Slick 60's

just curious how many of ya run split rims on your trucks. i want to keep my truck all original, but i know split rims can be dangerous.

hardly no one i think. only 1 shop around here will even deal with them.there is a non-split version of the 16" 8 hole wheel that takes the inny hubcaps and is correct for our trucks. here is a pic of the extra- wide (9") version of the wheel
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the standard ones are 6"wide i think.
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71 LONG BED wrote:Can someone explain exactly how a split rim is split, and why they even made them that way? I never saw one split before and was curious to learn something about them.

The outer ring of the rim is held onto the rest of the rim with a big "snap ring" of sorts...about 1/2" thick & 15" in diameter (on a 3/4 or 1-ton). To get one apart, they're usually placed in a cage & pried apart with long prybars. The reason for the cage is that if the guy disassembling it isn't careful, the sprung energy when the ring is snapped loose can actually take off limbs, heads, or even cut a guy in half!
Just imagine a normal sized snap ring...you pry it off & if you're not hanging onto it, it'll go halfway across the shop. Now imagine it being 15" in diameter!
You can sorta see the "snap ring" in this pic...



I'm not completely positive here, but I think they started using split rims before the tire technology made beads strong enough to stay on the rim of a vehicle carrying lots of weight through a corner. Tires popped off the rims & caused accidents...so they made split rims, which made a "bead lock" of sorts, to hold the bead on the rim.

These days, you'd be lucky to find a place that's even familiar with split rims & when you do, finding a guy willing to do it is next to impossible.

rims had a ring on the outer edge with a slice thru it.
used for tube tires only.
the tire and tube are installed, then the ring. when aired up the ring is pushed against the wheel like the bead of the tire.
anyone could change these with the proper tire irons.
the danger is the ring flying off during airing up.

it is hard to find anyone to change these ither than a truck tire shop anymore.
i have done them myself,i wrap a chain around an thru the center hole so it cannot escape.
sorry no pic at this time.

Thanks for the info guys!

71 LONG BED wrote:Thanks for the info guys!

X2^^

I was gonna ask the same question!!!

Now I REALLY want a set!! Just to have for the future.......