Hi all,
I am new to the group and am restoring a '48 F2 that I got pretty much in pieces. I am trying to determine the correct wheel color for its 17" wheels.
I was on a site last night that said that '48s had black wheels and for '49 they got body color wheels. However I have an original facotry brochure for '48 models and it clearly shows body color wheels in all the images. Can anyone clear this up?

The brochure also says that the wheels on F2s were all 16" with no other option. The wheels have been on this truck forever.
Thanks, Brian(lotus)

 

Welcome to the site. I can't help you, but I know someone will. Good luck with the project.

hotrod48

 

A F-2 should have 16" wheels, F-3s came with 17". If you have 17" they most likely are 2 piece, you don't want them.

 

I had brought this topic (wheel color) up earlier about my 52 F-3. What I think the consensus was is that the rims on the bigger trucks (anything other and an F-1) were black.

As Bob said, the F-2's came with 16 inch rims stock, the F-3's came with 17's.. I'm going to be using the 16" rims on my F-3 due to safety and availibity of tires.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Actually they ARE 2 piece wheels. Why don't I want them?

 

Nobody wants to work on the 2 piece rims these days - safety issues, etc.

48's used both black and body color. From what I've read, early trucks used black and mid-year went to body color. Check your vin and determine if it looks early or late and go for it. V8's ran thru 139262, 6 cyl's were produced a little longer - thru 166979

 

They are a bad design. They are known as "Widow Makers" and are known to blow apart while being inflated or while deflating, while your driving down the road or parked. I have never had the pleasure of that experience, this is what I have been told by a lot of people. Because of the liability you will not find many places that will work on them. The kind of multi-piece rims with the outer snap are made differently and tire places will still work on them.