The Ford Barn

Enbloc · 12-20-2010, 04:37 PM

The story starts years ago back on another forum.
One day an advert appears for a pair of 18" Ford wide 5's, Divco's, milk truck, high clearance wheels, whatever you want to call them.
I got beaten to the punch and a friend got them first.

The story was that they had come fitted to a '38 Coupe that had been imported from South Africa. Makes sense as they were a Kelsey made dealer accessory for cars that would benefit from the extra ground clearance gained by the taller wheels in rural areas.

The next question is what happened to the other pair? The rumour was that someone else had them to fit to a trailer they were building.
A real shame that such a rare set of wheels got split up.

Fast forward a few years later and the friend is having a clear out and not one to forget I manage to him convince to sell, even better now as I actually have a wide 5 shod car!

So now I've got one pair what about the others?

After chasing some dead ends. I found the guy who had the other pair of wheels. Much to my surprise he also decides to sell, where before he was adamant he was going to build that trailer.

Well I had to fit them up for a mock up shot didn't I!

This is with just 18's on the rear. You can see the difference is size with the 16's still fitted to the front.

The nice thing about them is they take a stock Ford cap. The extra size being added to the spokes at the outer edge of the wheel center.

Of course if a Ford cap works then so does the Flippers.
Not feeling this look though.

Workable with the drop... just...

I like them. I don't think their better looking than the 16's just different. They do have a certain novelty value when fitted.
Just wanted to try them on for size before I stripped the bald Funza remoulds off the rims.

I also needed an extra normal sized 16" wide 5 for a spare. What comes up for sale but one lone skinny wide 5 fitted to the V8-60 cars.
Perfect!
I like to think of it as a space saver.

Looks like any wide 5.

Width... 3.5" compared to the stock 4.

The wheel in front is the skinny wide 5 and the larger wheel in rear is the 18"

NYfatboy · 12-20-2010, 06:10 PM

Lucky dog!

AJ · 12-20-2010, 07:08 PM

I've only ever seen one other pair of the 18s. It was a pair that sold on ebay about 6 month ago. They sold for more then a pretty penny.

georgewarren · 12-20-2010, 07:18 PM

It's a good day when you learn something new!!

Ralph Moore · 12-20-2010, 11:47 PM

I know where there are some of those, but I'll never tell. I would love to put them on the rear of my car.

Lowsquire · 12-21-2010, 03:09 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Add me to the jealous list. one of those parts Ive resigned myself from ever affording..

Django · 12-21-2010, 12:42 PM

Also jealous! I was bidding on the recent ebay pair myself!

Enbloc · 01-27-2012, 12:36 PM

I got a set of 5.50x18 Blockleys just before Christmas.
These went perfect with my 18" wide-5's to create myself a set of wheels and tyres for hillclimbing.

The 5.50x18 tyres have the same overall diameter as the 6.50x16 which keeps my final gearing the same as I wanted, but is achived with a shorter profile tyre which shoud give me a tyre with a more stable sidewall.
The Blockley is roughly 1/2" narrower across the tread compared to the Firestone but is far superior so this shouldn't be too much of a negative.

What they look like on the car.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a "new look" or permanent addition its purely a different combo to try when racing.

Initial tests are good but limited so far.

BrianCT · 01-27-2012, 05:26 PM

Looks straight out of a Stephen King movie.
That will scare any hill.

jimTN · 01-27-2012, 05:27 PM

There was a wider early pattern wheel used on the tonner trucks, I believe 37-41. They are for 16" tires but much wider than car rims. I bought a 41 back in the 60s to get the full floating hubs for our race car and it had a set of those wheels on it. Still have some of them tucked away.

Mike in Mass · 01-27-2012, 07:18 PM

Man , That 36 looks Mean . I love it black on black . nice find Enbloc I,ll have to see if the ol man has a set of those up in the barn somwhere

Enbloc · 01-27-2012, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimTN

There was a wider early pattern wheel used on the tonner trucks, I believe 37-41. They are for 16" tires but much wider than car rims. I bought a 41 back in the 60s to get the full floating hubs for our race car and it had a set of those wheels on it. Still have some of them tucked away.

Ahh.. Yes, I've heard of these. Did the Lincolns have them also?

Colonel Alexander · 02-02-2012, 12:42 PM

Are you interested in selling them? I'm building a 36 three window shine runner that they would look really cool on.

12-20-2010, 04:37 PM	#1
Enbloc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: London, UK. Posts: 195	Rare Wide 5's... The story starts years ago back on another forum. One day an advert appears for a pair of 18" Ford wide 5's, Divco's, milk truck, high clearance wheels, whatever you want to call them. I got beaten to the punch and a friend got them first. The story was that they had come fitted to a '38 Coupe that had been imported from South Africa. Makes sense as they were a Kelsey made dealer accessory for cars that would benefit from the extra ground clearance gained by the taller wheels in rural areas. The next question is what happened to the other pair? The rumour was that someone else had them to fit to a trailer they were building. A real shame that such a rare set of wheels got split up. Fast forward a few years later and the friend is having a clear out and not one to forget I manage to him convince to sell, even better now as I actually have a wide 5 shod car! So now I've got one pair what about the others? After chasing some dead ends. I found the guy who had the other pair of wheels. Much to my surprise he also decides to sell, where before he was adamant he was going to build that trailer. Well I had to fit them up for a mock up shot didn't I! This is with just 18's on the rear. You can see the difference is size with the 16's still fitted to the front. The nice thing about them is they take a stock Ford cap. The extra size being added to the spokes at the outer edge of the wheel center. Of course if a Ford cap works then so does the Flippers. Not feeling this look though. Workable with the drop... just... I like them. I don't think their better looking than the 16's just different. They do have a certain novelty value when fitted. Just wanted to try them on for size before I stripped the bald Funza remoulds off the rims. I also needed an extra normal sized 16" wide 5 for a spare. What comes up for sale but one lone skinny wide 5 fitted to the V8-60 cars. Perfect! I like to think of it as a space saver. Looks like any wide 5. Width... 3.5" compared to the stock 4. The wheel in front is the skinny wide 5 and the larger wheel in rear is the 18"

12-20-2010, 06:10 PM	#2
NYfatboy Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Greenwood lake,ny Posts: 110	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Lucky dog! __________________ As my dad used to say- Bah,MORE JUNK!

12-20-2010, 07:08 PM	#3
AJ Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 43	Re: Rare Wide 5's... I've only ever seen one other pair of the 18s. It was a pair that sold on ebay about 6 month ago. They sold for more then a pretty penny. __________________ AJ Elias The Hot Rod Disorder

12-20-2010, 07:18 PM	#4
georgewarren Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Suffolk, VA & Key West, FL Posts: 119	Re: Rare Wide 5's... It's a good day when you learn something new!!

12-20-2010, 11:47 PM	#5
Ralph Moore Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: North Pole, Alaska Posts: 1,470	Re: Rare Wide 5's... I know where there are some of those, but I'll never tell. I would love to put them on the rear of my car.

12-21-2010, 03:09 AM	#6
Lowsquire Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Austin ,Texas Posts: 85	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Add me to the jealous list. one of those parts Ive resigned myself from ever affording..

12-21-2010, 12:42 PM	#7
Django Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Forest Park, IL Posts: 590	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Also jealous! I was bidding on the recent ebay pair myself! __________________ Obsessed with all things 1936 Ford since birth... thanks Dad.

01-27-2012, 12:36 PM	#8
Enbloc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: London, UK. Posts: 195	Re: Rare Wide 5's... I got a set of 5.50x18 Blockleys just before Christmas. These went perfect with my 18" wide-5's to create myself a set of wheels and tyres for hillclimbing. The 5.50x18 tyres have the same overall diameter as the 6.50x16 which keeps my final gearing the same as I wanted, but is achived with a shorter profile tyre which shoud give me a tyre with a more stable sidewall. The Blockley is roughly 1/2" narrower across the tread compared to the Firestone but is far superior so this shouldn't be too much of a negative. What they look like on the car. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a "new look" or permanent addition its purely a different combo to try when racing. Initial tests are good but limited so far.

01-27-2012, 05:26 PM	#9
BrianCT Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Windham, CT Posts: 702	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Looks straight out of a Stephen King movie. That will scare any hill. __________________ [FONT=Comic Sans MS]

01-27-2012, 05:27 PM	#10
jimTN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Powell, TN Posts: 2,508	Re: Rare Wide 5's... There was a wider early pattern wheel used on the tonner trucks, I believe 37-41. They are for 16" tires but much wider than car rims. I bought a 41 back in the 60s to get the full floating hubs for our race car and it had a set of those wheels on it. Still have some of them tucked away.

01-27-2012, 07:18 PM	#11
Mike in Mass Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: PLYMOUTH MASS Posts: 860	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Man , That 36 looks Mean . I love it black on black . nice find Enbloc I,ll have to see if the ol man has a set of those up in the barn somwhere

02-02-2012, 12:42 PM	#13
Colonel Alexander Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 7	Re: Rare Wide 5's... Are you interested in selling them? I'm building a 36 three window shine runner that they would look really cool on.