This is a description of my project to replace the PO wheels and tires on my 1953 3600. I wanted a very retro look, complete with old school rims and hubcaps. You can see pics of “before” which are 225/75 15s, and just did not look right to me. I want to say that I never would have attempted the project without the being able to rely on this great Forum for advice and shared experiences.
To begin with, I read all the old threads. It did seem like there was a trailer wheel out there that would work for me, but I had a hard time finding it. Finally I did locate the wheels, which are very reasonably priced at Nuera Trailer Parts. They were about $53 when I bought them in February, and they now are $57.30 each. When I bought, shipping was free, as a promotion, and it would not hurt to ask. They are very nice people, and were pleased that the wheels would end up on a retro truck. Here is the link and the description:
http://www.nueratrailerparts.com/en...s/Trailer-Wheels-Tires/293/page-1/ALL/0/ Description: Dexstar Wheel - 25-105. Gray power coated, 16" steel wheel features a 8 on 6.5 bolt pattern.
I had hoped to find a wheel with no offset, but that was not possible. These have a modest half inch or so, and I decided to use 8 lug 3/16 aluminum spacers that I bought online from Rims and Wheels for about $12 for the pair. I find that with the original studs, I am getting 8+ turns, and I feel OK with this, but I do check the nuts every couple of weeks.
The next step was to drill the holes and mount the clips. This turned out to be much easier than I thought. Very little precision measuring was needed. You can see my drill press angles so the holes are perpendicular to the flat spots on the wheel. I found that with a ½ nylon spacer, you could mark the hole so the clip would just about touch the rim – no need to get any fancier than that. Please see [pics for details. My first one was drilled and tapped. Then I decided that was too much work, and not necessary. So the rest use a 10-24 round head bolt, inserted from the inside out, so it will not protrude into the drum. The bolt passes through a split lock washer, the wheel, the nylon collar (you could use aluminum or steel) the clip, and is topped by a nyloc nut. I don’t think vibration will be a problem.
The clips were bought from one the many on-line sources. They go for about $1.50 – 1.75, and I feel that four is just right. You could use more, but I these hold the hubcap very firmly without being too hard to remove. With spacer, they grab at just the right place without any modification.
Next came the paint. I had some left over from the PO paint job, and I wanted to use it to accent the wheels. First I used a spray self-etching primer. Then I used a wonderful product that you may know about – the PreVal sprayer which, for $6.99 at Ace Hardware, includes your sprayer, power cartridge, and your paint bottle. One cartridge will handle 16 oz. of paint, and you can buy replacements. Can’t beat that with a stick. Cheap, simple, and very good results.
Final step was the ¾ ton hubcaps for about $50 each from several online sources. I am delighted with the results. Right now I am working on the driver’s side spare mount bracket, so a fifth hubcap and wheel will go on display.
The tires were on sale – they are just about the biggest you can get away with. They are 215/85 16, and have about a 30” diameter. With this change, I gained 4-5 mph at the same engine speed. I already had done a gear swap from 4.56 to 4.10, but that’s another story. I now run just under 2400 rpm at 50 mph. Not bad for a highway driving.
Here is the link to the pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=b0c7092c179e7bce&sid=8AZOGLNu0bMmOVI’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. Good luck!
Harry
