The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun 48 1 Ton Wheels

I just purchased a 1948 Chevy 1 Ton and have been trying to find new wheels. I have read different things regarding wheel sizing, from 19.5" is what you need to clear the tie rods, to you can go 16" with some spacers. I have been through the local junk yards and cannot find any 8 lug tires that fit. Would something like this work?

http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/p-432-109292t.aspx

If not, has anyone bought off the shelf wheels that fit?

I know this is a common topic, and I am sorry for reposting, I just dont want to put down the money and find out they don't fit.

To answer your question, yes they will work. I have 16" wheels from a late 80's Ford van on my 3/4 ton. Most late model Chevy and Dodge rims have too much backspacing to fit correctly.

There is also a company called Dexter wheel that some memebers have had good luck with. They are also trailer wheels, by the way.

Thanks, I probably should have measured the rear drums before asking about the 16" wheels. The drum O.D. is at 16" so I am assuming a 16" wheel will not fit. Does anyone know of wheels that fit over the rear drums of a 48 1 Ton?

Well I have a 51 1 Ton single wheel and the trailer wheels fit front and back. I guess you must be talking about the diameter of the rear drum right back at the backing plate? The rest of the drum is not 16" as those drums inner surface had a 14" diameter and they are not an inch thick. The wheel does not go as far back as the back edge of the drum.

That clears up the rims, thank you. What size tires are you using? I was looking at P225/75R-16 but I do not really know a lot about tires.

If I had a choice I'd go LT235/85R16 BFGoodrich Commercial T/A Traction in the rear and standard T/A up front. That would net me about a 32" tire height. That is about the height that came with the truck. Or drop down to 215/85 and about a 30" height. Basically you are looking for tires found under dually trucks.

You know...the original wheels with bias ply tires are groovy. There's absolutely no reason to be scared of the old three piece wheels, as long as they're not too rusty. Plus you can mount tires on those wheels yourself, instead of paying a tire shop.

I have Yokohama tubeless radials on my 1 Ton and it has really good road manners. They are Yokohama RY 215 LT 16 radials as seen here Yokohama Radials With my 4:10 rearend th motor is turning 2700 at 60 mph.

There are quite a few postings about the mounting techniques for use with the old multi piece rims. Inflating them without the proper equipment is indeed extremely dangerous.

Its not that I am afraid of the 3-piece wheels, its that I cannot find tires that are anywhere near my budget. Thanks for the tire info, looks like I will be hitting up Sams Club next week to price everything out.

My tires were a little on the pricey side but they do have the tall skinny appearance. My Tires A modern 235/85 R16 will give about the same diameter and they are easier to find but they are wider than mine.

We are in the same boat! Let me know what you end up with... I didn't think that any 16" wheels were an option. I'd prefer to stick with my 18" wheels but can't find any tires that will work for less than $200.

Are you working on a dually or a single-wheel setup?

I have a single-wheel setup. I was under the same impression that 16" wheel will not fit, but from the responses it looks like they will. I think I am going to buy one and see if it fits. If it doesn't fit I will return it, hopefully just out the cost of shipping. Ill be sure to post some pictures with clearance measurements if they fit.

Side Note: I'll probably keep the split rims and buy original sized tires when the budget allows. Gives me the option to drive around on the newer (cheaper) tires, but throw on the classics when I want to show off.

I was able to find two sets of 16" wheels from C-list and local junk yards. All mine came from the 80's style Chevy K2500's. They fit both my 3/4 and 1 ton. Some have had problems with tie rod clearance. I've heard that modern tie rod ends solves the problem as do wheel spacers.

Mine are 235/85-16 as well. Gives it a tall and skinny look.