The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk vintage tires ?

I'm in need of original type tires. Coker shows 7.00 x 15 but doesn't give many details- I know it's a Firestone road tire, blackwall. Anyone ever buy these? Also, are inner tubes with a 45 degree valve stem available? My truck is a 49 3600 with original split rims. Please, before someone replies telling me to get rid of them and get radials... don't- truck must be original. Thanks

I've not gone looking for tires yet, because I still have the ones that Grandpa had on there when he parked it.

You can get inner tubs with a 45° angle. Any good tire shop (or even a rubber supplier) should be able to provide these to you.

I'm not going to tell you to dump the bias tires and go with radials, but I am going to tell you to dump the wheels.

I know you're trying to be totally original, but I would dump the split rims for something else. Most tire shops won't touch them, and doing the tire work yourself with them can be LETHAL if you do not know EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

I cannot stress that enough.

I know that they had solid rims with lock rings on the '46 model year 3600, and these are far less dangerous. These will fit on your hubs and you can have tires fitted on them anywhere you like. Modern 8 bolt wheels fit also; you can drill in some holes for the little hubcap holder springs off of your split rims, for the vintage look.

old nut,

just wanted to clarify that the rim size for your 1949 3600 was actually 15" and not 17". my 50 has 17's with the lock ring and they are (as brendanm stated) much "safer" to work with than the split rim jobbies.

as far as radial vs. bias ply. i've run bias on mine since i've owned the truck and my grandfather ran bias since he bought it new. they do wear faster and handle like a bad shopping cart on some road surfaces, but they do keep it original.

i've ordered tires from coker a couple of times. the only thing i will say is that the firestones and the tornell's have worked for me up until the last set i ordered for the front. i wanted to get back to the original look of the truck with the bigger tires (firestones always looked a little small) and the tornell's shook like crazy on the front. ended up with the bf goodrich's and they have worked out well. a little pricier, but worth it so far. seem to be wearing pretty well too.

you should be able to get tubes from coker as well.

Hey fellas

I'm in the same boat. have 18" split rims, need 7.00x18. I pulled apart my spare wheel a few days ago. The tire was very old, hard, and the wheel was pretty rusty, but I got the rim split and the tire and tube removed. I new it would be hard but it worked out fairly well.

But how unsafe is it to reassemble these wheels? It seems like they are fairly simple. What can go wrong?

I figured it would be just as hard to find wheels that fit the 8 bolt pattern and clear around the drum, etc. Do you know what other wheels would fit this bolt pattern and work with a '49 3800 and still have kind of a tall look?

Frank

Frank -

If improperly installed the lock ring and inner rim can fly out, kill you, go through your shop walls, kill your family and then go through the other walls to you neighbor's home.

But I am using them. I have a 1950 GMC 1-ton pickup with original 17" split rims.

ANY tractor/farm supply store routinely works with split rims but a typical tire store will not touch them.

Regarding "Vintage Tires" - I have a set of 650 x 16 Kelley Springfield tires (ordered from Jim Carter 10 years ago) on my 1951 Cheyv 1/2 ton. Would like to re-shoe with the same old bias ply tire. Can't find any reference to supplier to Kelley Springfield light truck tires (bias-ply). All I can find is BF Goodrich at Coker Tire. No other distributors? Just wondering / or just "wandering" - speaking of bias ply tires, of course. Bob W.

Maybe these people can help you guys out.
http://www.kelly-springfield.com/kellytires/index.jsp

Richard

There is a place in Wichita Kansas that sells vintage tires but I cant remember the name. I am not sure what wheels you have. Some people call the kind with a lock ring split rims.That is the kind I have on my 54 GMC one ton. If you do them your self be sure and talk to someone who KNOWS how to do it safely. It can be done.

50GMC253,
If me and the family duck, will it still take out that jerk next door?

I know this guy who worked at a truck shop long time ago. He said places that changed split rims a lot had these steel cages they put the tires in for airing 'em up. He said there was a new guy at the shop changing a split rim, the boss told him to go over and use that cage to air it up. He went over, set the tire next to the cage, and climbed in!