The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1959 Chevy Viking 60 NEEDING NEW RIMS/TIRES

Hello all! I am glad to be a part I this site now! I am wanting to buy a 59 Chevy Viking 60 flatbed. It has the dreaded Widow Maker wheels as it currently sits. What I am wanting, an I have searched for with little answers is....
What 6 hole, budd mount wheels should I look at getting. I noticed some Accuride 22.5 that would work, but are obsolete now. Anything else I should look for, would rather buy new one piece wheels, but I'm open to others if you have a source for them. Part numbers, sizes, etc will be of a great help to me. I'm in my 20's and hate seeing this thing just sitting there. It needs to get back on the road!

The 8 3/4 6-lug wheels were also found on many Ford, Dodge, International, and GMC 2 ton trucks and school buses into the late 1960's (and perhaps later). Most of these have 8.25x20 tires. Look for the lock ring on the dished out portion of the rim, those are the ones you want. They are out there, you just have to beat the bushes to find them. In fact I found another one just this week. It should be easier for you in NM.

Another donor would be the older military 2 1/2 ton trucks. These wheel and tire assemblies can be found for relatively inexpensive as the military has surplused all of their stock. These wheels are somewhat wider than original on a 59 Viking as they fit 9.00x20 tires. I think they should still work though.

If you are going to get into this old obsolete vehicle hobby, you must learn three things: patience, patience, patience. And above all else, have fun!

Good luck with your endeavor.

Paul

I thought I responded a big response, but it's not showing up. This is a TEST.

How would I go about checking the military rims? Who would I call?

Shipping is what will eat you alive, hunt for something on your local craigslist. If you happen to be close to something like below, all the better.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-an...ires&hash=item233b88a3d1&vxp=mtr

As for the buses and other trucks...just think of it like hunting, most of the challenge is in finding the quary. Look around, it is most likely under your nose.

I had a big reply thanking you for the 1st reply, but it never showed up.. So thanks. I called around to many different salvage yards and found some lock ring wheels. With new tires, it'll cost me about $1400. Not including if I have to clean old rims. How does dismounting from the widowmakers go. Is there a write up on here you can link me to?

Do you want to save the current tires? Removing them from the RH5 rims is not dangerous provided that you can be certain their is no air in them. Airing up is the point of potential danger. I am sure you can find a tire shop that will do it, it just may not be the first place you take them to. Don't even waste your time at a big box places. Look for some guy with at least some gray hair.

Yes, I like to see about saving the tires to use on the new old rims. It just so happens that my father in law owns a truck repair shop so we've got all the necessary tools. I wanted to kind of get a grip on this before asking him any questions. I figured people who have experience with these trucks should know a bit more in this area. I do tires on semis as well, but being so young, I really never knew about these wheels. I'm not sure what he knows on them. I was hoping to find a write up on removing them. Figure I'll be fine removing the valve core and deflating after removing them from the truck right. Well I guess jack truck up, deflate and the remove...

My friend has a '59 Viking 60 bus,with the 6-bolt RH-5's. We're looking for rims,too. We found a set on a bread truck,but there are three vehicles, (bread trucks),and the guy wants to sell them all in a "lot". Two out of three have 6- bolt 1- piece 19:5's,with 4BT Cummins/4-speeds. the other has 8-lug 19:5's (1-ton style) rims,and Ferd power (gas)/4-speed. Now we're looking for bread trucks,as well as the other options already mentioned. On his bus,the driver's side lugs are left-hand thread. you may have the same on yours. Once you get the wheels dis-mounted/deflated, position about 1/3 of the tire under the front frame rail.(Hopefully another heavy vehicle)Find a "Hi-Lift"jack,and position the base on the tire,and as close to the rim as you can get it. Jack it up.until the base "breaks" the bead. This is the easiest way to do it,(that I know of,unless you have an end-loader).If you still have your original tire tools,use the pry-bar end,in the notch between the double rivets,in the center of the rim. This comes apart like a pressure-cooker lid. two small tabs hold these halves together-that's why they are considered dangerous.Once the halves split,flip the rim over,and break-down the other side. Piece of cake.

Hey WetWilly, thanks for the info. I wish I could find a bread truck with one piece wheels nearby... Or the wheels that came off of one. Now that I think of it, my father in law has a bead breaker. We've used it on big tractor tires. I think I might be in business if I can get those split ring rims and get these tires off the rh-5's and onto those. At least for the time being until I can put aside some more $$. Like I've said, I haven't bought the truck yet. The seller is waiting for his sister to get back to town to get the title from a safe deposit box. I'm going to have to see if I can locate one piece wheels in the meantime. If not, at least I know I can get the others. I appreciate all the help, and if anyone has more input, I'll be glad to listen/read! I still have a long way to go since the truck needs brake work too. Is there a way to post pictures directly to the post here?

If you have an inside lead on a tire place, you will have it made.

In my opinion, the 19.5 inch one piece rims and the tires available in that size are not tall enough to be a good option on these old trucks. I don't have the tire diameters on hand, but they must be nearly 3 inches shorter than a 8.25x20. Gearing on these old trucks limits top speed, and shorter tires only makes the problem worse.

I have a broken down Firestone RH5 in my scrap pile, if you are interested in seeing how they work I can send you some images.

As for posting images, it is kind of convoluted. You must first upload the images from your camera to a photo host site like Flickr, and then link the image to your thread here on the Stovebolt. There are many folks on here that are more adept in the digital world that can walk you through the process better than I can.

Good luck with your truck deal, I hope it works out for you. Keep in mind this is a hobby, and it will suck lots of cash and time...but it is addictively fun.

Paul

Paul is right-on! The 19'5's are widely used on the newer roll-backs,and "u-hauls",to name a few. They make a 2-ton look like it's rolling on 1-ton rims! Not purdy,I.M.H.O. We're searching for 22.5's,and having fun in the meantime. As for submitting photo's,Paul is correct there,too! once you get your pic's up-loaded to a hosting site,right-click,and you'll see several "prompts". Left click "Copy image URL". Come back to "Stovebolt". Go to the "Gallery" page. At the bottom of the page,there is a link to get your truck submitted in the "Gallery". If you just want to submit a "link in a forum topic,simply (Right click) "Copy Image URL",left click it when you line up the "Arrow". Go to "Big Bolts". when you submit your topic,right-click,go to the "Paste" prompt,then left click paste,and the url should magically appear. To check it,just left-click the under-lined url,and it should take you directly to your photo's. Hope this helps.

Bill,

If you ever find a donor vehicle that uses the 22.5 inch diameter wheels, please let us know what to look for. So far I have only found the 19.5 and 20 inch 6 lug wheels.

Thanks

Paul

There is not one "donor vehicle" that will always have 6 lug Budd 22.5" wheels. They could be on most any make and model 1.5-2 ton and/or what they call "medium duty" trucks from about 1956 on to today or not long ago.

If you do tubeless semi tires, you should have access to a bead hammer. One end is like a duck bill and the other is a square maul. Save an empty dishsoap squeeze bottle and mix a 20-30% mix of dishsoap and water. Once you have the tire deflated, lube the tire to ring seat with the dishsoap. Use the slide hammer or bead breaker to loosen the tire from the ring first and then tap the lock ring to disassemble the wheel. Tap on the outer edge. The dishsoap will help them come apart. The tire will most likely be rusted to the outer ring and will need more "encouragement" to come loose.
The lock ring has a notch for the pry bar. Step on the ring to unlock the ridge and start at the notch. The ring ridge is oval shaped to allow it to be pried over the wheel. I have a pic of the pieces but can't post it.

As a side note, if the tires are holding air now and are good enough to put on different wheels, I would leave them alone. They aren't dangerous as they sit. The danger is in inflating them if they aren't locked properly at that time. If the tires are flat now, BE CAREFUL putting air in them to move the truck. The lock has relaxed and could be out of position to re-lock under pressure. I inflate these with 10# and visually check the ring to be certain it is under the wheel lip. Keep adding 10#s at a time and rechecking the lock ring. Some people use 3/8" chains thru the hand holes around the wheel as a safety device if the ring lets go. I've never had a split wheel come apart on me. With constant attention to what the wheel is doing, they can be safely inflated. You can't just lock an inflation nozzle on the stem and walk away like a tubeless.

Use the chains!!!!! What's it cost, just a few minutes.

I finally got the guy to sell me the truck!! I have replaced the Widow Makers with lock ring wheels on the back. I only found 2- 22.5 one piece wheels. I had found 6 3 years ago after asking on here, but I didn't buy them, I got these 2 a few months back because the guy said hes working on getting me the title. Showed up the other day with it in hand and we made the deal!

cool deal, you got the truck! older moving vans can also be a good source for the 22.5 wheels in the 6 hole Budd pattern. I was in a wrecking yard a while back and saw an old Ford U-haul truck sitting there. It had a set of them on it so, look around at other makes as well.