Grigg,again thanks for the fountain of information.
Just keep in mind I Do Not have the chassis yet.A while back I purchased a complete cab and fenders ONLY.The cab and fenders are in excellent condition as it was from a fire truck that of course was kept indoors and babied most of its life.How it became separated from its chassis and fire equipment is a mystery at this point.
So,in other words,I am wide open to any chassis choice.However,the service body I will be using will end up approximately 10 to 11 feet long when completed.You say "What?Ruin the vintage look with an ugly modern tool body?" Well I have plans to give it body modifications to both the front and rear of the service body to give it a vintage look.Yes,a lot of fabrication.My inspiration is 1940-1960 fire truck service bodies and "chariot style" wrecker bodies.I have collected hundreds of photos and have illustrations ready to build.I'll be modifying a modern aluminum body for this,the vintage stuff is generally too poor and not enough tool boxes for my needs.
I have been poking around things the last few days,taking measurements and stuff,and I really can't see not having to widen the fenders.Even if the tires would sit within the fenders,I can't see how they would not rub during real world driving conditions (on a modern chassis).
Another thought I am considering then,is if I have to cut,weld and massage these fenders,maybe I can modify the outer fender opening to make it smaller.Seems to me that the larger Big Bolt opening is what makes a 33" tire seem puny in comparison.And this truck is not going to have to be tall,like say a flat bed.Not talking a hack job here.Probably would get some donor AD pickup fenders to cut up and help with it.
