The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun Are there any 7:50 - 17 Non Split Rims?

Which are plain drop centet type?

8 Lug?

Not 'Budd' Dished types?

I have 7:50 - 17 Tires and period aftermarket 'Firestone' Split Rims, on my 1960 Chevrolet P-20 Step Van, and, no one left here in Las Vegas will work on them.

So...were there any 8 Lug conventional type 7:50 - 17 Rims which would alleviate the problem of the Split Rims being rejected by Tire and Truck Tire places?

i would be ecstatic to get one of those split rims off ya when you find something to use,
i have a 56/57 grumman on a chevy frame and i ended up with one 16, and one 17 split rim on the back.....i have 19.5's on the front...

i think mine was set up like that to "lower" the rear end and even the stance out a bit, plus it looks really hot that way....

here in north carolina in my neck of the woods i have several places willing to work with them, but i cant find one !!

im assuming they are 17's that you have, heck i will take both when your ready, just let me know if ya want to do something..

as far as an old style 17 steel wheel, i have had no luck, can find 16's all day long, and i have seen 17's online but they all have the large holes and "outtie" dimples for the hub caps...

i have the 56/57 grumman 1 ton, and a 68 chevy p10 1/2 ton sitting in the yard now
do you have any pics of your steppy ?

i built up a 77 p20 last year, that was a great build and fun as hell to drive around with a built 327

Hi Steppin Out,


When I got my Van it had those really sad and sorry 7:50 - 15 cheezy GM type late production split Rims.

The Van just looked so 'WRONG' with those. Way too short/small and cluttered looking.

A couple blocks away, a lady had a 1952 Ford 3/4 Ton Pick Up, which was in nice shape but for a frozen Engine and no Bed and no interior.

I bought the Truck from her because it had these really good looking, 'Firestone' 8 Lug Split Rims, which de-Mount from the back side...so, when looking at them one would think they were simple Drop Center ones.

Anyway they fit my Van perfectly and, I bought new 7:50 - 17 Eight Ply Bias Ply Tires, Tubes and Flaps, and, found a Commercial Truck Tire place who was willing to mount them.

And I recouped my Tire Costs and so on in passing on the Truck for a reasonable price...so, all that worked out swell for everyone.


I will post some pics to-morrow, showing the Firestone Aftermarket Rims I am running.

Anyway, since then, ( 8 years ago ) no one left in Town here now, will work on them.

Of course, you and I know, how to do it safely, and that one would have to be a dope to screw up...none the less, no one will touch them.

I got a Flat, and was lucky to find a same Rim with an old Tire on it, at a Junk Yard, and the guy just said "Take it with you" and gave it to me...so, I was running on it as a 'spare'...old rock hard 'Gum Dipped' Tire from the 1950s for Pete's sake...but, it hold Air and holds the Van up!

Anyway, I keep thinking, maybe IHC or FORD or GM or someone may have made 7:50 - 17 Rims, which were a plain type none dished Drop-Center Rim, which the Truck Tire places would then be able to fix a flat on.

So I want to find a set of THOSE ( if they exist ) and then switch over to those with my still pretty darned new Tires.

I would be glad to sell the really super good looking 'Firestone' Split Rims, once I have something else to roll with.

The Firestone Rims are all dated...four are 1952 one is 1948 I think ( the 'Spare' ).

Best image I have which kinda sorta barely shows the Wheels it had on it when I got it -

http://images43.fotki.com/v438/photos/9/901917/4085747/Mvc003s-vi.jpg

Depressing!


Image from a few months later, once it had the 'new' 17 inch Firestone Rims and new Tires -

http://images21.fotki.com/v833/photos/9/901917/4085747/MVC222S-vi.jpg

Oh man, what a great difference those new Rims made!

( Sorry I was not able to get images to happen in the Post and ended up just with Links ).

I'm not aware of any old/appropriate looking 17" single piece rims. For single piece tubeless rims you'd be looking at 17.5" or 19.5".

Grigg

Darn...

17.5 or 19.5 are just not the same Romance!

I am not happy though on how no one will work on Split Rims any more.

Maybe I can just get my Tires filled with some Miracle-Space-Sge-Foam stuff...so I will never get a Flat!..?

Lol...

Might be worth looking into...

I did get a flat and, no one I can find, will work on it because of the Split Rim.

Lots of shops and tire places will work on them. You might have to travel some. Most heavy truck and even farm equipment shops can and will, and road service trucks/ mechanics. Have you tried any of those places?

I am in Las Vegas Nevada.

I will try some more...

I did try every place I could find in Town, who did Trucks and Heavy Equipment...

The place who originally mounted my new Tires to my Split Rims, would not do it any more.

No one would do Split Rims any more, and it was as if they had all read the same one-liner 'memo'... every one, a moronic reply or statement about 'Widow Maker'.

Really, all I need is the dis-mount, and I can get it from there just fine. I just have no decent way to dismount the Tire and get the Tube out so I can put a Camel Patch on the Tube.

So, I will try that angle...maybe they will be willing to just do a dis-mount, since there is no danger of them effing that up in a way where they could possibly make any 'widows'.

Link to image showing one of my early 1950s "Firestone" 7:50 - 17 Split Rims.

http://images9.fotki.com/v1395/photos/9/901917/4085747/IMG_0230-vi.jpg

Because they de-Mount from the back side, looking at them from their front side, one would not know it was a Split Rim.

Interesting, do you have a picture of the back side?

Learn something new every day, If I have seen any of these wheels I didn't notice.

I will soon!


I called a Truck Tire Place, asking if they could JUST 'de-mount' my Flat, being as it is a Split Rim, and I know they do not inflat or assemble Split Rims.

Manager guy says "We do Split Rims, we would be glad to demount, fix the Tube, re-assemble, inflate etc...bring it on bye!!"

I felt like I am suddenly on another Planet.

What the heck???

So I will go there to-morrow with my Flat and see if they in fact will repair it.

Flat Tire is in Storage...close to the Truck Tire place.

I will take some pictures of it then.

Anyway, I learned some more about my Rims.

Went to a Truck and Heavy equipment Tire place, they got started on the de-mount ( Knowing it is a Split Rim ) and, the operative ( nice guy, sincere ) could not figure out how to get it apart.

He got the Bead broken for me anyway...( which saved the Day! )

I did not remember the dis-assemble method either, since I was not present when my Tires were mounted in the Rims back when...so, I did not know the take-apart method for these Rims either.


Manager came over and then intervened by saying they would not work in THIS ( kind of ) Rim, and this kind of Rim is called "The Widow Maker", even though they would be glad to do the Lock Ring 3 Piece Split Rims.


Apparently my Rims, the Firestone late '40s and into the '50s and apparently into the '60s also if usually used on Ford Trucks...

My Rims are the 2 piece kind known as "Widow Makers".

I did a few googles, and now I know how to take them apart.

I do not have the right Tools, but, ( with the Bead broken ) I managed to get the Rim apart using a large Screw Driver and a small Crow Bar.

It went very well, did not require unusual effort or strength or difficulty.

The Rim and Tire in their normal disposition -

http://images9.fotki.com/v1395/photos/9/901917/4085747/IMG_0230-vi.jpg

Back side of the Rim and Tire, with the Detatchable Rear part of the Rim, now partially lifted up for removal.

Note the two small raised 'Bumps', which identify the location of the otherwise impossible to see 'Notch' below inside, into which a Screw Driver or something better, can be driven and levered to lift the Ring section up.

http://images9.fotki.com/v1493/photos/9/901917/4085747/IMG_0234-vi.jpg

http://images14.fotki.com/v384/photos/9/901917/4085747/IMG_0235-vi.jpg


And...then, with some progressive careful prying, and me jumping up and down as hard as I could on the 'downside' area of the 'ring'...some more prying, and...viola!!


http://images51.fotki.com/v628/photos/9/901917/4085747/IMG_0236-vi.jpg


So...I will see now about getting the rest of the Rim removed from the Tire, and to remove the Inner Tube, so I can patch it.

Tire had picked up a large Nail, puncturing the Inner Tube and occasioning a Flat.

After I get this back together,( I will be sure to do so correctly ) I will know a lot more about these than I did before this foray.

Once back together, I will inflate with a Logging Chain wrapped through the Center Hole and around the Tire, wrapped several windds worth, since I do not have a Safety Cage.

I am not sure how it is that anyone could go wrong with this, unless inflating with the removable 'half' at an angle and not seated deep enough...but, I will be very careful regardless, in making sure I like how things go back together, and to make sure I like how the 'Back Half' as it were, is seating up once it has Air going in.

I will Soap everything well.

I will post more images as things go.

Interesting... Those are Firestone RH5° wheels, and rightfully so nobody will work on them. You should try to replace them with a safer wheel design, which at this point is any other kind of wheel.

Some useful info and reading about different wheel types in the beginning of this tech tip, and Cross section pictures of the wheels.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/wheels/

Grigg

Just my luck, huh! Lol...

For the time being, I pretty well have to run with the Rims I have, till I can find some better ones.

I would like to find a set of 17 inch Chevrolet/GM 3 Piece Split Rims, and just put my still new 7:50 - 17 Tires ( Tubes and Flaps )on to them.


If anyone knows where I might find a set, let me know?

Like Grigg said, the old 17's are a tube type/multi-piece wheel setup.

FWIW, my '65 C30 came with three piece 17's. Most have been swapped out for tubeless wheels by now, but they are still out there.

My 41 1 ton came with split rims. I have been using them since I put the truck back on the road with a small block 350, 700R4 Transmission and 3.73 rear end. I have it red lined at 70 mph and with 10,000 miles on it No Problems.

I would like to find a pair or a set of 7:50-17 Lock-Ring, three piece Split Rims.

Presently I have new Tires on a set of old Firestone 2 Piece Rims, and, I would prefer the design of the three piece Split Rims, and to be able to swap over my Tires.

Please try posting a wanted add in the swap meet section if not already done.

I did..!