Other choices for a 1 ton wheel?

[austinsailor]

I just put a tire on one of my one ton wheels. These are the type that have a solid ring that comes off, not the ring that is split. I've never messed with this type before and am not real excited about them. I'm in the process of trying to get a spare wheel and am talking to another board member who may have one to fit.

Before I buy it and have it shipped and all, I should check to see if there is a more modern wheel I can easily use. Anyone know what else might fit this thing? Preferably a one piece wheel?

I'd like to keep it more or less as it was built, but after cleaning, painting and mounting one, I'm not so sure I like these.

Bolt pattern diameter is 7 1/4", 6 bolts, the hole in the middle is 5 1/2".

[rustyzman]

I have found no direct bolt up myself outside of the later dodge 1 ton wheels, which I can't find around here. I believe that they are at least tubeless, though maybe still 2 piece with a lock ring. Be aware though that anything with a drop center will likely not fit over your rear drums.

I hope to go with 19.5s of my own modification when I get the time. GM 10 bolt wheels are the same bolt pattern spacing in that they are 7.25", but only two holes will line up. The other 8 holes would have to be welded and then redrilled/milled for the other 4. Then there is the issue of the offset and width being different too. So likely spacers would have to be made. Plus they are hub centered, not stud centered and would need further modification to make the system work safely.

The other option is to have some made, but again make sure that they will clear the drums. (When I checked they were $250 each in qty of 6)

So at least from what I have seen, no there are not.

Some Internationals also used this wheel pattern. Not that the search will be easy as those trucks don't seem to common either.

Done right, two piece lock ring wheels are quite safe. (Not talking about true split rim widowmakers) In fact they have been used on large trucks for many many years. The key is that they need to be in good condition, with the ring seats in solid shape and no rust problems (like at the rivets or in the ring groove).

Just my thoughts on the matter.

All 7 on my dually are bad from severe rust at the rivets so I am in the same boat.

[jamesadams]

[ATTACH][ATTACH]24926[/ATTACH][/ATTACH] Like this one?

[4852dodge]

The wheels used on the 1 tons were also used on Ford, International and Divco. They were used into the mid 60's. I have 4 from a 60's Ford on my truck now and they work fine. There are two types of locking rings used, the common split ring and a solid ring, the rim they attach to is machined differently make sure both parts match. As with all removable rings make sure the mating areas are clear of rust and scale.

[austinsailor]

Mine are the solid ring. Sandblasted clean, and repainted, they still have enough dings and hammer marks from being put on and off over the years that they are hard to get to fit correctly. I'm used to the rings with the split, these are new to me.

I'm not sure in the picture if that is a split, or the notch to stick a tire tool in to pry off a solid ring. Otherwise, that looks like my wheel.

Sounds like I need to just be very careful and live with them.

Edited March 14, 2011 by austinsailor

[Dave72dt]

That's a split ring. The one piece will have the inner part of the ring where it sits in the rim groove egg shaped so it can be pulled over the rim edge

[austinsailor]

So I could find wheels with split rings to fit my truck? Pick my poison, huh?

[ggdad1951]

I spent a good amount of time trying to find ANY way to get rid of my split locks and make it look "original" to no avail for my 1 ton....the backset and bolt patterns just seemed to be impossible to find a beaded rim to replace with. I found a place that would "make" them, but not have the same look in the cut outs we have. And as previously mentioned they were like $250 a shot, 6 wheel min. My journey included trying to find a hoop to mate up to the centers and the closest I got was the hoob being .125" on diameter too small....oh so close....

My rims are out for cleaning/painting/remounting right now. I'm just going to have to live with what comes back!

[townwagon]

There are several options of factory tubeless rim that will fit that bolt pattern.

Dodge made a 17.5 and a 19.5 tubeless 6 bolt rim starting around 1957. The stopped making them in real numbers in 1969 for sure when the 1 ton trucks went to 8 bolt.

International also made tubeless rims in a 19.5, possibly other sizes, that used the same 6 bolt pattern.

The issue is that these rims are rare, and in the case of the factory Dodge 19.5s highly sought after.

Other rims exist as well, but I have never heard of 16" tubeless in that bolt pattern from any make.

Personally I have had trucks with both tubeless rims and tubed split rims, neither one gave me any more trouble when properly serviced.

Eric

[jamesadams]

That is a split rim,with a notch for the tool. I have been around these type of rims, they don't seem to give much trouble,but you need to seek experienced advice when dealing with them.

[Dave72dt]

There were any number of designs over the years to deal with the heavy beaded larger truck tires, the worst and most dangerous being the widowmaker split rim. Next in line is the one piece ring that was pried over rim edge, it would often get distorted during removal and with little to center it on the rim during inflation, it could and would come off violently. Once aired up with the ring centered, it was relatively safe. Then came the split ring and the 2 piece ring which was a variation of the split ring and solid ring. On these the split rings had some spring tension built into them to keep them tight to the rim and in the locking groove. 2 piece rings didn't seem to have as much tension and the one piece and required more care to get them aired up safely. Anything that was questionable got aired up without a valve core in it until the bead was seated and always in a cage. What a blessing when tubeless came along.

[John-T-53]

Does Alcoa or any of the newer aftermarket wheel mfr's make anything that would fit trucks of our era? I had a buddy who had a neighbor on his ranch with a '57 International 1-ton flat bed. He ran aluminum Alcoa's and they looked sharp. I'm not sure if he had modern hubs and suspention though, or original.

[moparmonkey]

While I'm not a 1 ton owner, some of the later Dodge muscle cars have a bolt pattern problem as well, since for a few years they had a 5x4" bolt pattern. Finding wheels with this pattern isn't all that easy, especially for aftermarket rims. Changing the pattern is pretty common, but most folks do it with later model parts.

But, you can also have the axles and drums re-drilled with another pattern. In the case of the 5x4" muscle cars, most find the axles and drums can be re-drilled to 5x4.25" and use later stock rims.

I'm just thinking, that rather than deal with trying to have rims made to fit, it might be a lot easier to have the axles and drums drilled for a more common pattern. Most local machine shops should be able to handle this without issue, and typically its not that expensive. In the case of the muscle cars, its quite a bit cheaper than buying new axles with the later pattern. It certainly wouldn't cost $250 a wheel. The only issue would be how closely you wanted the new wheels to match the originals...

[rustyzman]

Sadly, with the way the drums are designed and mounted to the hubs, redrilling is not an option. The casting only has bosses where the studs are now on mine and the drums are stamped with enough clearance only in those areas of the hat as well. Even then I had to machine new studs to make them fit (with the flat milled off).

These 1 ton wheels are definately a bit of an odd duck.

And in case anyone notices, the six lug wheels on the newer cabover Isuzu's and such are a different bolt circle and won't fit.

[David Muma]

http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/drwcustom.html

[MBF]

That link jogged my memory. Those Kaiser jeeps made during the late 60's and 70's had the same 6 lug bolt pattern as our 1 tons. The ones that I've looked at didn't have a deep enough offset to be used in a dual application, but they look good as a single. Those rims should be available from a surplus house. I talked to a guy at a military show and he had 2 NOS rims that he's sell me, but I can't find his name or number. Mike

[4852dodge]

The Jeep wheels are the same bolt pattern but use a very different offset. All the 1 ton wheels for the Dodges have an offset, but the ones for the Jeep are almost centered. This will probably cause a fender interferrence problem.