Hi,
I considered this approach very seriously (before I found the 56-59 22.5" wheels), and I do know a machinist who theoretically could make them.
The original bolt pattern is 10 (and 5) lugs on 7.25" circle, and the easily available and cheap larger 10 lug wheels use 11.25" bolt circle, or a metric one approximately the same, the center hole is approx 8.66".
So, that gives roughly a 1.5" difference, or 3/4" on the radius.
Within this available (actually less than) 3/4" you have to get the radius of a lug nut and the matching socket. Also the new wheel being hub piloted needs a step to sit on, this takes some room, although it could be intermittent, say if it disappeared at the counter bores needed for the lug nuts/socket.
All this is very tight, and I seem to remember thinking there were a few details of it trying to occupy the same place, and it was not possible...
I had it drawn in Auto CAD at the time, although now I forget most of the details, and will have to re-draw and figure it out again, now that you have me re thinking it is possible.
I would think steel would be the material of choice for this application.
There are adapters like this made for use with 8 lug 3/4 and 1 ton pickups, they work out because the 8 lugs is on a smaller diameter, and they all easily fit inside the center hole of the big truck wheels.
As far as cost effective, right now even if adapters can physically be made, it will be by far cheaper to find the 55-59 Chevy 1.5 ton wheels and restore them. I expect the adapters would be a bit over $1000 for a set, depending on how they were manufactured, probably more, and add to that the cost of used semi truck wheels and painting them, or new wheels at about $80-$120 per wheel for steel, or several hundreds of dollars per aluminum wheel. Then another hundred or more for 40 new lug nuts. It all adds up fast.
I'll do some checking and report back.
Grigg
Last edited by Grigg; 04/07/2008 2:09 AM.
