We did our first brake job over the weekend and I noticed that the truck has two slightly different style of factory looking steel wheels. One has a fully circular center opening with a slight bend up lip. These functioned fine. The others are flat (no lip) and have a slightly faceted shape on the interior (should have snapped a pic). Anyway, the latter ones would not come off after the lug nuts were removed and were very stuck. We used a sledge on the inner rubber to bang them off and I put it off to corrosion or the metal fusing a little or whatever. But then we had to take it apart again yesterday and it was stuck again. So it's obviously a mechanical tightness. I read a few threads about this topic, but it's kind of troubling that it would be nearly impossible to change a tire in the field unless you carry around a sledge. Are the wheels on these trucks centered using the wheel center vs. the lugs? The fact that the lugs use acorn nuts makes me think the lugs can are doing the job anyway. Plus, two of the wheels come on and off no sweat, so it must not need to be so tight. Can I lightly grind away some material on these wheels to eliminate this issue?

 

I suggest you get rims that fit properly.

You can still add pictures.

 

I'm at work. I'll add some tonight. There are several threads about stuck wheels, so I don't think this is purely about some previous owner buying the wrong thing or something.

 

i ALWAYS put a slight coat of never seize on the drum face wherever the rim will touch. no problem removing rims even after 10 tears in jersey winter road salt conditions.
i had a F550 come in once that i had to loosen the lug nuts 1 turn, than drive around the yard making tight turns and stabbing the brakes in the turns to break the rims loose. took close to 1 hour to get all 4 rear tires broke free.

 

Maybe I underestimate it, but considering his wheels stuck in a matter of days leads me to think corrosion isn't the issue.

 

Those old 16 inch steel wheels stick
Bolt then up again and they stick again
Guys like me take sand paper or a die grinder to them (on the eight spots where they touch the nub and stick)
If you don't, you run the risk of bending the flanges up a bit, like one of yours did

 

To answer your other question… the wheel are centered by the lug nuts. Hub centric didn’t start until the 1997 F-150

 

Cool, so I can clearance it a bit without screwing anything up.

Here are the pics I should have posted the first time:

This one is fine

This one gets stuck

 

That bottom wheel is the type that needs some die grinding

 

I know what you meant, but really identify with what you typed!!!

t
hates driving in salt, and no big fan of northern Joisey eitha...