Axle swap b-4-d

[53B-4-D]

Hey there, I have searched and searched the forums for my question with no luck. I have a 53 1ton dually, I was hoping to keep the axle original and just put new wheels on to remove the "widow makers" but can not find any wheels that are one piece steel, I believe they are 6 on 7.25. So my thought was to do an axle swap with a newer dually axle, maybe a dana 60 plus I would also be able to kill two birds with one stone and upgrade to disc brakes. Does anyone have experience with a dually axle swap or any ideas with the wheels 

[Old CWO]

Did you check with Stockton Wheel?  They are known to fab up custom wheels for many different truck applications, I bet they can make something for you.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Are those side ring wheels really dangerous window makers? Are they rusty or bulging in the riveted flange?

I'd love to have a good complete factory 1 ton axle with correct matching wheels. They are really hard to find in western washington.

As for being dangerous wheels no..as long as they are not severely rusted , side ring not.beatnto death and the guy doing the tire work knows his job.

I do them all then time.

 

 

[53B-4-D]

They are clean, I just cant find anyone to work on them. I have asked every tire shop in the county, not even guys that do strictly agiculture will do them. As soon as i bring up the split ring everyone brings up "oh man back in my day i knew i guy that was killed by them" story

[Old CWO]

3 hours ago, 53B-4-D said:

"oh man back in my day i knew i guy that was killed by them" 

 

i'll take "things that never happened" for $600 Alex....

 

 

[JBNeal]

I had access to 2 tire shops that would do locking ring rims cuz they did big truck tires, but then the shop in Waco denied ever doing locking ring rims at all one day when I had a flat several years ago, and the shop in Temple mounted my nearly new set of tires with the old tubes because they forgot that they had some new tubes sitting on the shelf 20 feet away   I had watched both shops inflate tires with no safety equipment other than a locking air chuck while standing within spittin' distance and was a little bothered by their lapse in judgment.  Several years later, I was in a local parts store that had a Ken Tool display with the right hammers, pry bars and spoon bars to do the job myself, all made in the USA, so I got what I needed and started doing research on approved methods and safety equipment.   I found some good literature on modern locking ring rim servicing that was helpful, but this video was the best one I could find that was done correctly without a safety cage, using chains instead.  I have seen pictures of guys also using their tractor loader bucket or a forklift as other alternatives to the safety cage.  This video also shows why it's kinda silly to try to get these rims super pretty with expensive powder coating, etc as they literally need to be beaten with hammers to get them to come apart and go back together.  The rims can be cleaned up nicely on a budget, but making them pristine seems kinda needlessly expensive  

[Brent B3B]

4 hours ago, 53B-4-D said:

They are clean, I just cant find anyone to work on them. I have asked every tire shop in the county, not even guys that do strictly agiculture will do them. As soon as i bring up the split ring everyone brings up "oh man back in my day i knew i guy that was killed by them" story

 

I apologize if you have seen or heard me say this before 

I recently had Les Schwab do mine. (2018)

 

power coated and radials!    handles and stops well for me (and I have the drum brakes)

 

good luck on yours

[Los_Control]

3 hours ago, 53B-4-D said:

I have asked every tire shop in the county,

Have you checked with a full service truck stop? The one with the restaurant, showers, mechanic bays and sell tires?

They work on tires with lock rings all the time .... if they wont do it, then there is something wrong with your wheels.

A picture of them may give us a better idea to give better advice.

 

As far as the axle swap, I have never done it. pretty typical to have to grind off the original spring perches, then weld new ones in where it is needed.

Any place that sells trailer supplies, tractor supply for example, sells new spring perches.

I would think a motor home axle would be a good donor. You need to measure the width of course.

 

Old motorhomes are great source of parts, usually they have fairly low miles, big engines and transmission, They just spend so much time sitting, The gas tank rots out, fuel pump stops working ... carburettor sucks, the tire are rotting out ... then they get a leak in the roof and the interior starts to go to crap.

Pain in the butt to strip one down to the frame and dispose of the garbage.

I have seen many motor homes given away for free, just to get rid of them.

[HotRodTractor]

10 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

Are those side ring wheels really dangerous window makers? Are they rusty or bulging in the riveted flange?

I'd love to have a good complete factory 1 ton axle with correct matching wheels. They are really hard to find in western washington.

As for being dangerous wheels no..as long as they are not severely rusted , side ring not.beatnto death and the guy doing the tire work knows his job.

I do them all then time.

 

 

 

I know I wish I had kept all the 1 ton wheels I had years ago. I had no idea that they were that hard to come buy when I was stripping those trucks down for parts - I left the wheels on the trucks as it made it easier to load the carcasses up for the scrap yard. I was young and dumb.

[53B-4-D]

I'll have to look into the motor home, neighbors down the road have a few in the field!

Edited October 2, 2019 by 53B-4-D

[53B-4-D]

2 hours ago, Brent B3B said:

power coated and radials!    handles and stops well for me (and I have the drum brakes)

Hey Brent b3b are those wheels one peice steel? They look great with the patina

[Brent B3B]

2 hours ago, 53B-4-D said:

Hey Brent b3b are those wheels one peice steel? They look great with the patina

 

Thanks, no on the one piece, They are the “split locking ring” (should be the same as yours) ?

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Brent B3B
Spelling

[Old CWO]

On 10/2/2019 at 8:08 AM, Los_Control said:

Old motorhomes are great source of parts, usually they have fairly low miles, big engines and transmission, They just spend so much time sitting, The gas tank rots out, fuel pump stops working ... carburettor sucks, the tire are rotting out ... then they get a leak in the roof and the interior starts to go to crap.

Pain in the butt to strip one down to the frame and dispose of the garbage.

I have seen many motor homes given away for free, just to get rid of them.

 

This is really good advice.  Sometimes the appliances and windows in them are worth more individually than the asking price so you end up with positive cash flow (not counting your labor!)

 

I saw a 48-50 Ford F5 COE cab dropped on a Ford motorhome chassis at Hot August Nights a couple years ago.  It was a super clean swap and the guy said it was reasonably easy.  He ditched the original engine for a souped up Y block and had it lowered down to a hot rod stance.  He used it to carry his little Model A roadster to car shows.  Very cool.

 

Lots of 70's motorhomes were Mopar based so there might be some good heavy duty drive train stock just sitting around in local fields and backyards unmolested.