studebaker wheels?

Anyone know what tubless type wheels will fit on a 56 studebaker 2E 1 ton truck? If i cant find any i thought about cutting the centers out of mine and welding them back on a set of tubless rims. Think it'll hold?

 

I'm not sure what the bolt pattern is on that truck but you may be able to go to a later model wheel.

I'd be over knocking on this door http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/otherforums.asp As the guys who would know right off the top of their heads are probably there.

 

Hold off on the modifying idea for a bit.

Someone will pop up with the info.

I believe they used a wheel and pattern that was common for trucks, motorhomes etc.

There are other trucks that can be donors for the wheels you need.

A friend of mine has a website www.racingstudebakers.com that would be a great help in your search.

 

You don't ask easy questions. So I'm gonna make some assumptions and you tell me if I'm wrong. First, you've no doubt got the 6 lug x 7.25" circle bolt pattern, that's obvious. Next, the truck is probably single rear wheel rather than dually, right? And last, I'm gonna guess "stud piloted" rather than "hub piloted". If these assumptions are right, there were two tubeless wheels made (that I have record of, there might have been more) that you can start looking for. If the assumptions are wrong and you've got a dually, come back and I'll list them. The two wheels are:

Budd #73230 that is a 17.5" x 5.25" tubeless. Used by Ford, Dodge, and Studebaker. The Studebaker part number is #1687599. Ford used them on F-350s and P-350s from 1957 to 1966. I know where a set, with tires, sits on a '57 F-350 in a Salt Lake City yard if you really want to go that far for them. If you want the yard info come back and I'll list it. I don't have record of what Dodges used this wheel, only a reference that says they did.

Budd #70740 that is a 19.5" x 5.25" tubeless. Used by Ford and Studebaker. The Studebaker part number is #1686092. Ford used them, as above, on F-350s and P-350s from 1957 to 1966.

The year 1956 was the first year any of the truck companies offered tubeless wheels. I find record of the #73230 in Budd catalogs through 1979, and record of the #70740 through 1972. To help in your search I'd suggest getting to know the guys at the Studebaker Truck Talk forum. They are helpful. Link - http://www.network54.com/Forum/23885/.

Another source that I'm told has a stock pile of old truck wheels is Southern California Truck Wrecking in the LA area. Ask for Marty, phone (323) 587-3144.

And last, if you go to a custom wheel company as a last resort I'd suggest doing a forum search here on Stockton Wheel. Cover your ears. There are other companies that I can list or I'm sure others will vouch for. Stu

 

Go to Studebaker trucks and look in Truck talk.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/23885/
tell them your tire size, number of lugs, duals?

My 62' 3/4 ton has 8 lugs and is the same as the Ford truck.

 

Stock tire size won't much matter because his multi-part rims are either 16" or 17". Converting to tubeless means he's gonna be in either of the half sizes I listed, unless he goes with custom wheels. Stu

 

Dodge mail trucks of the late 60's used that 17.5 and 19.5...also look for a Dodge motor home for those 17.5 and/or 19.5...

 

Oops, I just remembered, the F-350 in SLC is a dually.

Something else to keep in mind, Kelsey Hayes also made 17.5s for IH that had the 6 lug x 7.25" bolt circle. They, however, used 9/16" lugs where the books say the Ford, Dodge, and Studebaker tonners used 5/8". So you'd have some modifications to make either to the rims or to your hubs to use them. If you go searching yards you'll want to keep that in mind. Stu

 

thanks for the info, lots of help> This truck is a dually truck.

 

For a dually application the books say that Studebaker used a Budd tubeless wheel, #79120, with banjo style rear axle applications on or after VIN E13-1271 or E14-2271. I think this reference simply means that this tubeless wheel was sourced by Studebaker after those VIN numbers. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't fit an earlier truck having the same bolt pattern. Budd literature describes the #79120 as a 17.5" x 5.25" stud piloted tubeless having 4.75" of offset (9.5" of dual spacing), a 5 9/16" center bore, and having a 2155 lb. weight rating at 60 psi. I find no comparable 19.5" wheel like exists for the single rear wheel applications.

The books shows that this wheel was also used by Ford from 1957 to 1966 on F-350 and P-350 DRW applications; IHC from 1956 to 1968 on 130 and 1300 DRW applications; and by Dodge on all tonner applications from 1958 to 1968.

I checked for cross references to similar Kelsey Hayes, Firestone/Accuride, or Motor Wheel products matching this wheel and found none. While stillrunners mentions Dodge motor homes as a source, to my knowledge they'd have used either 17" lock ring or 19.5" tubeless wheels having 5 lugs on an 8" bolt circle. The same would apply to Ford based motor homes.

Here's a pic of the '57 Ford in SLC if you're interested. Stu