The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Wheels and brakes for 1959 GMC two ton.

I’m asking if anyone has information on up grading wheels and brakes for a two ton truck. The original GMC two ton had 20” split rims. I’m told tire shops wont touch these old rims and I’m needing new tires eventually.
I would be interested to look at disc brakes eventually if I were to put this beast on the road.
The drum brakes may possibly still be serviceable, however no shop in my area turns brake parts anymore and I’ve not seen any drum brake units until I acquired this '59 GMC.
I also have a 55 Chevy two ton that started this adventure.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

The rumors about "split rims" abound- - - - -but there's only one style that's really dangerous. Those are the Firestone "RH-5" rims that come apart in the middle. They can be identified by an approximately 2 inch wide raised flat area in the middle of the barrel section of the rim. The rims that have either one or two pieces that form one side of the rim at the tire sidewall are safe to use and work on although some tire shops are still terrified of them.

The problem these days is finding tube type 20" or 22" tires- - - - -it seems the only place they're being made any more is China. Multi-piece rims cannot run tubeless tires, because they're not airtight. For every width 20" tire, there's usually a corresponding 22.5" tubeless, but that requires buying different wheels. Converting to disc brakes will probably be difficult and expensive- - - -there's nothing really wrong with properly maintained and adjusted drum brakes. Lots of big rigs still run them, and most any professional truck shop has no problem at all finding repair parts.
Jerry

Don - Here's an excellent Big Bolt Wheels Legacy Tech Tip (TT) that is worth reading to help ID what your existing wheels actually are and whether they need replacement or not (as mentioned by Jerry above).

Since your truck and topic is more aligned with the "Big Bolt" trucks, I've moved your thread to the Big Bolts forum where it will get the best replies and conversation on your truck and the brakes/wheels & tires questions you asked for help with.

More to come from fellow Bolters soon I'm sure.

This company can help you with all of your brake needs, including relining your shoes and turning your drums.

Specializing in antique, vintage, classic, obsolete, unique and hard-to-find brake parts, bonding, riveting, rebuilding, drum and rotor machining, custom made brake hoses

Brake Materials & Parts Inc
800 Sherman Boulevard,
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
260-426-3331
http://www.brakematerialsandparts.com



Some Auto Zone and NAPA parts places will still turn drums.

For mounting tires, find a shop that works on delivery trucks and semis. They know how to handle two piece rims.

I'll second Jerry's suggestion about staying with drums. Properly serviced and set up, they will offer superior stopping power to discs. Dump trucks and semis all use drum brakes.

It will also be cheaper and less time consuming to restore what you have than to re-invent a complete brake system.

Don - In a follow up on your brake parts needs, figure out what you need (ie; master cylinder, hydrovac, wheel cylinder, brake shoes, drums etc.) and post the specific needs here. I think the drums may be the hardest items to find, but some recent research I've done into "Big Bolt" master cylinder, hydrovacs and wheel cylinders has resulted in some if not all of those items still being available. Some are relatively expensive, like hydrovacs (depending on what you have originally), while others can be had for reasonable prices. Original brake shoes can often be relined by commercial truck shops. Those would be the same ones that could work on commercial split rim wheels and tires too.

Hi Don Low, welcome, I would ask that when you ask us questions about your truck, that you use the actual model designation rather than the term "two ton". There are differences in things like wheel attachments, brake shoe widths, master cylinder bore sizes in the larger trucks plus there are differences between Canadian and American truck models. We honestly want to help you figure things out, but we need the best information from you to give you the correct information, again welcome.

Thanks for all the information guys.
The truck I’m working on right now is a 59 gmc
Model 9400, 14000 gvw ( Canadian model)
According to what I have discovered i think it’s actually a 1.5 ton unit. And I believe the US designation is a 4400. That was from some GM info on the task force trucks.

Don - Here's a snapshot below of a 1958-59 Serial Number information list from a Canadian GMC resource posted here at Old GMC Trucks.

There is also a link in that page to an earlier 1948 Model Reference that indicates some "9400" model numbers were rated at 1-1/2 ton (later GMC data refers to truck ratings by actual GVW weights and not by a 1-1/2 or 2 ton classes). GMC Parts Books encourage owners to identify their truck by specific serial numbers when trying to order/identify parts, as there are often changes or differences in parts that correspond to when the trucks were built.

I think to help you out best, it would be great if you could post pictures of the truck and its actual serial number plate (or specific full detailed numbers/letters). This way we can try our best to point you in the right direction for what you need.

No matter how you decide to go with your brakes, I'd 100 percent recommend going to 22.5" wheels and modern tires. Yes, it's pretty much two grand for six new 2 ton Chevy bolt pattern wheels.. buy once, cry once. Used tires are everywhere for $100 apiece, new ones are around $300. Also, any truck tire shop will work on them and they'll never go bad. The old 2 and 3 piece wheels can get so rusted as to become difficult to disassemble and unsafe for further use.

The other advantage of 22.5" wheels is that you now have radial tires. I've driven both and yeah, bias tires will work fine *however* I don't care what anyone says-radials ride smoother, don't follow cracks in the road, have less rolling friction, last longer, run cooler. There's a good reason why the world stopped running them decades ago. Longer life, better fuel mileage, better handling. If you don't need it Concourse correct (and hey, some folks do and that's OK!) then do the swap to modern wheels and tires. You'll be glad you did.