Charley ~
I have a 1949 3600 with 8 lug wheels. It is necessary to have about 4
in. backspacing to clear the tie rod ends. After searching many junk
yards for many months I chose to have custom 15 in. 8 lug wheels made
for me by Stockton Wheel in Calif. www.stocktonwheel.com They fit
perfect and stock hubcaps are easy to adapt but are a little $$$ at
about $150.00 each. You can see mine at:
http://community.webtv.net/TOMPOT/TOMS1949CHEVYPICKUP
Also I have this saved email describing another list members experience
with 8 lug 16 in. F@xd wheels.
<<<<<Saved e-mail message<<<<<
Early Chevy 8-bolt wheels
Gentlemen,
I have a '49 Chevy 3600 3/4 ton longbed pickup with the 8-bolt
"widowmaker" split rims. I had a flat tire and none of the truck or farm
tire service people around Baltimore would touch this split rim. I
subsequently found the rim pieces were virtually rust-welded together
and I doubt if anyone could have gotten them apart.
After much research and scrounging through junkyards I found a low-cost
bolt-on modern rim replacement that I'm passing on to anyone interested:
it is the 16 x 6" 8-bolt rim that according to Chesapeake Rim and Wheel
(or CRW) here in Baltimore, MD (phone 410 866-3300) was used on Ford
F150 pickups from 1967 to 1999 and F250 pickups and E250 Econoline vans
from 1967 to 1991. Their part number is X45304.
This Ford rim has the same 6 1/2 inch bolt circle as the 1949 Chevy
8-bolt. The backspacing is about 4 inches compared to about 3 1/2 inches
on my old Chevy rims, but when I trial-fitted them to the truck I had
about 1/4 inch of daylight between the rim and the tie rod ends. Thus
there are no clearance problems, and contrary to what I had been told,
no spacers are required to mount them on the old Chevy truck.
Note these are 16 x 6 inch rims that in the case of the F250's and
E250's were used only up through 1991. I believe the later F250 and E250
pickups and vans from 1992 on have 16 x 7" inch rims that have about 4
1/2 inches of backspacing. On my truck the later wider wheels definitely
would foul the tie rod ends.
After being quoted $50 or so by junkyards for used wheels, CRW charges
$34.92 for a brand new wheel, their part number X45304. (John D
Hunt)<<<<<<
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