The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Budd wheel ID?

Does anyone know how to decode Budd wheels? Here's the stamping, I couldn't pull anything up on Google.

Rusty - I tried to do a little web diving last night on your question but couldn't find any good source on ID'ing Budd wheels. I did see that someone on FB had posted a picture of the cover of an old Budd Wheel Catalog, but haven't found anything like it from any ads on the web yet.

I'll take another web wander tonight and see what might be out there.

That wheel is stamped “Firestone”. I would think it’s a Firestone wheel, not a Budd.

Thank you gdads!

Yes, it does say Budd also, maybe made by Firestone? I'm still learning on these..

Interesting? Budd wheels can be one or two things. A wheel manufactured by Budd, and/or a style of wheel where the wheel is centered on the log nuts not by the hub. My guess is a Budd style wheel, made by Firestone.

"Firestone 17.5 x 5.5 " is probably the tire recommended by Budd.

Rusty - I took another gander for a little bit tonight and haven't stumbled across any more helpful info yet. Can you take and post full front and rear view pictures of the wheels? It might help narrow down the thread to chase.

Wow that's right, I actually overlooked that but now I see it

Hi Otto, this is the rim size

Hi gdads, yes here you go!

I've had no luck finding it, but I think what I need is a list of Firestone wheel codes. Everything I pull up is for Firestone tires (of course)

Do you guys think 8 77 or 10 78 might be date codes?

Rusty - Just a quick thought, but you are probably on target for the 8 77 being a possible date code.

I’ve got a guy I’ve known for years that runs a Firestone shop. I’ll reach out and see if he can help with the ID and get back to you.

Great info, thanks!

The 17.5 denotes the rim diameter and the 5.5 denotes the width of the rim. 5.5 is very narrow. It looks like the Goodyear is an 8x17.5 which is probably a little wide for the rim. But that tire size is just as obsolete the wheels. A 205/75/17.5 tire would probably work. Budd as well as Firestone and Goodyear manufactured wheels in those days. Some wheels had a center from one manufacturer and a rim from a different manufacturer. And sometimes one manufacturer purchased wheels from another and restamped them with their port number. it was never a very popular size and about the only place I remember seeing them was on motor homes. Budd is a generic word sometimes used for all disc type wheels but usually it is for stud piloted ball and seat. Budd was credited with inventing the stud pilot system which is now obsolete. Budd also manufactured trailers. I still have a 50 year old Budd trailer that I use for storage. The Budd company started declining about 40 years and finally took bankruptcy. I wouldn't be concerned about part numbers. The best way to describe them is 8 hole hub pilot disc type 17.5 wheels 5.5" wide.

My take on the Firestone and Budd markings is that Budd has the patent on that style wheel and Firestone made it under permission from Budd.

Mike B

crenwelge and Mike B thanks very much for all the history and info!

Gdads any word from your buddy?

Rusty - Not yet. He's got to try and dig back in his shop storage area to see if he still has any of the paper catalogs/books. Nothing in the computer records these days.