The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1950s wheel interchange: Chevy, Dodge, Ford, etc.

Since this forum deals with 'big bolts' and is more active than other vintage truck sites, I'll ask this here: what was the interchangeability of 1950s 20" stud type wheels? My limited knowledge is that GM does not interchange with Ford, Dodge, etc, but that some do. I have some 5 stud wheels, circa 50s....are they Ford, Dodge or would they fit multiple makes? Also, were there differences in center opening as well as stud (bolt) diameter? I can't seem to find any good references on the different 1.5 to 2.5 ton disc wheels of that decade.

jaycoop As I understand it the later wheels have a bigger hole but will bolt on,you can then make a spacer. 3 piece wheels that are safer worked on those when I was young they were young too !!

Hy jaycoop, have you read " Wheels and Tires, what to do" at the top of the "Big Bolts" forum? We have basically two types of wheels on our "Big Bolts", stud piloted and hub piloted, then there are all the different bolt circles, stud counts, stud sizes and center hole dimensions. There are three major wheel manufacturing companies, Motor Wheel, Kelsey, and Budd and of course Firestone manufacturer of the "Widow Maker" RH5. Different truck manufacturers seemed to prefer one type of wheel over the others. In order to try to help you identify what you have, we would need more information, stud diameter, center hole diameter and wheel type, stud piloted or hub piloted? Wheels on "Big Bolts" is actually a large subject and will take a while to absorb it all, good luck.

Thanks fixite and 3B. I am much more familiar with the Dayton type wheels, which leads to all my questions. I just read the forum tutorial and good information! The wheels I have all have 7.50-20 tires some of which are pretty nice but the rims are very rusty. As a whole (they hold air), they might make project rollers or if separated they have tires which could be put on better rims. 5 of them have the dangerous firestone center connection, and 3 have separable rings. Measurements are: 5 stud holes, 1-1/4" diameter; 7-1/2" pattern measured like the online instructions; and 5-3/4" center opening. These were not on a truck when I got them, so don't know what they fit.

I still have a few questions: Would a tire shop be able to separate the rusty Firestone types if I brought them with air valve removed?...someone informed me that that type had to be turned a little to be connected/disconnected - if so, it seems like the rust at the beads would make it very difficult. Also, just looking at a wheel off of a truck, how do you tell if it's hub or stud piloted? Last, do these Budd type wheels in decent shape have value - are they getting hard to find, or are they plentiful?