Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Elusive Steel Wheel for My Scout 80

I'm in the middle of restoring a 1963 International Harvester Scout 80.  I'm not too concerned with cosmetics, except for the wheels.  I am really trying to keep the wheels stock, or close to stock, looking.  I've currently got 15" wheels, but am seeking 16".  My goal is to run 235/85R16 tires.  Maybe a reader of this post can help me find what I'm looking for.  Some Scout 80s did come with 16" rims, but they seem pretty rare, and are likely in bad shape.

The wheels I'm trying to find...

  • Steel wheel construction; no alloy or aluminum
  • 16x6 to 16x7 diameter x width
  • 5x5.5 lug pattern (aka 5x139.7mm)
  • 4" backspace
  • 0 degree offset
  • 4.25 inch center bore diameter (aka 108mm)
  • Quantity desired: 5 (4 plus 1 spare)
  • Not bent, must be true.  
  • Structurally sound.
  • Some rust and pitting is OK.
The center bore should be factory original, not bored out by someone after-the-fact.  The key characteristic of the factory bore is the rolled edge on the inner circumference.  That roll maintains strength and rigidity, and also allows the lug nuts to sort of "lock down" due to slight flex in the lug nut mounting surface when tightened down.  Hard to explain in words.  Will try to post a drawing.

My Current Wheels

Scout 80 OEM Steel Wheel 15x6
Scout Original(?) 15x6 Large Center Bore (Front)
Ford steel wheel 15x6 Small Center Bore
Ford 15x6 Small Center Bore (Rear)


The white wheel (on the top, above) is a front wheel.  It is 15x6 and 5x5.5 lug pattern with a 4.25" center hole (bore) for the locking hub.  I'm pretty certain this wheel is an original OEM Scout wheel.  What I'd like is this wheel, but in 16" diameter.

The rusty silver wheel (on the bottom, above) is a rear wheel.  It is also 15x6 and 5x5.5 lug pattern, but with a small center hole, so it cannot be used on the front axle that has the locking hubs.  It is stamped "Ford".

Omix-ADA Jeep Willys Reproduction Wheel 16725.01

Omix-ADA Jeep Willys Wheel 16725.1
Omix-ADA Jeep Willys Wheel 16725.1
This wheel is exactly what I want, except it's too narrow for the tires I want to mount.  I especially like that it does not have hubcap nubs.  This is the Omix-ADA Factory Reproduction Style Wheel (16725.01).  I believe the rest of the specs for this wheel match what I want.  See the comments at Summit regarding width.  Not only is the width overstated to be 5.5", but even at 5.5", it's too narrow for the tires I want to mount.

Plan, Solid Face Wheels

Plain Solid Wheel U.S. Wheel Series 68 or Cragar Series 69
Plain Solid Face Steel Wheel
I like this wheel as it very closely matches the look I'm after (albeit in a recent production wheel).  Both U.S. Wheel (Series 68) and Cragar (Series 69) offer this style, but only in 15" and 17".  This Jeep Forum post shows this this wheel style, painted white, and it just looks awesome.

12/04/2015: Cragar quickly replied and confirmed they no longer make the 16" Series 69.  Bummer. Looks sweet on that Jeep.

12/05/2015: I just noticed the Stockton Wheel website shows a 22 Series, which looks a lot like the wheel above.  I'd never noticed this before.  Sent them a quote request.  This Toyota FJ40 reportedly has "smoothies" from Stockton Wheel, so I presume 22 Series. Looks great.

Farm Agriculture Implement Wheel

I've contacted a few sources of farm (agri) implement wheels, since they seem to fit my goals in both dimensions and appearance.  However, the sources said those wheels are not built to DOT standards and, therefore, should not be used on higher speed, over the road vehicles (i.e., high-speed relative to a farm tractor).  Google Image search.

Other Research

I've checked with Stockton Wheel on their 20 Series (Ford, Dodge, GM). They replied that they can custom build to the dimensions I want, but due to the 16" requirement, the quote starts to exceed my budget.  This is because of the additional sourcing and fabrication of a wheel that is typically 15", and not 16".  So, makes sense, higher price for a rather customized wheel.

I checked with Wheel Vintiques, and they suggested the the 62 Series OE Ford Chevy wheel in 15".  Those wheels are close in appearance to what I want, though not completely.  They do have the larger center bore, correct width, and correct offset.  But, unfortunately, they don't come in 16".

I regularly scan Craigslist, Search Tempest, and Ebay, but there is never enough detail in the listings  about the wheel specs to be reliable.  I find lots of Ford 5 lug wheels, but they never indicate center bore.  From what I can tell, Ford never made a 4.25 inch center bore wheel, anyway.

I've read that Suzuki Samurai steel wheels have the specs I want, but they are not the look I want.

In various places (Craigslist, Ebay, other), I see many 16x7 OEM steel wheels of the style I want, but they are usually 6-8 lugs and don't have a 4.25 center bore.

I just shot an email off to www.rimsfirst.com, as I've seen many wheels over time that match the look, but not the other specs, I want.  Their OEM wheel selection is pretty comprehensive and they usually give full specs.
12/04/2015: AG at rimsfirst quickly replied with a pretty close selection, but it's alloy. Said he'll keep an eye open, though.  Thanks!

What I Don't Want (at least, yet)

There are several modern, current production aftermarket steel wheels that will fit exactly, but they are not the style I want.  The most typical ones that have the specs I want are soft 8's and 8 spoke (remember Jackmans's only not as cool), but I want to keep the look original.  Structurally and fitment, they are all probably better than any OEM steel wheel.  But, I won't be doing any rock crawling, so OEM is sufficient.

In Conclusion

Well, hopefully someone can suggest  where I might find the elusive steel wheel.  It seems crazy to spend so much time on this search for what seems to be a needle in a haystack, but I just get hung up on certain aspects of this restoration.  In the end, I don't want to drop $800 on tires and mounting and be unhappy with the wheels every time I look at them.