Tires and wheels

[dapope]

Todays topic is about the tires and rims for a 51 c cab. First of all I need to buy some wheels, mine are pretty rusty. Does anyone know where to get these. The other question is can someone tell what kind of tires came on this truck. I am putting everything back as orginal as possible.

Thanks

[Chris_Dresbach]

Tires from the factory kind of varied. Most of the time they came with either Firestones or Good Years according to photos I have seen.

Chris Dresbach

1940 Champion two door.
Parts of the 1952 Model N

[Skip Lackie]

If you are talking about a half-ton pickup, both 15" and 16" wheels were available. You might want to specify what you're looking for. The BP is 5x5", which is common size for GM trucks. However, the Stude brake drums have a ridge that prevents the GM wheels from fitting very well.

Used Stude truck wheels come up on ebay all the time, and also should be available from some Stude vendors. Most of us don't throw away usable wheels.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[62champ]

quote:Originally posted by dapope

Todays topic is about the tires and rims for a 51 c cab. First of all I need to buy some wheels, mine are pretty rusty. The other question is can someone tell what kind of tires came on this truck.

Thanks

16" wheels would have been standard on your 1/2 ton truck. They had 15 available which were also the same for the Commander cars in the late '40s.

Standard tire on that wheel was a 6.00X16 - but as with any application, other sizes were available and manufacturers varied.

<center>60S-W4 - 7E7-122
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[Mark57]

SASCO had a bunch of 16" 1/2 ton truck wheels in stock before their demise... I assume SI would be happy to sell some.

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island Chapter
http://visdc.shawwebspace.ca/ </h5>

[62champ]

quote:Originally posted by Mark57

SASCO had a bunch of 16" 1/2 ton truck wheels in stock before their demise... I assume SI would be happy to sell some.

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island Chapter
http://visdc.shawwebspace.ca/ </h5>

Sad thing is all those usable wheels that met their end in other ways. My grandpa used to use old wheels to put salt blocks on for his cattle...

<center>60S-W4 - 7E7-122
</center>

[dapope]

Champ i assume that SI = Studebaker international?

[Chris_Dresbach]

quote:Originally posted by dapope

Champ i assume that SI = Studebaker international?

Yup. Ed will help ya out.

Chris Dresbach

1940 Champion two door.
Parts of the 1952 Model N

[dapope]

Does anyone know if there was an option to get whitewall tires on a 51 C Cab. The tire size is 600 16. I would like to put white walls on it if there was an option to get the C cabs with them.

D.A.

[woodysrods]

Go for it! Wide Whites look great on trucks. Don't worry so much about what was stock. Use wider rims that fit over your drums and put Radials on your truck so you will enjoy driving it. BF Goodrich Silver Town Radial Whites. Just be prepared for the price. No Casco's here?
Good Roads
Brian

[dapope]

I am using the same rims but I have ordered a set of the BF Good rich whitewall radials and yes they were very pricey

[Maynard]

Hey pope, what is it about the condition of your original wheels that can't be repaired? Are they rusted through in spots?

[dapope]

They had bad rust around the outside of the rim where the tire seals. We bought another orginal set that seem to be ok.

[Skip Lackie]

I can't imagine any judge deducting points for WW tires on a truck. 6.00 x 16 was a common passenger car size at the time, so was available as a WW. Some production orders show vehicles that were equipped with customer-specified tires from the factory -- and of course, dealers would have been glad to swap out tires for a customer order. Some 1956 sales literature shows a pickup with whitewall tires, but I can't remember them being featured in any earlier literature.