The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Rims on 1950 4400

Uncertain about type of rims

Hy MH50, those wheels are multi-piece Kelsey style wheels, they are not the Firestone RH5 widow makers, but be careful working with them just the same!

Thanks 3B

MH50 Those look pretty clean,sometimes can be rusted bad on the inside. I usually don't sandblast because it gets rid of too much,a needle scaler then use por 15 rust absorbing paint sometimes works well. scalers are reasonable on internet and good for any rust removal on wheels and frames. Made to de-slag welds while hot.

I had a set of wheels that were quite rusty inside, I chiseled the rust off them, wire wheeled them, painted them with Jasco and then primed them inside. When I picked them up after the new tires were mounted they said they put 90 PSI in them. I backed them down to 40 PSI. That was several years ago. They drive smoother and I felt safer. Not doing a lot of heavy towing or any towing!

Using less than half the recommended tire pressure in a multi-piece wheel is deadly dangerous. The wheel needs a certain minimum pressure to keep the pieces from separating in case you scrub a tire on a curb or hit a pothole during a turn.
Jerry

Fixate 7 took a wire wheel and lightly cleaned surface rust, there is some pitting.
My plan is to take wheel to local shop have them take apart and I’ll clean inside and prime. Chris’s 46/ 515 I’ll research Jasco paint.

Thanks again for all the great advise.

Brad

MH50 Listen to 3B Your wheels (3 Piece) are safer than widow makers but don't trust them,use your clip-on air chuck to pump them up. Can also tie with a log chain or use tire cage,are old so be careful !!

MH50 On that paint,havn't heard of it but probably be fine. I used por 15 on a set of split rims 20 yrs. ago still fine but have been indoors that whole time. I needle scaled them till they were not shedding much 2 coats of por 15,had em put the tires on they aired-up to 45 lbs.Here we have sharp soy bean stubble after harvest that can hurt tires,have learned to pump em up kinda tight to combat that .

The Jasco is a brand name , I've heard of it being called Iso or the por 15. It has the consistency of water but soaks into the some what rusted metal and dries hard. Don't breath it or get it on your fingers. When I was soaking my cab down with it (in a pump sprayer) some dripped on the floor with rust in it and I had to use a hammer and chisel to get it off! When I first put my COE on the road I had two of the tires and rims on it that had been sitting and rusting on it outside for around 20 years. They had big cracks on the tires and the rust on the outside of the rims made it apparent they were done. I put 20 PSI in them and drove it for years, then finally got some used rims and tires from a fellow bolter (Tango) May he rest in peace.

Chris 46/515 Bet those tires said nylon on them,they can look pretty bad and still OK for local work at low speeds. Those nylons will also set-up worse in cold weather then hump some when you start out. Seems to me that tires just last better in service,being run every day helps them stay in shape.

Yeah fixite7: I live in Florida and when the truck sets a week in 40 degree nights it's very lumpy until the tries warm up. Also I just looked at my owners manual and the factory says 40 PSI in the front and 55 PSI in the back. I just run 40 all the way around, I have no idea why my tire guy put 90 PSI in them. Kind of scary!

Years ago I dropped my tires off at Les Schwab. They worked on them for a long time before they got two of them apart. They were rusted beyond repair. I searched for another set, but without success. I finally decided to have one piece wheels made. I had to search around, but Stockton Wheels in California made me a full set of 7.