37 dodge md20 wheels

[pipebomb]

hi all,

 

Picked up a 37 dodge MD20 pickup a while back. got it into the garage, and got it running. It has 3 good tires and one that is shredded. The truck has some odd wheels like i havent seen before. like a lock ring style, plus they are a 6x6 bolt pattern, which i cant find anything else to substitute. i just need to put a tire on it.

 

Question- Are these the dangerous split rim/ring style rims? will a tire shop even touch them? 

i have tried searching but have found nothing about these wheels.

thanks in advance!

 

[pipebomb]

here is the truck

[41/53dodges]

Oooh, pretty!

Youve got a good looking truck there!

You have locking ring wheels, safe as long as you clean the rust and make sure theyre assembled right. Most tire shops wont do anything with em, but they arent hard to do yourself once you figure then out, but they are safe. The suicide rims are firestone RHB5, chevy and ford used em, never dodge from the factory. Now they do show up from time to time, but other people put them on.

[P15-D24]

Take them to a truck tire shop as that style rim is still used on trucks. They are safe and is not a "split rim". The Dodge rims are often incorrectly identified as such. 

THe bolt pattern looks like the same one used on 1 ton trucks through the B series and maybe the C series Dodge truck. What is the spacing in inches? 

[rkldesign]

Those rims are similar to my route van rims but with different centers.  The split rings are easy to remove with a pry bar and then you need flaps and tubes for what ever tires you decide to put on. Make sure to sand blast all the rust off and get them primed and painted before you install tires.  As the other guys say,they should be safe to use as long as they are not too rusted or rotted.  I decided to have Stockton Wheel remove the centers of mine and fuse them into new rim barrels so I can use tubeless radial tires on my route van.  I also had my rims powder coated.

 

Richard

[pipebomb]

they measure 6" center to center. 

 

Question- Would i be able to weld the ring on permanently to just make it a normal rim to accomodate a normal radial tire? 

[MBF]

No you can't do that.  The rim isn't a drop center design and won't allow you to mount the tire since there is no recess for the bead to drop into while your working the opposite side over the lip of the rim.  If the ring isn't bet, and does require a pry bar to remove it is probably ok to reuse.  You'll have to clean the groove in the rim, and the lip on the ring.  If you've never done these before, have a truck tire shop do them in a cage for you.  I've seen these come apart while being inflated due to the ignorance of the operator-you don't want that to happen with the ring unrestrained.  A good tire man should be able to explain what he is doing and why.  PS-that is a sharp looking truck!  Mike

Edited December 8, 2013 by MBFowler

[1952B3b23]

I don't know anything about the tire question but I did wanna say that I love your truck! Can you post anymore pics?

Good luck with it,

-Chris

[4852dodge]

I have a set of 16" Stockton wheels here for the 6 lug one tons.  They do not fit over the rear drums.   The drop for the bead clearance makes the inside diameter too small.  They work fine for the front and outer dual wheel but not the inner.   They may work for the lighter duty drums but not the one ton. 

[Frank Ollian]

Are those Stockton wheels coined for use as duals?

[4852dodge]

Yes, but even with spacing the wheel out past the bearing hub they don't pass the drum.  The offset would have the be rear of center to fit.  Similar to a passenger car or further.  

[pipebomb]

Well, im happy to say i found a tire shop that would put a tire on the rim.  They deal in heavy duty truck parts, they guy said it was just like a forklift tire. watched him do the whole thing. Seems easy now watching him do it. there was quite a bit of rust on the rim edge but they cleaned it up with a high rpm air wire wheel and a needle scaler. works great now!

[1952B3b23]

Well, im happy to say i found a tire shop that would put a tire on the rim.  They deal in heavy duty truck parts, they guy said it was just like a forklift tire. watched him do the whole thing. Seems easy now watching him do it. there was quite a bit of rust on the rim edge but they cleaned it up with a high rpm air wire wheel and a needle scaler. works great now!

 

Glad to see you found a solution. Any more pics of the truck.... please

 

-Chris

[pipebomb]

more pics !

 

[1952B3b23]

I love it, that things awesome.

-Chris

[pipebomb]

thanks!  Drove it out of the garage today on a lawn chair. I dont think the truck has been driven for over 30 years or more i am guessing.... of course it got stuck halfway out with bald tires

[pflaming]

Hey, you drove it, that is what matters. Are you going to keep that patina? I would at least for a while, cool, can't duplicate that with a spray gun.  This is what I've got to work with.