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A friend of mine is looking at a 53 F350 on eBay. We've talked about this truck here before when it was up for auction earlier. No guys, this truck is not for me. It is for a real guy.. This guy restored an old barn that is can be used as a wedding venue, large reunions, parties, etc. He thinks he wants an old Ford flatbed to complement the barn. It could be used in a photo shoot with the wedding party and so on. Of course I am enabling him.
The thing that concerns me is the wheels. I know flatbeds, like my 55 F350, could have come with the option of 16" wheels. Stu tells me there are no 16" Widow Makers. The reason I am concerned about them is that this flatbed F350 has single rear wheels. Could it be that the truck came from the factory with the Express box and the dealership or the first owner put on a flatbed and therefore has 17" wheels which came with F350 equipped with the Express box? I don't have a 1953 Dealer's Handbook but my 54 Handbook shows a cab and chassis with SRW but the details say SRW F350s came with 17" wheels.
The pictures in the eBay ad are not very good. Here is the best picture of a wheel.
Yeah Abe, you summed it up right. A SRW F350 would have 17” singles, whether it was an Express or Cab/Chassis. The bed could have been a dealer installation. Complicating matters the picture doesn’t show the needed detail. Being that it’s a 1953 (same for 1954), both the 17” SRWs and 16” DRWs were deeply dished. In 1955 and later the SRWs were not dished. So without better pics there is no way I see to know if the truck has 16” or 17” wheels. Stu
Thanks Stu. I knew you'd answer. My friend is not an active buyer/seller/owner of vintage iron so h doesn't move too fast. He has contacted the seller and has his number. I'm not sure if the auction expired or if he closed it due to selling it locally.
Well, one fix is the 17.5” tubeless DRW, either Budd 71320 or 79120, but if it matters he’d be giving up about two inches of tire diameter from 34” to 32”. The 8-17.5” tire is about the same diameter as your 7.50-16s. The 71320 has six hand holes, the 79120 has three. A set of four was on eBay a few weeks ago iirc for about an even thousand BIN. Subtract that from the offer.
Cheapest fix is to just find a set of 16” DRWs. Like yours they’d have the two piece Firestone RHP outer rims. Should be easy enough to find and cheap.
Another option is custom wheels. I got into a real detailed exchange with a guy a few years ago on this and if memory serves the center disc of these 17” widow makers fits cleanly into a 19.5” outer rim. The disc is welded along the drop center. This is more expensive than the 17.5s but not horribly so. It lets him get back close to a 34” tire diameter if he uses 8R19.5s. If this option has appeal I’ll look for that old thread. Stu
I thought the consensus was 17's are WM's. I would think you'd need to see the other side to tell for sure. Isn't that the side the lock ring would be, or to be able to see the raised band area inside the rim?
This is the 53/54 F350 SRW widow maker. This rim lip looks a little different, but it might just be the angle. Any 17” will be a widow maker, it could be custom wheels.
What’s going on with the bed? The stake pockets are all wrong. Stu
This is the 53/54 F350 SRW widow maker. This rim lip looks a little different, but it might just be the angle. Any 17” will be a widow maker, it could be custom wheels.
What’s going on with the bed? The stake pockets are all wrong. Stu
It's a 9' express and they used an 8' bed with a front filler
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