The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 6 lug wheels, chrome, aluminum or steel? 1965 c10 lwb

It is looking like I need at least 2 new wheels on my big blue rusty '65 lwb stepside, so I am debating between getting new stock type steel wheels painting 'em black and keep it like it is with the bowtie baby moons...

...or getting new shiny wheels to look really out of place.


15"x5" - 6 lug wheels <- I have the stock type wheels on there now... I THINK that is the right size, based on a truck parts vendor catalog.

Current Tire Size = P255/70R15 uniroyal gts


I kinda like those American Racing Outlaw II wheels... but I've heard bad things about trying to keep aluminum clean and shiny.

Anyway, I thought I'd check with you guys and see what ya'll are running.

I have 6 lug wheels, with drums all the way around.

Thanks folks,

-W

I don't really like aluminum wheels. My mom's Blazer has them and the last time we had to take the wheels off it was hot and the aluminum wheels would not come off without the aid of a wooden block and a hammer.

If youd like, I'll send you pictures of my American Racing Wheels,aluminum,and they look like crap. I would GIVE these things away for some stock steel wheels. These were expensive wheels!!
Brand new,,,really nice.
1-2 years old,,,kinda dead and dull.
3-4 years old,,,the crap i was referring to.
Iv tried to maintain them as best as i could.

It wasn't the heat that made them hard to take off, it was corrosion buildup on the hub, primarily in the pilot bore. If you're concerned about ease of maintainance, stay away from chrome and alloy wheels, especially clearcoated alloys. Polished (not chrome0 alloys aren't too bad, they wipe off pretty easily. Clearcoat and chrome plated alloys and chrome plated steel have a nasty habit of corroding under the finish, causing not only nasty looking blisters in the finish, but also difficult to stop rim leaks. Your best bet would be to stick with a painted steelie, or if you want an alloy, go with one of the powdercoated ones that's on the market now. With the tire size you're running, I would advise a 15x7 or 15x8 wheel, 15x5 is a bit too narrow for that tire size for optimum performance.

One more thing I'll mention, there's an exellent article by Bob Adler in the current issue of Vintage Truck on wheels. I found it to be extremely accurate and had some exellent advice.

polished aluminum wheels need attention to keep them looking new. i have had aluminum wheels in the past, once for 10 years, and i kept them looking new. takes about 10 minutes a wheel when polishing them about every 3 months, so it is extra work, but i had no problem in the past.

i had a friend who bout the same wheels at the same time as i did, but he didnt take care of his like i did, and they looked 20 years old after only one year, so you gotta keep them polished.
i like either type, aluminum or steelies, but like longbox said about the clear coated wheels, they get corrosion under the clearcoat after a while.
the factory clear coated aluminum wheels on my s-10 are startting to chow the corrosion under the clear finish, and it is now 5 years old.

have fun...
leonard

Please send me pix of your wheels. I have a set of steel 6 lug wheels, freshly bead blasted and painted just sitting on the shelf waiting for new rubber, but if I could find a set of custom wheels I'd trade in a heartbeat. I drove a truck for 20 years and know what it takes to keep em' looking nice, and thats no problem for me since I'm retired and have more time than money.

05/30/2006 - photos

click on the text Wheel 1, etc...

That is the type of wheels I have currently.


Jim Carter's has a 'somewhat kinda close but not exactly to original' steel wheel in their catalog for my truck.


LMC has various wheels, but none to my taste other than maybe the rallyes(ms?) with the trim ring.

Hmnn...

-W

Guess I am one of the fortunate ones. I have chrome Corvette Ralleys on my 55.I think they look great,(personal opinion).I have switched over to 4 3/4 5 lug wheels. I have found that Summit Racing has a good selection of wheels reasonably priced.And yeah they carry some 6 lug wheels too.Course I live about 85 miles from their main store.

chrome plated alum are a good wheel windex will clean them and they dont rust but they cost a lil more i have a set of 22" wheels on my 04 gmc that are chrome over alum and i have bought another set of 20" chrome over alum for my 72 gmc the ones on my 04 are 4 years old and still look new i wash them with soap and water and just rub some wax on them when i wax the truck and they make them in all sizes good luck

I'll have to disagree there. Chrome over aluminum is very very bad. Chome doesn't get along well with aluminum, even if it is kept perfectly cleaned. I've lost track of just how many chrome wheels I've seen literally have the chrome fall right off after a couple of thousand road miles on them, the heat cycles really kill the bonding of the chrome to the aluminum. Once the chrome starts comming off, especially if it's inside the wheel, it causes leaks that cannot be fully repaired without grinding the bead area clear down to the bare aluminum, and even then the corrosion is usually bad enough to cause pitting that won't seal. Many times, corrosion will travel under the chrome, making it blister, then flake off,
Chrome/aluminum is fine for a show truck or one that doesn't see much road use/ harsh conditions (salt, bad roads) I just can't suggest them for a regular driver. BTW, I work in the tire industry, and see this every day.

So far it seems that only Jim Carter's has anything in the steel wheel :

very close to the original 1/2 ton wheel - 6 bolt 15" x 5".

WHEELS: Smooth finish.1934-59 15” x 5” wide Ready for priming and paint

WHEELS:Smooth finish.1934-59 15” x 5” wide Ready for priming and paint

MST150 <- JC's part number


-W

I know which one you're talking about, Wheel Vintiques, Early Wheel Company, and Coker all have a similar (if not identical) wheel with various options (primed, primed center/chrome rim, all chrome). I seem to recall that Wheel Vintiques will install tabs on theirs that allow for use of a '56 passenger car dog dish cap.

I talked to Jim Carter and looked at his wheels in Hutchinson. They are very close to originals but will not take stock hub cabs. However he also has stock looking hubcaps as well as baby moon types that fit them.

yea true didnt think about road salt we dont have that down here but is a very good point

cletis, thanks for the heads up.

I was curious about the hub caps.

A young guy in Texas went to 5 lugs on his truck... I think he has 2 wheels, so he's gonna snap some photos and send 'em to me today.

I hope they are in good shape. I wanna drive my truck... vrooooom.

What would be the best way to ship the wheels?

-W

Before you buy or replace wheels, you might want to check Stockton Wheel. http://www.stocktonwheel.com/ It looks to me like if they don't have what you want, they'll build it. A friend has their chrome steelies on his '55 2nd and they look great after 5 years.
The truck gets driven, but it is garaged when not in use.

Thanks for the reply Roadmarks,

I've read too many horror stories on different forums(off road 4x4, old trucks, hot rods) about Stockton Wheel to ever consider using them myself.

-W

a few real world experiences on the HAMB:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182382

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174614


I did a google search on: stockton wheel thread

... and there are some other threads about them not acting right going back to 2001 and as recently as late 2007.

Well, I sure learned something! I know two guys with Stockton Wheels and they swear by them. I guess they are some of the lucky few. Thanks for setting me straight!

best wishes and good luck,

Les