The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Mystery GMC 5500 (1972)

Hello! So, just recently I bought a GMC CE5500 (pretty sure it's CE from the VIN) that's from 1972, I'm trying to restore it to its former glory but I have a couple of questions to ask the more knowledgeable:

Firstly, can I get an antique tag on this? I'm trying to save money where possible but it's like no insurance or website even know what this truck is.
Secondly: if anyone knows or has anything on the vacuum lines that would be great, as well as anywhere I can learn more about this truck that would also be greatly appreciated.

Every car and truck has a story to tell, hopefully, I can uncover this 5500's story. Thanks for any help!

Welcome from El Reno, Oklahoma
#1. Yes you can (25 years old or older) but you will be severely limited on when and where you can drive. Oklahoma is pretty picky about using a antique/classic registered/tagged vehicle for daily driving. You can probably get insurance by contacting your current insurance agent directly and describe what you have and it’s intended use. If he/she can’t help you can go with Hagerty or one of the other specialty insurance companies.
#2. We can’t help with that unless you tell us what engine your truck has.

Pictures worth 1000 words.

Ah, sorry, the engine is a 350 v8 2bbl, and as for pictures, my cousin is actually uploading us restoring it on his youtube channel. link to that for those interested is here:

GMC Dump Truck 72 Your not too far away there just need to take care of a few things ! Would knock the mud dobbers off of that brake booster and service it ,that might save you a lot of expence. Your documentor is doing a great job !! On license you might use a much lighter plate that will handle just the truck,so you can cruise to the gas station ! Now insurance may be a bigger problem, see your agent like martin said .

Alright so my next question for this truck is, does anyone know what the original wheel cylinders looked like or have a link to them? my truck seems to have two different brands with slightly different designs on both sides and its confusing me.

One quick observation- - - -the wheels appear to be the Firestone RH-5 type, which, regardless of condition, should be swapped for a safer design of wheel. They're the infamous "widowmakers" that have a habit of separating while the tires are being inflated and maiming the people working on them. If there's approximately a 2" wide raised flat spot in the barrel section of the wheel, it's an RH 5. It's been illegal to service them for a lot of years, according to the Department of Transportation. Properly inflated wheel/tire combinations aren't going to explode suddenly without warning, but it's virtually impossible to get a professional tire shop to work on them! DO NOT attempt to add air to an obviously low or flat tire!

Just a heads-up!
Jerry

Thanks for the heads up! yes, they are RH-5, though we have someone who has worked on them before, we are taking the risk to try to stay original as possible. Worst case we will change them though.

The RH-5 wheels *are* the worst case. Please pay attention to what Jerry told you above -- They are illegal to service for a reason. Please do not attempt to use them and replace them immediately. Do *NOT* try to run them or service them. The risk is very high that they will kill or seriously injure you or whomever works on them. It's not worth it!

John/Jerry, he’s from Oklahoma and you know how stubborn us Okies can be. “Here hold my beer and watch this “.

Then you need to hold his beer while he signs off on a big increase in his life insurance! No point in letting his family suffer over his "Okiness"!

I’ll be happy to hold his beer, but, I won’t watch. I’ve already seen the aftermath a couple of times. Not very pleasant for sure.

Touche, I'm still using mine. Put new tires, tubes and flaps on several years ago. Broke them down, cleaned them up, repainted, put it all back together. I'm still alive - and they haven't exploded in the last 67 years I'll bet the ones on that truck haven't either. You must have proper respect, inspection and care to attempt use of them.

Yep, one of the best tire guys I knew lost everything from the eyebrows up while inflating a widowmaker. Needless to say, he had a closed casket. He also left a wife and three small kids to fend for themselves.
Jerry

Asilverblazer -- Are you sure you have RH-5's? We're not talking about 3-piece or locking ring wheels, but a very specific design of 2-piece "center split" wheels -- The Firestone RH-5 design. One or two peoples' anecdotal/alleged "success" in dealing with RH-5's is not something I'm betting this web site on. I want to make perfectly clear to anyone with litigious intent following a tragedy with one of those killers that this web site did absolutely everything possible to educate and deter.

One more time for those who still aren't getting it -- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SERVICE OR USE RH-5 WHEELS.

Now be sensible lads and carefully deflate them and throw them away.


John

After you use a cutting torch to whittle them up into several pieces!
Jerry

Absolutely.

I get it, its easy for us to all sit behind our keyboards spending someone else's money on tires and wheels for the sake of safety.

I knew the risks servicing them, took precautions and they've been fine since.

If someone wants to pony up for something with less risk for me - or the OP - my pockets are open to deposit.

It is a slippery slope replacing unsafe conditions on these trucks... we all know these trucks don't have crumple zones or pedestrian friendly bumpers - if someone were struck by one of them is that negligence or willful endangerment on the drivers part?

One or two peoples' anecdotal/alleged deaths isn't much different. I'm curious what is the number? How many people did these wheels kill? Further, how many were due to the operators carelessness or not following proper procedure? The point I'm getting at is If I set a bead using a can of ether and a lighter - is that my fault or the wheels?

I'm NOT saying there are no risks dealing with them, proceed accordingly.

EDIT
Information I found...
"The institute turned up hundreds of cases of exploding wheels, including numerous fatalities"
Haven't dug in enough to answer my above questions. Doesn't say what wheels they were, actual quantity of deaths or circumstances.

They killed enough people to get the DOT to outlaw working on them. They were a dangerous design when they were brand new, and 70 years or more of rust and ham-handed abuse by tire jockeys with double digit IQ's hasn't helped matters. Go ahead stick stick your head in the lion's mouth- - - -maybe he's just not hungry today. John's point is valid- - - -unless he, as the owner of this site condemns dangerous, illegal practices, he's open to a lot of liability from some ambulance-chasing legal beagle. The sane people here agree with him.

Starting fluid is messy- - - -I use acetylene!
Jerry

No. We're DONE on the subject of the RH-5's. There will be no more discussion about servicing them on *this* web site.
They are illegal to work on, per USDOT. And there are lots of suitable replacements to be found out there very reasonably. I was able to rapidly, easily and cheaply source 6-lug single piece wheels for my firetruck a few years ago. You can, too.

End of discussion.