Sorry for not getting back sooner. This is what I've got so far. Tie rod clearence should not be a problem since you can get these wheels in any back space you want including original. Also, if you use a 6" wide tire with original backspacing you should be ok. The truck I have now a 54 1 Ton came with some weird alumanim mag wheels and were about 10" wide. Only when the steering was hard over to either side did the tie rod end rub on the rim. As for the wheels fitting the rear drum, the OE wheels for the 3/4 and 1 ton were 15" as I recall, with 17" being optional. As for smaller diameter tire playing havoc with engine rpm and road speed, you can get 16" lite truck tires in diameters close to what the 17" tires were. I'm still not completely sold on them but they sound promising.
