Help with 7.00X17 tires, Budd wheels, '39 3/4 ton followed me home

[jim galli]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

I have probably changed out 30 or 40 of these 17s and never seen one without the notch... Also keep in mind there are two different widths in these rims and we are never supposed to swap out the rings as they are slightly different. I have about equal amount of each type. Without looking I think the ones with 4 slots are the wide ones and soild disc are the narrow ones. I only run the 7.50s but wouldn't put them on the narrower rims.

Did finally find the 'notch'. Have 2 of the 4 apart now, but not without cutting the old tires off and pulling the tube and flaps out of the way, which is sort of cheating. Where I live, there's no one to "do it for you". If I don't do it, it won't get done. The guys at our local tire emporium don't know what a split rim is. Or they cross their fingers out in front of them and back away slowly while saying enchantments. These things make the ordinary notched split rims look easy.

Everything about that truck is heavy. Hey does anyone know if it's normal for the wood that the bed lays on to be longer on one side than the other. Almost looks like the factory did them that way so you could store a spare tire up inside the frame at the back of the flat bed, underneath.