Bad news from the tire shop...

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Today I drove my 67 3500 to the tire shop about three blocks from my house to get an estimate on new tires (which it needs BADLY). The last place I tried to hire to do this work refused due to it having three "widow maker" wheels on it (slang for removable outer rim ring). Well, this shop did exactly the same thing.
It appears that NO ONE will touch these dangerous two-piece wheels due to "people being beheaded by the rings flying off" and other such horror stories. So it appears that I am going to have to find all one-piece rims like the one pictured below before I can even replace the tires. I do not want to take any chances with potentially dangerous wheels anyway.
I need to know EXACTLY what wheels I need to get before posting a WTB on this. I thought I saw a 3/4 ton truck on here being parted out with these type of wheels, but are 3/4 wheels compatible with my 1 ton? And why would this truck come with 3 one-piece wheels, and three two piece ones?
Also, is there any difference in the inner rear wheels as compared to the other four?

Here is the spare one that the Previous Previous Owner was kind enough to give me through the Previous Owner.

[Grumpy old man]

Ahh , Hoowee, a couple of pry bars and a bfh and install them in your drive way . Run a good length of chain through them before inflating them . Or just take them to a big truck garage and have them install them , they should have a tire cage .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vYbtC-LCrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b47CJsqFmSM

[68Gold/white]

Your spare rim in picture looks to be a one piece wheel??? It looks like a 16" dually wheel that was used from 1991 forward.
16.5 wheels were used 1990 and earlier, AND were one piece. I do not know when one piece wheels became standard

All the wheels on a dually pickup are the same for interchangeability. I'd look for 1991 and newer 16" wheels, stock wheels I don't remember what the stock width is, but they are pretty much all the same. DO NO buy a set of 16.5 wheels, those tires are getting scarce and not easy to find...

I'd like to see a picture of the wheels on your pickup. I only found one picture of your truck, when you bought it. IT looks like it has 16.5 wheels, but does NOT look like split wheels to me??? I wonder if you are getting the run around???

[AussieinNC]

If the local tire service does not service larger trucks, most of them nowadays dont have tire cages....

I have probably changed over 1000 of these split rim tires and its only when some clown doesnt know what they are doing do they ever give issues.

Find yourself a different tire service boefore you go looking for other wheels...

Most "tire technicians" nowadays as Darn wimps IMO....

[tmontg01]

Discount tire has to use cages to inflate all tires on wheels.

[Stocker]

To echo what's already been said..... go to a truck tire shop. They know how to safely work on your wheels.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Thanks for all of the good advice gentlemen. I just need to confirm one thing though. These rings do not fly off after they are correctly installed, correct? I don't want any accidents involving my children.

[54blackhornet]

My local tire store works on split rims often. Experience and knowledge and tools that professionals use make the job safe.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Your spare rim in picture looks to be a one piece wheel??? It looks like a 16" dually wheel that was used from 1991 forward.
16.5 wheels were used 1990 and earlier, AND were one piece. I do not know when one piece wheels became standard

All the wheels on a dually pickup are the same for interchangeability. I'd look for 1991 and newer 16" wheels, stock wheels I don't remember what the stock width is, but they are pretty much all the same. DO NO buy a set of 16.5 wheels, those tires are getting scarce and not easy to find...

I'd like to see a picture of the wheels on your pickup. I only found one picture of your truck, when you bought it. IT looks like it has 16.5 wheels, but does NOT look like split wheels to me??? I wonder if you are getting the run around???

Right outer rear (Spare pictured in above post with tire LT215/85R16)


Left outer rear


Right front


Left front

[68Gold/white]

Well...the left front is not a split ring wheel, but you can tell the the right front is. You can see the seem between the wheel body and the very outside of the rim (the ring...)

The ring will ONLY be on the outer part of the wheel, as in your right front wheel..

You can likely tell what the rear wheels are with a mirror, the ring should be visible, now knowing what you are looking at..(not trying to sound like a Beavis, just help...)

Both front wheels look to be 16.5 wheels. I have not dealt with any wheels as old as yours, though, so my "guess" may not be accurate.

The tell tale to telling 16 inchers from 16.5's is the area on the wheel where the holes are. The metal that the holes are in on 16 inchers is flat. The 16.5's are curved...

D.O.T. regulations state that any split ring wheels be deflated before removing from vehicle. I don't remember the exact mounting procedure, BUT I am sure the tire should be aired up in a cage and then deflated (or mostly) to install...

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by HIGHWAY BY THE SEA

Thanks for all of the good advice gentlemen. I just need to confirm one thing though. These rings do not fly off after they are correctly installed, correct? I don't want any accidents involving my children.

They SHOULD not come off when installed safely and correctly. The problem is the split ring wheels are ALL old, have wear on them, and rust. IF, IF one came off in your driveway, it would be an accident, the definition of accident...

You need to buy a complete set of 16 inch wheels, haul the splits the the scrapper, DON""T even give them away for someone else to use!!!

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Well...the left front is not a split ring wheel, but you can tell the the right front is. You can see the seem between the wheel body and the very outside of the rim (the ring...)

The ring will ONLY be on the outer part of the wheel, as in your right front wheel..

You can likely tell what the rear wheels are with a mirror, the ring should be visible, now knowing what you are looking at..(not trying to sound like a Beavis, just help...)

Both front wheels look to be 16.5 wheels. I have not dealt with any wheels as old as yours, though, so my "guess" may not be accurate.

The tell tale to telling 16 inchers from 16.5's is the area on the wheel where the holes are. The metal that the holes are in on 16 inchers is flat. The 16.5's are curved...

D.O.T. regulations state that any split ring wheels be deflated before removing from vehicle. I don't remember the exact mounting procedure, BUT I am sure the tire should be aired up in a cage and then deflated (or mostly) to install...

These are all flat in the bolt hole areas. With my OCD, it is my personal preference to have ALL one-piece wheels if possible. At least two of my two-piece ones look pretty rusty, and I am not sure that I trust them. One of them is so rusty and uneven on the INSIDE tire area, I doubt it would hold air, or even seat an inner tube safely.
I will likely post an ad for some one-piece wheels later. I sent someone on here a message about some wheels on his part-out that no one apparently bought, but have not heard back yet.

Again, thanks to everyone on here who helped me get on board with this confusing wheel issue. Why mine are two different types is quite a mystery.

[Andy4639]

Personally I would buy a set of newer 16" wheels for a dually and be done with it. That's what I did for the ramp truck. Craigslist has always got them for sell.
A set of tires isn't cheap either for the 16" wheels.

[egarris]

You may want to talk to some people at a truck stop, they still deal these type of wheels and have a cage to put the wheels in while removing the snap ring. Purchase your tires and have them install.

[Mike C]

I wouldn't mess with the split rims. As you can tell, no one else want to either. They are an outdated method that has fallen out of favor for multiple reasons.

Just buy a set of 16" dually rims. As noted, GM products from '91 to 2014 should work, but I KNOW they will work up through '99.

[jocko]

Am I not seeing correctly - is your ONLY locking ring wheel the right front? I'd go scour the junkyards first and scare up a single like your left front. Those wheels aren't exactly a high demand item and you know to go look directly at 1 tons or above. Tires can be had for 16.5s still, just not as many options as 16s, that's true. Firestone Transforce HTs or ATs make 16.5s and they look good on these trucks. Anyway, I'd find the ONE wheel you need, blast and paint (or pc) them all, and then get em mounted up, with no hassles from the tire shop.

[kazoocruiser]

I read this post and then went to YouTube and watched enough videos to make me really nervous about the risks involved with what you want to maybe do with your truck.

Your wheel picture:
https://imageshack.com/i/plcjvyysj

shows a LOT of rust on the outside. No telling what kind of rust is hidden. The ring is also bent, which means it has to be replaced, IMHO.

Even after mounting, some of the videos showed rims coming apart explosively afterwards. 100 psi behind a metal ring on an old rusty wheel? Not my truck, not my money, not the kind of dice I roll with the risk involved, tire cage included.

[kwmech]

Back in the late 70s and early 80s I worked in a gas station and I/we did split rims all the time. Still have the pry bar tool. One day I came to work and there was a hole in the roof of the station. Owner was airing it up and the ring came off..........luckily the owner had just bent over towards the floor to grab a hammer when it let go. So with that being said, I've probably done close to a hundred of these and know what I am doing, but on my 69 1 ton that came with splits, I changed them all out. In the long run split rims are out dated and a general pain the in the.....

[special-K]

Split rims didn't become dangerous, people did. I wonder if those shops turn away these stretchy-tight narrow low profile tires on wideass rims you see the "fitment" boneheads are running. I'd get away from split rims, though, since getting them serviced has become a pain in the rear, and you have a mixed set anyway.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Okay, here is the configuration. I have a total of seven wheels for this truck including the spare. Out of those seven wheels, five of them are split rims. It appears at some point someone bought two one-piece wheels for this truck. And after I closely examined the two inner rear wheels today for the first time, they are a definite NO GO. Those things have a lot of rust on them, and especially around their split-rims. Had I noticed this previously, I would never have even considered re-using these. And now that I know that split rim wheels with rusty rim rings are dangerous, it has become a HELL NO. I called a junkyard that is on the other side of the state near my old home town, and they claim they have the rims that I need. So I'm going to be driving there hopefully this weekend to get them and visit my sister.

[68Gold/white]

Can you take that spare wheel with you??? Just to be safe??? Compare them ALL closely. I believe there are more than one type of one ton dually wheel like yours, that all look pretty close to the same... Put your wheel on top of the wheels you might buy, make sure the lug holes all line up exactly. Make sure the area where the big holes are is the same as your 16" wheel (flat there, not rounded like the 16.5's)

I would NOT buy ANY 16.5 wheels, yes tires are still available, in lesser available sizes. 16's are still very common...

Say Hi to your sister, for me!!!

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Can you take that spare wheel with you??? Just to be safe??? Compare them ALL closely. I believe there are more than one type of one ton dually wheel like yours, that all look pretty close to the same... Put your wheel on top of the wheels you might buy, make sure the lug holes all line up exactly. Make sure the area where the big holes are is the same as your 16" wheel (flat there, not rounded like the 16.5's)

I would NOT buy ANY 16.5 wheels, yes tires are still available, in lesser available sizes. 16's are still very common...

Say Hi to your sister, for me!!!

Yes, I will definitely be taking one of my wheels with me for comparison. The wheels that they have is a matched set on a single truck (or so they say). And yes I will tell Sis that you said hello!

[factorystock]

Here is how a purist would deal with the issue. Be on the look out for period 19.5" solid wheels, craiglists, old wrecking yards, swap meets etc, such as the style used from '60 to '68 trucks ( photo ), may have been used on step vans to a later date. Disc brake 19.5"wheels, which are more common, have larger stud holes.

[Andy4639]

This is one of my handest tools when looking for wheels. It don't lie!

[special-K]

The wheels did change profile, I think, in the 88-89s. Make sure the two you have are the same as well. I guess if you get a set of six matching the two you have can be spares.

I have an incomplete set of those OEM lug nuts I'll send you if you could use them. They came off a '70 C/30 I had. The disc brake non-splits also had no countersink for the lug nuts. They used a spreader ring over the wheel that take beveled lug nuts. But you can go without those and use the OEM flat back nuts