F68/F3 wheels again!

['49 Ford]

Hi all, I 've read through quite a few threads on wheels and fitments for the F68/F3. My ideal solution would be to have identical one piece tubeless rim, but that isn't an option. My build is to keep everything as stock as possible, unfortunately the wheels are just too risky, and I want tubeless radials. Does anyone know from experience what specs are required for fitment? In my research it seems that a 4-4.5" backspacing is a requirement. I found a set of Rough Country steel wheels (RC51-7865) that might fit the bill. They are 17x9 with a -12mm offset, this should have a 4.5" backspacing. Would these work? They aren't perfect but once I mod them to accept the original hubcaps, I think they might not look too bad. Thanks for any help.

[RalphG]

This might be useless information for you but I found out that the wheels from a similar sized and year GM truck will bolt right onto the 1948-50 M68 Mercury (same as Ford) truck. Even the original hub cap fits.

[GB SISSON]

Maybe Stu 'Truckdog' McMillan will chime in. You haven't told us the year, but since the F3 was built from 1948-1952, that;s the range. I had a '51 F3 and I used typical steel wheels from '90s F250 with tubeless radials. These were of course 16". There was a change, perhaps in mid 1951 or 1952, where larger rear drums were employed and the 16" wheels would not fit on the rear. If you have the older drums your best bet would be 'innie' 16" wheels from a F250. These phased out in the mid 60s. Innie wheels have the hubcap nubs facing inwards. In my case I ran 255 85r 16s, which are narrow and about 33" diameter, for the look and gearing of a 17" tire. Also there are specialty outfits like 'Stockton Wheel' that will put your existing wheel face into a tubless hoop. If this leads to .5 tubeless rims, far better to go with 19.5s instead of 17.5s, as the available tire family are all low profile, and they don't look right and your effective gearing will be lower.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by RalphG

This might be useless information for you but I found out that the wheels from a similar sized and year GM truck will bolt right onto the 1948-50 M68 Mercury (same as Ford) truck. Even the original hub cap fits.

[truckdog62563]

The early GM three piece wheels will fit on a front axle but would require center hole modification to fit a rear axle. Grinding the hole bigger could create a safety issue. If your truck is a 48-early 51 you have 14” Lockheed rear drums that won’t allow a bolt on 16” remedy. If you have a late 51 or 52 you have 12” Bendix rear brakes which will allow a 16” set of wheels from a later F-250/E250.

The Budd 71410 19.5” x 5.25” is the best remedy, but finding a set won’t be easy and expensive as heck if found. They even take stock caps. The srw 17.5s are more commonly available but the tires are shorter diameter than your stock 17s, and the tires are expensive.

That leads us to custom wheels. I know guys have had 17” and iirc 19.5s built using new aftermarket rims from Hey Wheel mated to stock center discs. Companies like American Wheel Specialist in WA and Custom and Commercial Wheel in SoCal do this work. Stu

https://heywheel.com/page11.html

[Scotty's 52 F3]

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I was considering these for my 52 F3. They are from US Wheel OE (Series 657) Part#657-8780

Specs are listed on their website. looks like 17x7 wheel, 8x6.5 bolt center, 16 offset, 4.6 back space, 123.95 bore. Fits the Super Duty trucks.

They have plenty more in 8, 9, 10, 12" widths. Maybe worth a look.

[Scotty's 52 F3]

Sorry, duplicate post.

['49 Ford]

Thanks. I'll look into the suggestions. I have a '49. It has the large Lockheed drums. A buddy has a cache of old rims his father stored years ago for their trucks, I'm lucky enough to rummage through. Being in Ontario Canada doesn't help, there isn't much old stuff to find in the junkyards around here. Finding a good full set won't be easy, but that's part of the fun, they say....��