New Tires On The Big Truck.

asilverblazer · May 21, 2007

A little saga for any that are interested...

I can now mark one thing off the "To Do" list for the old truck. Thought I'd share the saga with everyone. It started off with trying to find the right size tires all in one store. I was wanting traction tread for the rear and highway tread for the front, all in 7.50x20. No store local to me (Oklahoma City) had both styles in said size, but after talking to several shops about them I was able to locate both tire types in Tulsa. Since my wife had an all expense paid business trip to the "T" town, seemed like an excellent time to pick them up. A quick phone call to make sure they still had them all and I was good to go. On that phone call installation happened to come up, though I didn't expect them to be installed, because of the "Widow Maker" rims. (said in hushed awe) But to my surprise "It wouldn't be a problem" I even repeated the scary part and I was assured they could handle them. Great, a one stop affair. I was plannning on picking up tires coming home and hunting around for a while till I found some shop willing to install them. So after some last minute plan changes of getting the old tires and wheels off the truck. Which was another big ordeal... loading them into my 1/2 ton for the trip. Keep in mind I've nicknamed myself the "Spaghetti Man" same color and size... and those tires and wheels are HEAVY.

After arriving at the shop first thing on a Saturday morning dropping off the old tires and wheels to be broke down and remounted, with new tires explaining what I wanted and such along with leaving my cell number so they could call as soon as they were ready to be picked up... My luck isn't that good, I got a call 15 minutes later, "We can't touch these wheels."

"But when I called the other day..."

"We can't touch these wheels."

No surprise back to the original plan. Just load everything back up, old tires, old wheels, and new tires, and new tubes... Spaghetti Man didn't help with the loading either.

Back home I happened to know a guy that dealt with a lot of old tractor tires and the like, maybe he could help. After all I know how they are supposed to come apart and go back together, I just like being able to blame someone else when things go awry. One thing of note I was trying to avoid the truck being undriveable and at this point its been sitting over a week. It does get better though because my backyard tire man was able to break all the beads loose with no problems, I had to help get the rims apart, but in two evenings the dastardly deed was done, the rims lay in pieces strewn about the yard. But as we all know those rims were quite the mess inside, rust scale gallore. No problem a few cheap wire wheels will have them cleaned up in a jiffy.

No a few cheap wire wheels when at the end of cheap drill won't. I ended up taking them to my father-in-laws employer to be media blasted. now the truck has been sitting for two weeks. I planned on reusing the flaps but the rust had really chewed them up too, so those had to be replaced, two weeks til delivery.

And finally after many cans of white primer getting the very clean wheels, very white. I was ready to start putting them back together. I decided to at least try one and see how it goes, plus my tire man wasn't much of a confidence builder, what he lacked in intelligence he made up for with a REALLY big hammer, and very good aim too. With help of my Father we drug out an old wash basin and filled it with soapy water, to soak tubes and flaps in, and began the assembly process. After pounding the first two halves together and checking the "together" part several times, we laced the rim and tire with heavy cargo straps. And begin the very long inflation procedure, I have a small compressor...

I have to say it went flawlessly, all six wheels went back together perfectly, and although the color of the rims isn't original it looks great.

If any of you have read this far I hope it gives you some sort of idea what replacing all the tires on one of these trucks can involve. I had an idea but was hoping for the best. And turns out It was as complicated as I thought but the scariest part (putting them back together) wasn't too bad. I'm sure plenty of you would have had quite a few laughs if you could have been there through some of this.

Before pictures

lost_in_alabama · May 21, 2007

Be sure to show more pictures as more changes are made to the truck. What else are you planning to do to the big truck?

asilverblazer · May 21, 2007

Next on the list are new paint on the cab and accesories. (mirrors...) Also needs a new floor in the bed, it has a couple of bowed boards. After that, I might rebuild the gauge cluster, and tinker with other items... Oh, and a gas gauge.

s-ten · May 23, 2007

The new tires and redone wheels look good. Keep up the work, that is a cool truck.

black rhino · May 28, 2007

I love the look of the white wheels. Just paint the rest of the truck white to match. Not sure about the white cab, but the wheels and tire sure do look great. I had a 53' and painted the wheels white. I thought it looked just fine with the old juniper green body. Thanks for the photos.

OUMike · May 28, 2007

I vote for a black cab. Looks really awesome so far.

asilverblazer · May 29, 2007

I vote for a black cab. Looks really awesome so far.

Your vote for black isn't biased now is it.

And hate to disappoint any, but it will be going back to Juniper Green.

I painted this model to look the way I want the real one to look.

OUMike · May 29, 2007

I vote for a black cab. Looks really awesome so far.

Your vote for black isn't biased now is it.

And hate to disappoint any, but it will be going back to Juniper Green.

I painted this model to look the way I want the real one to look.

Haha, yea, I guess it is a little. I just think Black is impossible to beat when its taken care of properly.

However that is gonna look beautiful man. I really can't wait to see finished pictures. I love old service trucks, theres just something really patriotic about em I think. I hear Springsteen every time I see one.

By the way. That model looks really good haha, looks like you bought it that color. I was never that good at painting models.

runningdeer · June 1, 2007

Cool project!

randynoguts · June 28, 2007

nice tires, what brand might they be? i am currently in the stages of 'retiring' a 74 m35 and have had a hella of a time to find 900x20's with traction tread. i do not want to go back to surplus military tires for safty and road ride reasons. i know denman makes a similar tire to what you used, but i need 11 all in the same place! kinda hard with these 'orphan' sizes. i have decided against better judgement to go with the local trucker supply stores recomended ; GULP, chinese tires. beefy traction tire and 185 bucks for tire, tube, flap and mountingon military budd wheels. split rings, not split rims. so maybe a bit easier than your swap.