Wide 5s, Tell what i need to know

Found the post, but the pictures are missing (red x).

 

Originally Posted by JOECOOL
Just for your info ,I posted a Tech a month or so ago about useing late model Chebby Pickup 16 x 6.5 wheels with the wide five center welded in . Looks great and you can actually get a decent size tire. Best of luck.

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Reply posted by adjustablejohnsons
Found the post, but the pictures are missing (red x).

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I also found the thread and it looks like the pictures are gone. Can you post them to this thread or send them to me by email?

 

Thats what smebody put on the front of my 36. It doesn't seem that great. I'm changing over to 46/48 and ditching my wide 5's. Then I'll have a better selection of hubcaps. I'm saving everyhing so when I'm 80 I can change it all back.

 

good info on here.

 

A couple of other details to add:

- 3/4 ton trucks 1939-1947(?) also used wide 5 wheels of a different design. The rims are 16 x 5, and the centers don't have the "bottle cap" scallops around the edge. These were much coveted by early hot rodders for their increased width, but they are RARE (photo attached). I have been told that this design was also used for wheels in other widths than 5", and also for 15" diameter rims, but I can't vouch for these variations as I have never seen them.

- Hubcaps are interchangeable 1936-1939, and there are at least 6 designs that were used during those years. They are all 2-piece caps with a bright stainless center shrunk onto a (usually black) painted outer cap. The ones in the picture are, I believe, '38 or '39 Standard. They are all hard to find in good condition, and only the '36 is available in repro form. They do fit the truck wheels described above.

- The drums are also not available in repro, so shop carefully to find ones that have a reasonable amount of material left.

- I found an old wheel alignment shop in Burlingame, CA, that had an adapter to spin balance them off the car; other old-time shops may have the same piece. Otherwise find a shop that will spin balance on the car; this works fine, but remember to index the drums to the wheels so that if you take them off they go back in the same relationship.

 

My friend is building a '39 convertible which has wide 5's. In the 50's I had a '39 Deluxe Coupe with 5 on 5.5's. My question is when did Ford make the change? Russ

 

Ford changed to 5 on 5-1/2" in 1940.