alanhaley

I think I have finally figured out how to get some 16inch rims with a 6 on 7.25" bolt pattern. My neighbor gave me some rims he thought came from a late model ford duel wheel. The rims are large enough to accomodate the center hole and redrilling required. The only problem now is that he only had two rims and no clear idea where they came from. I need to get some more of these rims from salvage yard but dont know the vehicle they came off of. I have the numbers from the rim, can anyone tell me how to figure out what vehicle they came from? On inside of rim: K 255 GL On outside of rim: 16 x 6K Firestone (this one I got figured out but there are hundreds of configurations with this dia. and width and flange type) Also on outside of rim; 03 17 86 1 K US-G 5 I am documenting the process and will write it up when I finish and test out the product.

You would think that with all the connections today, they would be easy to find, but I have to say, Ive been looking for a year and half with little success. Stockton will make up the wheel for $187 and shipping, probably another 40 or so per wheel. I cant find anyone who will make a conversion set for the rims due to the size of the center hole and the unusual placement of the studs. One machine shop offered to due a two part arrangemnt for $800 a piece. I'm sure I will figure this one out . . . . I hope i will figure this one out. My daughter wants to take this truck to school with her and she is graduating soon.

If the weld is clean, what do you think might happen? Is there an issue with heating up the metal and not tempering it out?

I have two right now that are large enough if this idea works. My next door neighbor, a slightly wacked elderly man, has a forest full of junk and he gave them to me. He says they come from a ford duel wheel truck. The plate section with the bolt pattern is flat and large enough to fit everything. I will have to enlarge the center hole. Do you suppose there is a part number stamped on these things?

I live in central maine but the shipping costs might be worth it if the rims are in workable shape. Can I contact your son?

My daughter and I bought a 51 Dodge and a 48 parts truck three years ago. We are close to putting it on the road but have hit a problem that we cant seem to get by. The wheels that came on both trucks were an odd ball assortment of mostly junk but I cant find any other rims to use. The truck is a two ton (according to the serial number off the parts truck) and it takes a 6 bolt rim with a 7.25 dia pattern. I am getting kind of desperate as we have been working on this issue for a while now. What do you all think of this idea? I will cut out the center of the old wheels as I have four that have a dead flat surface right out to the rim itself. I will take the cut out, dress it up, center it on a 16" ford rim that looks similar to the dodge's rims, and weld it in place. After welding up the unused holes on the ford rim, I will use the bolt holes in the Dodge rim as a guide to drill new holes through the new rim. The center of the rim will be about a quarter inch thicker but the studs on the drum are long enough to accomodate. The center holes for the hub are slightly different but I can enlarge the ford rim with a plasma cutter, using the dodge center, now welded up to the rim, as a guide. What do you think of this as a plan? Am I crazy to let my daughter drive this thing with rims like this? Has anyone done anything similar?

I just got done the same thing situation with my one ton. I pulled the cyl three times and bench tested it to make sure it was not the reason I could not bleed the brakes. Put the cyl in a vise, cap all the outlets and push with a large phillips or 3/8 rod of some sort. You should not be able to move the plunger if all is right. I went to a local parts store and had them make up a hydrolic line to replace the steel line that runs from the MC to the distribution block. This made it easier to connect up the ends but needs to bleed out on its own. You can do this on the bench or by holding it up in the air and have some one apply gentle break pressure. There is something about the rubber that really holds onto air bubbles. I can tell you that after a dozen or so attempts at trying to bleed the system I ended up capping off every opening at the distribution block (the place where the line from the master cyl connects to the three lines) except one. I would then try and bleed that line. Once that seemed to be right, I brought in another line. In the end, it was a whole lot of tiny leaks that were the problem, even though I used new lines and fitting from front to back. A big problem area is the block arrangement where the line connects to the rear wheel brake cylinder, it does not take much for this fitting to suck air. I ended up lapping that block, carefully cleaning the two brass washers (there is a series of concentric grooves that you have to watch out for) and applying copper gasket spray. I used a vacuum tester to bleed the lines but this did not work well and I would not recommend using it, i think it is too easy to pull air around the threads of the bleeding screws as they are so large. In the end, the only way I managed to get any brake was to have the daughter sit in the cab and push/pull the brake pedal. Good luck, you are doing better then me as there were plenty of days in which I did start screaming.

Thanks for the info, I can include ford and international in the search now. I am after 16 inch rims and at this point, dont care if I have to set it up as duals or single.

Thanks for the reply. I called up Stanley and talked with him for a while. Your right, he's a heck of a source. He's got 35 trucks and would like to get rid of some of them, a man only needs 20 or so. I'm going to drive up to Greenbush to see him just to look his collection over. Unfortunately, he does not have a 6 lug tire that will fit. He seems to concentrate mostly on dodge trucks. His number is 207 827 8691. Hes got a 2 ton dodge for sale that sounds like a great deal. Let me know if you come across anything. Alan Haley

Im looking for inspiration. My daughter and I are within shooting distance of getting a 52 one ton, a two year project, on the road. We have put off solving the wheel problem as long as possible but have to do something soon. This was never Dodge country (mid-Maine) and I cannot find any wheels that fit. It takes a 6 lug, 7.25 inch rim. The truck came with an odd assortment that were not very usable and took a 17.5 inch tire. Some nice people in the Dakotas had some rims that took a 16 inch tire but I dont know how to get them here without a huge shipping bill. Some ideas - The local junk guy said that I could buy adapters that bolt to the original wheel but have a different stud pattern. Has anyone ever heard of this? Where would I go to buy them. Would it be possible to take another rim, weld the stud holes shut and have a machine shop redrill the rim to a 6 bolt pattern? Divorce the wife, mortgage the house, and spend whatever it takes to get wheels for this beauty. Anyone got better ideas?

I have two 6 and one four cylindar flatheads. One is in a 56 willys pickup,one is in a 56 CJ3B and one is in a 51 BID one ton that I am working on right now. The willys pickup I drive a lot, maybe 3,000 miles a year, the cj3b not so much and the dodge is still being worked on. I have always had trouble with the distributors, now the one in the pickup has a measureable play in the shaft. The Dodge is a project I am doing with my daughter. She is going to school next year and I thought if solid state or cd ignitions were more reliable I would get rid of the problem in my willys pickup and get a more reliable rig for my daughter .

My neighbor told me that there are CD ignitions that can be purchased for most any flathead motor that completely replaces the distributer. He also says they are more reliable with less matainence. Is this true and if so, has anyone ever done this to a 51 B1D ?

Thanks for the excellent diagram. I do not have a key for the ignition switch that came with it so I will have to use a modern one. I think I can figure out how to mimic the original switch except for the pole that goes to the gas gage. Someone mentioned that there was a specific reason for the lead to the gas to be through this pole, that the gage had to be disconnected when the ignition was on and the starter bumped; is this so? Why the ballast resistor and what voltage drop should I use. If I use a 12 volt coil will i still need a resistor? thanks for the help. alan Haley

You can see the diagram and photos of wiring harness at this url: http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/know/wiring_harness/wiring.htm

I have been trying to figure out the wiring for my 51 one ton dodge. I have converted it to 12 volt and will install resisters for horn and dash instraments. I have started to build a harness like the one in the pilot house knowledge bank. The wiring diagram is excellent and easy to read except that I cant see how to wire it so that when the key gets turned left to accessory, the circuit for the coil is cut out. Isn't it important that this circuit not be energized when the truck is off and using accessories like the radio? According to the wiring diagram, no matter what position the key is in, the coil is energized. How can i be comfortable grooving with van morrison and making out with the wife or listening to the red sox knowing that the electrical system is not wired correctly? I took the problem to my auto parts store and they suggested installing a toggle switch dedicated to the coil, but this seems like the type of solution a ford owner might propose. Any ideas on the subject other then giving up necking with the wife and listening to baseball?