused... then paint them.
2. when you order new rubbers you also need a tire flap and a tube, got mine from coker...
3. to install get another person to help - lay the wheel flat rim side down..first put the tube in the tire, get a matching straight or bent stem..slightly inflate.. use baby powder to lubricate all mating surfaces.. then add the flap and tuck it inside the tire. then put it over the wheel. inflate halfway..use a towel or rag and maybe a plastic dead blow hammer if possible.
4. while one person stands on the opposite side of tire, (also with toes of feet on the ring..) try to deflate the tire a lot and mount the ring by using the heavy hammer and going around the circle. note the two notches and irregular lip on the ring. if it is deflated enough, you should be able to reseat the ring without too much hassle. it will pop/snap shut when done, the ring will then be loose enough to wobble. then inflate, prob to about 75 psi believe it or not - pretty high, but that is what the tire says... good luck!

 

Try to do them yourself if you want, but whatever you do don't bend or fracture the rings. You'll be screwed. With any multi-part I have chains I wrap them in while airing. Having a relationship with an experienced tech is money well spent. Stu

 

If I get my hands on them they will be up for sale, question is, what are they worth?

This was the best of the four, the other three may or may not be use able.

Sam

 

And Stu, I forgot to mention, I really appreciate your input!

I haven't worked with any split rims and don't plan to, that's a job for someone with more experience than me.

Sam

 

Fair question, I only have the 4 original wheels that were on my grandpa's truck when I got it. I would like to get one more to use for a spare tire and another to get several of the hub cap clips off of. So would be great to get 2 of them. I have not purchased any before but guessing maybe $20-25 each? Open to other ideas on price but do have to pay to ship them and get one sandblasted and painted which is about $40-50 per wheel. Thanks for keeping me in mind if you get them. We can talk pricing via personal message then.

 

These are the 4 wheels from my grandpa's truck after having them media blasted and painted. After media blasting, one of the rings had a crack where the ring was originally welded. Took it to a certified welding shop and had it repaired. Didn't try to get dents out of the wheels as the resurrection of my grandpa's truck does not include having it be show quality. Did the work to ensure safety. One of the hub cap clips is missing and there is another that is cracked.

 

That welded ring concerns me. If you can find two with good rings it'd be safer. If you can't get two, there is another solution if I can explain without getting wonky.

Firestone's "R" series includes the "RH" which has a center disc, the "RI" used on Dayton style demountable applications, and others that don't pertain to this discussion. On equal diameter and width rims the RH uses RI rings, no matter what center disc is mounted to the rim. As I said above, tonner 17" rims are either 3.75" (earliest), or 4.33" wide (most common). If you can find your Budd numbers I can tell you which you have.

The 17" x 4.33" RH rim/RI ring was one of the standard wheel options on my F-3 Marmon-Herringtons. They are Budd #44820s, also a standard wheel supplied on Studebaker M15s. The center discs are different than yours, but the rims and rings could be the same. I have a full set of 44820s, but don't know if I have extra rings. I do know of a new F-3 M-H owner that has already found wheels to replace his 44820 wheels. I've previously told him to hang on to his rims/rings, so can put you in contact with him if needed. Stu

 

Thanks Stu. Here is a pic of the RI rings that I have. They are on the 4.33 width Firestone RH wheels.

 

Outstanding. Below is the old thread about casper1999's "new" F-3 M-H. You'll find the ring pictured on page 9. I don't believe he's retrieved the truck from MT yet, so you might get your order in early. Stu

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...errington.html

 

Thanks again, Stu. I replied to his post about helping someone out with the rings. Looks like he is planning to get the truck in June so will check back with him again after he gets it home.

 

Yup, hope it works out. Stu

 

These are my favorite wheels of all time. I have probably mounted and removed tires from 40 of them. It is very hard to explain my passion for them, but sometimes after work I have spent two hours getting an old tire off a rim, then used the needle scaler on it, primed and painted it, installed a good flap and tube and either a good used tire or a new one and rolled it into the house so I can gaze upon it all evening. Sometimes I even have a truck that needs it. In actuality I now have just enough tires that hold air and decent tread for the three tonners I have here. And the two trailers that have the same wheels.......