Hi folks, I am new at this so forgive me if I am a bit ignorant in posting here.
I just bought 2 F searis Ford pickups and plan to restore them to somewhat origenal. Am buying books and serching memorie for the times and looks.
Big trouble is the wheels, they are the old type called "widdow makers" Split rims and I need 10 replacements for the 2 trucks. One is an F-2 the other is an F-3 and I will be looking for a bunch of help and advice on them, and lots of parts.
Anyone that has a source of supply or advice; Please post and I will be checking back.

 

Are these 5 or 8 lug wheels??? I assume 8 as I don't recall seeing any 5 lug split rims but being old like me maybe they are. I don't know where you are but if they are 5 lug Ford F-1?00 wheels I have a number of them.

rlangs58

 

They are 8 lug with a 4 3/4" hub opening, I would settel for anything that may fit and look good on this one

 

You're in luck if you want to use a modern style rim. Ford used the same 8 bolt pattern up thru '97. I just bought a set of new one piece rims to put on my 52 F2. Should be able to find dozens of them in scrap yards. 16" should be easy to come by, don't know about the bigger sizes.

 

Will check in some of the junk yards around town. I sure don't want to keep these I have.
Thank you for the info.
Ptmmm2

 

I also have been told I have split rims on my 1950 F5, but mine are a 5 bolt pattern. How do I know for certain that they are split rims? What do I look for? I have received different opinions from several people. Some insist they are split rims, others insist they are not. Who is right?

 

Go to any tier store and they will tell you in a hurry, I have setteled fo 16" wheels with a 5" hub opening. The tiers are a bit wider, but the same highth as the 17" were. I went to Discount tier and the price wasn't to bad at all.
You might try that insted of replaceing the origenals. Because no one in the US will work on the old "widow Makers" Ptmmm2

 

mg2166,

If you have the 20" rims they are split rim. They are hard to tell until you deflate the tires and the two halves fall together. They consist of two halves that have a knotch that you line up and spin at 180 degrees. The problem with this rims is that they have to be in very good condition and put together properly. If you look inside the rims there is what looks like a thick band running through the center of the rim, this is where the two halves interlock. I just bought a '51 F-4 with 22 1/2 one piece tubeless rims. I have been told these are off of a '56-60 truck. They have the same outer dimension as the 20 inch wheels, I had both and sets and stood them next to each other. The profile of the 22 1/2 tire is smaller than the 20 inch. The only problem with these wheels is that the 22 1/2 tires are kind of hard to find. UPS runs 9X22.5 wheels on some of their trucks but I have 8X22.5 on the front of my truck and they come pretty close to the wheel opening on the fenders so I don't know if the 9s will fit. I would like to go with 20" wheels and I have contacted Stockton Wheel and they didn't seem very interested in suppling 20"wheels that would fit my truck even though their web site says they will drill custom hole patterns in their 20" wheels.

 

Bobj49f2,
My wheels are 5 lug, 8" BHC, stud piloted, 20" rims. The current tires are 7.50-20. I too spoke with Stockton about wheels. They have a 24 series wheel that they say will work. The only problem is that these wheels have a flat center plate and cannot be used for a dually. I would have to settle for a single wheel on the rear end, but the wheels are rated at 5000 lbs. I was quoted $375 per wheel with a 6 week lead time. I really want to keep the truck as close to original as possible, but the wheel/tire situation may force me to swap out the suspension for something modern.

 

Did any of you guys ever find a replacement/solution for the 7.5 x 20" wheel? (for my 1950 F-5)
Thanks,
Brad

 

The one piece 19.5 rims from a mid '70s to mid '80s RV with a Dodge chassis, like Travco, Winnebago, Allero and a few others, are suppose to fit our trucks. The major problem with these rims is that they are sought after by the vintage RV crowd too. But the tires are easier to find because they are still being used by modern RVs, althought they have six or ten bolt patterns, and other commercial trucks like tow trucks and flatbeds.

 

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Hi Brad - Tim beat me to the first welcome, but I'd still like to welcome you.

There have been several threads in the past few months that touched on the wheel issues (widowmakers, bolt patterns, etc.). If you can get a minimum number of posts in, you can use the search function on the forum to dig around and find all that information.

I'm sure some of the rest of the crew will be by shortly to give you more comments and suggestions.

 

Any tire that is a 20" is a split rim. Either there is a "lock ring" on the bead where the tire meets the rim. or the "widowmakers", where on the dually rears, the rim you can see, there is a steel band about 1/4" thick and about 2" wide. this is about 3" in from the outer lip.
It took me 7 months to find 6 Solid, tubeless rims in the Ford 5-bolt configuration. The tubeless rims were only made for about 4 years as standard equ. on F-500's. Most people didn't buy the 500's cause the 600's were not that much more money.

9R-225" are what I have on my F-5 now. It can be done, just lots of searching. Remember, in the boneyards, if you find 5 lug rims BUT the tire is a 20" (7.50 x 20, 8.50 x 20, 9.50 x 20), it's a split.
Call Chucks Trucks, 203 288 2769, he found the ones for me, and very reasonable on the price for "the holy grail" of 5-bolt rims. Had enought cash left over I had Chuck power coat them too.
Photo in my gallery, fronts are the widowmakers, rear are the new tubeless. Don't need to install the outer rear and front new ones till I get in painted.

By the way I called/searched just about every Boneyard in MA, CT, VT,, and NH. No luck....The rims came from Washington state! because more 500's sold out west.
Good luck
Reamer

 

Thanks for the info, I have an F-3 and the wheels are 17" and 8 lug. the widowmakers that are on it I want to change to "safty Rims" still looking.
Here in Ca. Az, or N M no one will touch the widow makers but if the newer ones are used I can get them changed at a truck stop.
Thanks again; P H Moore