You have a couple of options here including keeping the stock wheels.
I suspect a bit of hysteria surrounds these wheels. Technically, they are
not "split rims" but as you may know use a giant circlip or snap ring to
lock the two solid pieces together. They are much more obvious when not
seated properly than the big truck type split rims. IF seated properly they
are not dangerous. Note that split rims on big trucks disappeared from
common use after aluminum wheels came along. These tubeless wheel/tire
assemblies are about 100 lbs lighter than the steel wheels they replaced.
That's nearly a ton of payload on an 18 wheeler. Split rims were used for
nearly 70 years. If they were as dangerous as many say, they'd have fallen
from use long, long ago.
You can get custom steel wheels in any dimension you want from Stockton
wheel in Stockton CA.
You can buy stock aluminum wheels from Ultra and others in various widths
and backspacings.
You can buy stock steel wheels for Ford trucks with the same bolt pattern
and a 4 1/8th backspacing which is close enough to the original 3 3/4 to
clear the suspension fenders and box. I bought mine from Les Schwab Tire
here in WA.
-Tom Allen
51 3800
At 11:28 PM 5/8/02 -0400, JohnHuntD@aol.com wrote:
>I have a 1949 Chevy 3/4 ton long-bed that needs new tires on what I believe
>are the original 8-lug-bolt split-rim 15" x 5 1/2" wheels. I visited several
>tire shops, including a truck tire shop that can replace the tires on these
>"suicide" drop-center split rims, but everyone tells me that for safety and
>other reasons I should replace these split rims with later-model Chevy or GMC
>one-piece rims. But no one knows which later model Chevy or GMC trucks have
>8-bolt rims with the correct back spacing and center hole diameter. Also I'm
>told that most of the later 8-bolt Chevy and GMC rims are 7-8" inches wide,
>which changes the steering geometry by moving the center of the tire tread
>out an inch or so, and the tire may rub the fender at full lock.
>
>I'd greatly appreciate recommendations from anyone about what later-model
>Chevy or GMC 8-bolt wheels will fit my '49 3/4 ton with the correct back
>spacing and center hole diameter, and not be too much wider than the current
>stock 5 1/2" wide rims.
>
>(I'm told there are aftermarket "wagon" type spoked wheels that will fit this
>truck, but I want to keep the rims as stock-looking as possible.)
>
>Thank you in advance.
>
>John Doak in Baltimore, Md.
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
Tom Allen
Seattle, WA
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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