!3" rims for a 1940 Ford PU

[paetsgone]

Originally Posted by 1956 ford

Call Wheelsmith in corona Cali he makes wheels

thanks

[Mart]

Current pics of the type of wheel needed.

[kurt v]

What about checking with some of the military surplus dealers overseas, lots of stuff still there.

[alchemy]

Didn’t Lincolns from around 1949 have that shape of center, without the hubcap nubs? Might be a good start to use with some new rims. You are trying to be as authentic as possible, right?

[truckdog62563]

Helpful here that these pictured rims are true one piece drop center style vs the semi drop center two piecers I found. That helps you recreate them. If wide 13” rims can’t be found a custom wheel vendor could widen a set. A wheel company could also cut down donor center discs and weld them into the rims yielding the pictured extreme negative offset. Stu

[paetsgone]

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That wheel would work but this is the wheel needed.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by kiwi nz

It looks a bit like it may have the centres from 16' 35 wire wheels fitted inside 13" rims.

I have seen lots of combinations of wheel sizes made up in the past but never 13''.

It seems like a likely way of doing it and getting the same look.
A measuring tape is needed.

Geoff

I think Kiwi is onto something here. The part about the '35 center, but after looking at some pics, the '35s center looks more cylindrical. Paet's photo shows a center more conical. Perhaps an earlier wheel's center?

[paetsgone]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

I think Kiwi is onto something here. The part about the '35 center, but after looking at some pics, the '35s center looks more cylindrical. Paet's photo shows a center more conical. Perhaps an earlier wheel's center?

no the 35 centers are a different shape, The wheels i need were completly different i have there shape. I was going to try and make a mold to make a fiberglass center or have a spinner make them

[cas3]

If the 35 centers are the wrong shape, the rite shape is out there. What I mean is, to stamp a part like that is a big process that likely would not have been done for a short run of wheels. More likely its a center for another existing wheel. With all the wheel makers back then, firestone, budd, motorwheel, cleaveweld, dayton,etc, that hub was probably used on some brand x car of the 32-35ish vintage. you just have to figger out which one

[truckdog62563]

I think adding your prior discussion on the HMVF forum adds to our understanding of these wheels. Sounds like both the wheels and hubs were unique to these vehicles. Stu

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/44899-are-t...comment-493416

[Bob C]

Maybe try searching early Saudi Arabia oil exploration.

[paetsgone]

Originally Posted by Bob C

Maybe try searching early Saudi Arabia oil exploration.

good idea

[38 coupe]

Stu, do you have any wheel books for the UK? It looks to me like the wheels used were British, not USA sourced. It appears to me that these wheels were used in British light military cars of various types; I'm making that observation based on the Humber Super Snipe reference above and a picture of a Humber Super Snipe military car with identical appearing wheels.

[GB SISSON]

Good detective work Fred.

[Mart]

Note the crossbar in the old pic. Note the centre bolt on the hubcap in the pic above. Note also that is non Ford. Good sleuthing in this thread.

[truckdog62563]

Sadly no, only US manufactures during this era. The fact that these wheels and hubs are found on multiple makes of vehicles again points to the military origin for them which would, if the pattern holds, have civilian references silent to them until years after. A quick look at Google shows probably a half dozen wheel manufacturers in Europe at the time. I’d think that HMVF group I found the past discussion on might be worth pursuing a bit further. There’s also the MVPA to look into. Stu

https://www.mvpa.org/

[paetsgone]

Originally Posted by truckdog62563

Sadly no, only US manufactures during this era. The fact that these wheels and hubs are found on multiple makes of vehicles again points to the military origin for them which would, if the pattern holds, have civilian references silent to them until years after. A quick look at Google shows probably a half dozen wheel manufacturers in Europe at the time. I’d think that HMVF group I found the past discussion on might be worth pursuing a bit further. There’s also the MVPA to look into. Stu

https://www.mvpa.org/

The rims are british military, however the only truck that came right off the floor with this wheels, that i know of, was a New Zealand Ford. I can not think of it's number, but will try an add it later. The rest all appear to be retrofited. Humber also had a similar looking rim, but with different bolt pattern.

[truckdog62563]

As a practical matter, isn’t a custom built set your answer? Find your drop center 13” donor rims, widen them if required, cut down a set of common 15” or 16” Ford center discs then weld into the rim to yield the extreme negative offset. That would likely entail welding along the inner profile of the drop center. From there I think you are fabricating the cone, maybe fiberglass, and adding mounting tabs to hold them in place. Then it’s a matter of finding a similar set of hub caps. One of my buddies jokingly has a saying, “all ya gotta do is ….” Stu

[cas3]

If you go with old Ford centers like Mart shows, here's some examples for ideas. The black center, common 16" Ford, is 13 3/4" across the center. Sitting on a 13" honda wheel. Drop center on the honda, about 11 3/8", so you would have to trim way past the 4 vents on the wheel center. Ford also made 15" smoothie innies, the blue wheel, pickups from about 57 to 63. The blue 15" center is 12 5/8" across, so you would still trim to about the vent, but notice the slope on the blue wheel is steeper than the 16" wheel. The wheels Mart showed look to have no vent either. Some AG wheels are made like this, no vent and welded all the way around, apparently its strong enough.

This Honda wheel is 4 1/2" wide, about a 91 or so. Next series 92 95 they got wider, but after that 14's became the style. I'm not familiar with other makes.

[paetsgone]

Originally Posted by truckdog62563

As a practical matter, isn’t a custom built set your answer? Find your drop center 13” donor rims, widen them if required, cut down a set of common 15” or 16” Ford center discs then weld into the rim to yield the extreme negative offset. That would likely entail welding along the inner profile of the drop center. From there I think you are fabricating the cone, maybe fiberglass, and adding mounting tabs to hold them in place. Then it’s a matter of finding a similar set of hub caps. One of my buddies jokingly has a saying, “all ya gotta do is ….” Stu

Yes i think that is saying it and answering my original question.