Purchased a 1969 C10 Short Bed - Pleasanton, CA

[1970cstblazer]

Originally Posted by Luke87gt

I will say that I am not used to the weight of these truck rally wheels.

I’m not sure what each weighs but it’s by far the heaviest wheel I’ve ever handled on a vehicle lol.

Each wheel needed 2-3oz of weight to balance out. With typical lightweight alloy sedan wheels, I typically need 0-0.5oz to balance.

Tire shop didn’t seem concerned and said although more weight is sometimes needed for steel truck wheels, they balanced out fine in the end.

Those wheels were originally solely on 4wd Blazers Suburbans and 1/2 ton trucks, so they had to be stout.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Luke87gt

I will say that I am not used to the weight of these truck rally wheels.

I’m not sure what each weighs but it’s by far the heaviest wheel I’ve ever handled on a vehicle lol.

Yes. Even when I was 20 years younger, they were a b|tch to pick up and put in place. Now I set them on a 2x6 and wobble them on. Even then, it's tough to do.

[Luke87gt]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Yes. Even when I was 20 years younger, they were a b|tch to pick up and put in place. Now I set them on a 2x6 and wobble them on. Even then, it's tough to do.

Thanks for sharing. I’ll probably make my first attempt at actually bolting those wheels up to the truck next weekend and will report back on the fun 😀

[1970cstblazer]

Originally Posted by Luke87gt

Wow, how can you tell that 😀

The triangle in the middle of the bulb.

[Luke87gt]

Originally Posted by 1970cstblazer

The triangle in the middle of the bulb.

Ahh, I see that on the lens

[Luke87gt]

Via online search I’m seeing an estimate of ~70lbs for a 15x8 truck rally with 275/60/15 tire. That means 280lbs of wheels! What a handicap!

I love the look of these wheels but might have to rethink these over the long term as I get into improving the handling, braking, and acceleration of the truck.

[Luke87gt]

Finally got the wheels mounted. Looks much much better than the previous wheels.

15x8 rally 4.0” BS
275-60-15 BFG Radial T/A

I did run into a roadblock in that one of the center cap bolt holes was stripped (didn’t notice that when I was buying the wheels).

I wrapped the center cap bolt in copper wire and that did the trick. Not necessarily a permanent fix (may have to heli-coil) but fine for now.

[68bowtie]

Looks good

[yuccales]

They look great!

[Luke87gt]

Thanks guys, I also thought this was interesting.

The spare tire the truck came with was a “JCPenny” brand tire. I assume it’s original?

[70 shorty]

A JCPenny brand tire would not have been original.

[1970cstblazer]

JCP has been out of the auto business since 1983.

[Luke87gt]

Originally Posted by 70 shorty

A JCPenny brand tire would not have been original.

Does anyone know what brand was the original spare tire?

[MikeB]

Looks good! Not a heck of lot different than my 255-70s, at least from that photo angle.

I had that stripped thread problem with an old set of Rallys. Seems like I went to one size larger screws. Or maybe I used nuts on the back??? Clever job there using copper wire.

[Luke87gt]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Looks good! Not a heck of lot different than my 255-70s, at least from that photo angle.

I had that stripped thread problem with an old set of Rallys. Seems like I went to one size larger screws. Or maybe I used nuts on the back??? Clever job there using copper wire.

I thought about the nut but you only have 2-3mm of nut width before you start encroaching on the mounting surface.

[Steeveedee]

I remember General, Firestone and Goodyear as tire brands on new vehicles back in the day.

[1970cstblazer]

My 1970 Blazer came with Goodyear Custom Xtra Grip 10.00-16.5.

[Steeveedee]

^ I'm reminded of a '70 K5 Blazer we sold new, with the paddle tires on it. Guy came in after a couple of months all hot under the collar because the tires had worn out so soon. He was commuting on the freeway with it. Those ain't road tires!

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Luke87gt

I thought about the nut but you only have 2-3mm of nut width before you start encroaching on the mounting surface.

Yes, I do remember a gotcha! Maybe a wire nut? I must have found some kind of solution, because I had to remove the wheel before removing the center cap.

[Luke87gt]

Does anyone know the center cap thread size?

[MikeB]

I have a friend with lots of 60s-70s wheels. All are 15 x 4.75 though. You name it, there's a good chance he has it.

I think your Americans would have looked OK when new and shiny with a center cap. But probably better on a later model truck.

[Luke87gt]

Thanks Mike

I snapped a pic of what was behind one of the wheels. That’s a lot of years of dirt

Next up will likely be changing the leaky radiator… stay tuned.

[Luke87gt]

I haven’t posted much of the truck itself. Here’s one pic to start the week.

[68bowtie]

Originally Posted by Luke87gt

I haven’t posted much of the truck itself. Here’s one pic to start the week.

Looks good. Did you ever figure out if the bed is an original shortbed, original paint, or shortened, etc?

[Luke87gt]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

Looks good. Did you ever figure out if the bed is an original shortbed, original paint, or shortened, etc?

Here is what I know:

The vin is for a longbed.

The previous owner said it was shortened by a fabricator a long time ago (80s-90s)

The bedsides have been repainted. It’s the only part of the car that’s been repainted.

So it appears that the evidence points to the truck having been cut down at some point. I don’t see any evidence on the frame rails but I’m no expert.

I’ll have to take some pics so you guys can see for yourself and give me your opinion.