Purchased a 49 Ford around 2 months ago. Purchased a lowering kit for the vehicle that we plan to put on when it arrives. We want to put on wheels but having trouble coming to a conclusion on what the wheels should be. Currently the original wheels are 16s with massive white walls (non radial tires). From the research I've done, the best idea is to go with 15s with 205/75R-15 tires. That's the easy part. What we want is reverse chrome smoothies. The look we're going for is that deep, recessed wheel. Finding the proper fit and look is seeming to be a hassle for me (or i'm just over thinking it). http://earlywheel.com/collections/hot-rod-street-rod/460_Solid-Chrome.php Based on this site, should I be purchasing: 1) the 15x5 with 2 1/2" Reverse negative offset? 2) the 15X6 wheels with 2 3/8" Reverse negative offset? Or should it be the Standard. Any help would be helpful
There’s some thoughts in this thread: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wheel-size-for-1950-ford-sedan.454955/
I know this isn't what you asked really, but if you already have good whitewalls on the stock wheels, I myself would run those until they're worn out. Some hub caps and trim rings look pretty good. You say you want to lower it, then you also say you want deep, recessed wheels. I don't think you'll be able to go very deep without a lot of changes, there's not that much room.
This was my sons 50 with 15x5 chrome wheels and 670-15 radial (bias look) tires. You can’t put a very wide tire on the back if you want to get it off after lowering it. This car was only lowered 2” in the rear. I would lower it and stick with what you have if the tires are good. If going to the wheels you mention, I would stick with 15x5 but verify what the backspacing is on the 16’s and how they fit before committing.
first get the car and do some measuring and verify rearend used - deep reversed not happening with a stock set up - real low looks Cool but, better not have plans to remove wheels/tires any more than you have to - especially along side the road
We are doing a 2 inch lowering in the rear and are aware of the issues with putting the tire on and off when there's air in the tire. Perhaps the 5inch is better suited over the 6inch in this instance. Those wheels look real nice. Do you have a link so i could do some comparing of the specs?
Well, we honestly bought these wheels used and they were on a 49 Ford before we got them. So, I am not exactly sure what the specs are although could possibly figure it out since they are now on my 56 in my avatar. They are not the wheel vintique OE style wheel since they don't have the "windows" around where the centers meet the rim. However, they do appear the same as what Speedway offers in this link. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-O-E-Style-Hot-Rod-Chrome-Steel-Wheel-15x5-5x4-5-,55001.html In my opinion, either of the wheels I just mentioned are better looking to me than smoothies since they don't have an extra set of holes that aren't pretty if not running center caps. But, there is also a price difference between these and smoothies...
The '49 through '56 Ford have very narrow rear wheelwells which severely limit what you can do with off-the-shelf wheels and a stock-width axle. And due to manufacturing tolerances, not every car is the same. It is possible to install deeper wheels, but narrowing of the rear axle will be needed and there's a limit on how much you can narrow before relocating the springs becomes needed. As a side benefit, that will make installing/removing the rear wheels easier. But generally speaking, any reversed/low backspace wheel or stock backspace wheel wider than 6" will cause clearance issues with a stock-width rear axle. Typical backspace on a OEM-dimensioned wheel will be about 4.25" for a 6" wide, 3.75" for a 5". Also be aware that there's enough variations in actual tire size for a 'given' tire size between manufactures and even within one brand between tire lines that if you 'cheat' the clearances down to a minimum you may have issues when replacing tires.
Agree with Steve and Guthrie. I have a 50 that I lowered with a Jamco rear spring set up and blocks. Using the original 50 rear end. I used 15" stock rims with 6:40 wide whites. I am going to have to remove the blocks if I want to get the tires off if I have a flat on the road. To change them in the shop I either have to put it up on my two post lift so the rear hangs free or jack it up under the frame so the rear hangs free.
It’s not easy to get the look you want, the deep dish look, on some cars without a lot of hassle. Nowadays, for some reason it’s getting difficult to get any chrome wheels. I ordered chrome OEM style wheels from Summit and after months and months of delays I canceled my order. On the bright side, the smoothies you mentioned were readily available as long as you can use their standard back spacing, no guarantee of delivery on special order “reversed” wheels. Wheelsmith was the only company that seemed interested in making what I needed with a delivery time in weeks instead of months but I decided to go with black wheels instead of chrome. They can undoubtedly make what you want but you may not be able to get the look you want due to the space limitations. And check delivery times before you order, you may just wear out the 16s before you ever get your new wheels these days.
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