Hey all, tried searching and surprisingly couldn't find what I am looking for. What are the correct factory wheel size/specs for a 1959 3100 Apache? I want to run the correct dog dish hubcaps, but they don't fit on the wheels I currently have. Does anyone sell reproduction wheels in the right size, or is ebay my best bet?
I purchased new wheels from Wheelsmith which closely resemble the originals. I purchased their reproduction caps as well.
If you have your own caps, they will install the proper clips on their wheels so that you may use the original caps.
They'll make the wheels to your specifications in any size, offset, backspace, width, etc. They call these Smoothies.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy) 1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1956 Cadillac Sixty Special Fleetwood (The Godfather) | 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (The Purple Knif) | 1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe | 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
Good used steel is your best bet. Junkyard. Even then though, 1 or 2 may be bent from dragging at some point. Unable to be balanced properly. Seen that. Use that one for a spare. 3 or my four were good. Here they are with clips. Hubcaps cleaned up good.
Mike, The information that Fibonachu references is good for the tire sizes, but doesn't actually specify the wheel dimensions. The "Wheel" section (#5) that should be in the 1959 Chevy Truck Data file is missing from the file unfortunately. The below snap shot with wheel dimension info is taken from a 1959 Chevrolet Pickup dealer handout. That document lists Standard wheel size as 15 X 5.5" with a second Maximum wheel size of 17.5 X 5.25".
That too is only partial info. A check of a 1933-62 Chevy Master Parts and Accessories Catalog lists the following wheels for 1959 1/2 Tons:
GM# 3715441 - 16.0 x 5 (specified for 1954-62 1/2 Ton)
GM# 3736621 - 15 x 5.5 (specified for 1957-61 1/2 Ton)
GM# 3724684 - 17.5 x 5.25 (specified for 1956-59 1/2 Ton)
Guitplayers pictured wheels with the 3 spring clips to hold the original hubcaps are correct from what I can tell and will support the correct hubcaps for your 1959 3100. The next step is to figure out which of the wheels you intend to use and then go from there.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
GM# 3736621 is right. 15 x 5.5 for 58/59. None of the 4 I have showed any sign of being out of kilter. All rolled on flat concrete very well. You never know till you get a tire on and balanced.
I got a rim off Ebay 4 years ago for 40 but add another 35 for s/h & i'm sure its higher now. It was off his unused spare so it was near perfect. The are really hard to find, so online is your best bet (facebook marketplace, craigslist, ect)
Yes, I looked for original Wheels but couldn't find any that were in good enough shape to be trustworthy as is. By the time I figured in purchase price, shipping, and then possibly paying a wheel restoration place to straighten them and or paint or powder coat them, it was about the same as the cost of buying brand new powder coated rims from wheelsmith ..
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy) 1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1956 Cadillac Sixty Special Fleetwood (The Godfather) | 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (The Purple Knif) | 1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe | 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
