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Need some help with deciphering number/date codes on a couple of vintage Firestone tires that I picked up this week. Wondered when these might have been manufactured? Both have never been mounted and were stored inside since they were purchased new. They are in excellent shape considering their age. One is a 7.50-17 and the other is a 7.00-17. Here are pics of them:
I've sought out and bought a lot of old bias ply traction 7.50-17" and 8-19.5" tire sets. Iirc nothing before the year 2000 will have date codes. But I've not tried to look your codes up. There are lots of web sites that can walk you through it, but it's probably a waste of time given their age. If it was me I'd mount them up and use them, keeping them out of the sun. Stu
Thanks, Stu! I am going to use the 7.50-17 on a spare rim as I don't have a match for it. I looked up the 'Gum Dipped' logo on the tire and it appears to indicate that it was a top of the line tire at the time it was manufactured. I am going to sell the 7.00-17 as it doesn't match anything else I have.
I'll guess that the 7.00" is a Firestone Transport 110. That was a pretty common tire back in the day. Sell it if you can, but road tread tires in that size are sold new. I went after the old traction treads because only the Tornel is available today. Stu
I have owned a lot of 'gum dipped' tires and they always look new. Even after I have enough 7.50 x 17s for everything I own I'm sure I will still buy good examples. They get in one's blood. I first bought a set in '76 when I put 17" one ton wheels on a '54 gmc 3/4 ton pickup. Man, I was ridin' tall after that swap......
Stu, the 7.00-17 has Transport 100 on the sidewall so is in line with your knowledge of them. Looked at the new versions offered on the internet and appears price is somewhere around $225 each. I wouldn't want anywhere near that amount if there is anyone that can use it. Be a nice vintage tire for any purists out there. I will put it on the Buy, Sell, Swap thread. I also have been watching for older Courser or other older brand 7.50-17 traction tread tires. Got 2 nice Courser tractions, never mounted, out of Pella, Iowa a couple of months ago. They are a little taller than the Tornels and look better on the '46 tonner.
GB, if I come across any more of the older gum dipped 7.50-17 transport tread tires, I would buy them. They are a nice tire to have on the steering axle on the tonner trucks. Thanks guys for sharing your experience.
Had to share these I bought a couple months ago. I have seen them in listings for maybe 20 years but they are always 325.00 each and don't have the old look. Michelin 7.50 17. At least they are extremely narrow. These were the last of six of them the seller had. He was a logger and told me his boss couldn't afford to pay him one month so he gave him a motorhome. In the motorhome were six of these unmounted michelins. For a hundred bucks I had to have them...
You got all six, or the two, for one "Franklin"? Six would be a screaming deal, two a heck of a deal, and you'll never wear them out. They might get rock hard over time but will still have full tread. Are they radials, can't see the tag on my phone? You could mount them on those Dodge DRW 17s we swapped notes about for your '59. But of course you knew that. Stu
I have also seen tires for motorhomes listed from time to time and wondered about how they compare in diameter. I always thought they looked odd when I saw them on motorhomes...such a large vehicle with skinny tires. Those are nice ones and a great deal for you! Thanks for sharing.
Got his last two for 50 bucks each. The first four had sold. And yes, I'd like them on my '59 along with my coursers on 17" dodge wheels. I know you aren't supposed to mix radials and bias, but I don't fly around corners. I keep hoping I can find the right dually The tonner I got in Twisp last fall had a set of the michelins with caps on the front., and a new pair of the tournels on the rear. A rare buy to find a non running beater with such nice tires. I'm not adding much to this thread regarding the dating code of tires.....
Sometimes getting a little off topic makes for interesting discussion. As old as the tires I pictured above are, not sure the numbers on them can be attributed to a certain year, just hoping maybe a time period. The person I bought them from had a brother that purchased spare tires for all the equipment and old vehicles that were used on their place in Wisconsin. They had a few old trucks including a '52 Ford and a '48 International. Also several old implements that used the 7.00 & 7.50 X 17 inch tires. Best info he could share was that he thought these tires were probably purchased in the period from the early 50's to early 60's. They were always stored inside and for some reason never needed. The brother passed away several years ago so no direct info could be obtained. I arrived after sundown on a very dark night with no moon so wasn't able to look around for any rusty treasures that may have been there.
I think you are correct to assume they date to the latter part of the 1950s or early '60s. On your Transport 100 I guessed it, based on its tread pattern, to be a Transport 110. The 110 is likely a later version of the 100. I have a Firestone data book dating the 110 to at least 1965. I also Googled the Transport 100 and found an eBay seller's listing for a Transport 100 ashtray that he dated to 1961. Finally, I have a 1953 (iirc) Firestone data book that does not list that model tire.
Now, taking this again back off topic a bit, I commonly feel like I'm the E-Trade guy in the TV commercial that collects retired tires. As I was looking for your 17" Transport 100 I found this 9-22.5" bias traction Transport 100 for sale. Wonder if I could build a set? Stu
