Wagon Wheel conversion to M715 Centers

[jeeper]

I bought some 1970's Ford truck wagon wheels off Craigslist for $30. Before I got too far on converting them another member here sold me his used tires already mounted on stock M715 wheels. (Thanks again George). The Ford wheels have been sitting in my shed all winter while I decided what I was going to do with them. I had already started on one wheel by cutting the center out with a Sawzall so I could fit my grinder into the wheel to grind the welds that held the Ford centers in.

Today I decided I'd get at least get the one wheel ready and then decide if I will continue this or let it go.



I finished cutting the old center out today. I had already cut the centers out of a set of M715 wheels I bought a while back.


The M715 centers fit perfectly into the wheels.



The wheels are 9.75x16.5 wagon wheels. They should work for mounting a used H1 tire. I'm not sure yet if I will end up doing so. Maybe if I have the funds when an opportunity comes around...

[militarytrux]

Pretty sweet if it works out, keep us posted.

[randyscycle]

Looks like its made to fit!

Just curious, what kind of backspacing do you end up with as it currently sits?

[eimkeith]

Excellent!


keith.

(sent from my rotary dial phone.)

[jeeper]

Just curious, what kind of backspacing do you end up with as it currently sits?

I measured the stock M715 wheel and it is pretty close to 6.5" backspace by my measurement. I see it posted elsewhere on this site at 6.75". I'm not sure how wide a stock wheel is so I'm not sure what the offset ends up being.


On the wagon wheel with the valve stem in the current location the minimum backspace is about 6". The max is closer to 10". The overall width of the wheel is very close to 11"

I can plug the valve stem hole and turn the barrel of the wheel around if needed.

I haven't pulled a wheel off the truck yet to eyeball the wagon wheel for spring clearance. I'll probably do that tomorrow.

[randyscycle]

So it may just end up pretty close to stock stuff in a tubeless rim.

Looks like a great way to get tubeless tires for a reasonable cost with a little labor.

[eimkeith]

Thumbs up.


keith.

(sent from my rotary dial phone.)

[jeeper]

It looks like 7.5 backspacing will work okay. I tried it a 6" and the wheel sticks out past the fender flare. I could probably go to 8" but the clearance to the steering knuckle control arm is pretty close. If I go about 7.5" the wheel is about even or a little inside the fender flare and there is plenty of clearance around the inside of the wheel at the steering knuckle control arm.

At this point I need to find a way to make sure the center is true inside the wheel and tack it in place. I don't have much in the way of precision measuring tools. All I really have is a dial indicator. I'm thinking of clamping a steel bar to my spring and clamping the dial gauge to that. I can then spin the wheel on the trucks hub and get a 360° reading. Can anyone tell me if this would/may be a bad idea?

[Subybaja]

Check out eBay for cheap digital calipers. You wouldn't believe how much you'll use one...

I read a thread recently about someone recentering his own H1 beadlocks. He said that the outer lip of the wheel was a wildly inconsistent distance from the bolt plane. Yours are obviously different shells, but that might be something to watch out for.

That said, I'd measure from the lip. You've gotta pick something for a reference point...

How about a piece of 8" plastic pipe that will fit just outside of the lug holes and support the center when it and the shell are sitting on a flat plane (like a driveway)? You'd have to be careful cutting the pipe square and to exactly the right length...tack the center in 4 places, then spin on the hub to check it.

Radial location's a different problem...I dunno there.

[randyscycle]

I think I'd set up the dial indicator on the truck like you mentioned above for the rear, but measure the inside of the lip where the actual tire bead will sit. I'd think that would get you the most true reading of a straight rim, because the outer lip of most rims isn't exactly perfect. For the front, I'd go for the dial indicator on the steering arm. That way it can't move in relation to the rim.

I've never checked a car or truck rim, but when lacing spoke motorcycle wheels, a tiny bit of runout is hardly noticeable. I'm talking less than say .020 to .030" Once balanced and mounted its insignificant.