My 2nd real post - introducing my 59 blue fleet side

[VTX-Black]

Or, stick with the chrome but in a more pleasing pattern and size


I've run out of skills on this one but the idea is blue centres and white hoops (or white walls)

[VTX-Black]

more pleasing wheel style?

[mechanixman]

Just an idea,
I saw someone else on the forum use 70's chevy caps on stock steelies on their four eyed truck. It looked really slick.
Something like wide whites, white wheel, and everything black on the hubcaps, paint it the same blue as the truck.

Not to mention it's quite a bit cheaper. Around here in Chicago, people sell rims like those for $600-$800 all day long. Whereas you can probably get a nice set of steelies for $125.

But that's just my 2¢.

[_Ogre]

imo; chrome wheels on a classic pickup look silly, same with big wheels with rubber band tires.
imo; classic trucks look best with 15 or 16'' rims and lots of rubber. hub caps and/or beauty rings.
imo = in my opinion. don't anyone be offended by what my opinion is.
i see your photoshop abilities match my own

[OrrieG]

I am going to run these with beauty rings on mine. They are 68-72 16" 10.25" back diameter (come in 15" too, and 8 lug applications were 1" larger diameter). They are rarer than the next gen set mechanixman shows. Expect to pay $30-40 each individually or in sets for good ones. They are stainless. Make sure the back outside edge is not broken, they will not stay on if it is. They also came in a painted white steel version. The bowtie is painted yellow or blue depending on the year and vehicle it was on (trucks or blazers).

[VTX-Black]

The good thing is that I asked for opinions so all are appreciated.

My own opinion pretty much agrees with what Ogre said, except when it is a fleet side. I that body style I no longer see a traditional classic truck. I see something different ... Outside the box.

Maybe that just means lowered with white walls half hidden on steelies, or something entirely different, I'm not sure what yet, but nicks suggestion might stop me from making an expensive mistake that a future owner wouldn't appreciate.

Still thinking... And perhaps beginning to be swayed


Thanks. I'll keep listening

[Daze57]

vtx-black

bottom photo is ''ok'' but i still think a 5 spoke looks better

just my opinion is all.

[vht]

Just my opinion, but those wheels really need to go. I always liked a good looking polished alum wheel, but after being on this site awhile, I'm kinda leaning toward steel rallys, police caps, with the trim rings that fit inside the wheel a little ways, don't know exactly what they're called. Orge, I liked the rubber band comment, that's a good one. When they started putting anything bigger than 15's on a 1/2 ton, things started going down hill. But that's just me, to each his own.

[VTX-Black]

regarding the non traditional wheel styles, I wonder if people also rejected the non traditional fleet side box when it was introduced back in the day?


In any case, I think we all agree that those wheels need to go. As someone said, they dominate the truck, and that is not what I want. I think we agree on that.

Now regarding style, on a step side, and even more so on a series 1 round body truck, I think big sidewall balloon tires look just right. If I had one of those I would have steelies and whitewalls in an instant, but I feel that if I do it to my fleet side I would just be copping out for my personal taste. I think there is something better, but not sure what yet

This blue step side truck looks pretty perfect to me, but it is a rounder step side and the round sidewalls work so well with this body style, whereas to me the fleet side looks much more like a modern prototype of a throwback model (this black one might be pushing the envelop just a bit).

Balloon tires on a round body truck just integrated so well that they complete the package rather than competing with it.
The fleet side box already competes with the cab though in my opinion.

In any case its current wheels have to go.
I'm enjoying the discussion and appreciate everyone's views.

Of the trucks below, I think I need one of each

[VTX-Black]

P.S.

i am stating to collect information on 15 and 16 inch tire sizes so happy to hear your suggestions.

Wayne

[_Ogre]

i was never a fan of white walls, but the more i see them the moire i like them
not sure they'd look right on a yellow truck
my tires are 12 years old, i have a slow leak but no one will fix them due to the age (what a scam)
i may be in the market for new tires next spring, may have to look at white walls

[VTX-Black]

Originally Posted by dubie

Personally, if it was me, I'd be putting a set of Posie super slider 3" lowering leaf springs all the way around, putting on a nice set of 15" painted steel wheels with wide white walls and spider caps, and rodding out the inline 6. You'll have a sweet looking, bullet proof daily driver classic pickup.
You could sell off those 22" wheels to pay for your suspension parts and sell off the Corvette to fund the rest of the build.

Just my opinion though

I keep coming back to this advice.
..but modified a bit.

Some 17" modern steel GMC truck rims and some $5.00 ebay centre caps would simulate this pretty well and for not much money at all. With less sidewall bulge than a 15, but not rubber band like a 22, and flat profile rim to compliment the lines of the fleet side, rather than a curved spoke hotrod wheel such as the torquethrusters that I like on earlier more curvy trucks.

This could work out pretty well and straddle the two lines that the two pictures above depict. (Ogre, here is a yellow one for you).

All I need to know now is how wide (or narrow) should my tires be?

[VTX-Black]

Now that I have explored that direction and have come up with something that ail work, I'm back to thinking about what I originally wanted to build, all Corvetted out with suspension and drive train.

I'm discouraged that insurance in Ontario is killing this dream of building a reliable daily driver.

[VTX-Black]

Today I started thinking about selling my truck along with the Corvette :-(

[Daze57]

vtx-black

excuse my ignorence sir ! but is the insurance that bad that you have to sell the truck?
is there no other direction you can take ?
is it that bad that your ''dream is destroyed ?
the truck is v v nice - dont know when you will come across another one like that with that much potencial
just imo i 'd hate to see you lose that project !!!

just my 02 centavos worth

[VTX-Black]

Ontario introduced a stupid law when the fast and furious movie came out and street racers started killing people in Toronto. (I don't live in Toronto but the law is provincial).

Rather than rely on existing street racing laws, they passed one that said something to the affect that it is illegal to "modify a vehicle with non specific racing parts."

Non specific begin the operative phrase, leaving up to the officer to decide if your mirror dice are racing dice or not, depending on what you were doing, what his mood is that day, and how you treat him or her.

This conveniently happened to coincide with a period in time when insurance companies were taking a hit from bad investments and corporate profits were suffering. It gave them an opportunity to invent a new policy.

Today when you ask for insurance, the insurance companies in Ontario ask "is the vehicle modified?"

If you answer yes, then they quote the phrase. "It is illegal to modify vehicles in Ontario so we cannot insure that vehicle." Some even suggest that aftermarket mirrors or pin striping count.

They conveniently use this as a legal way to prune their customer lists down to the minivan driving market or something. It eliminates lots of teenage boys and other high risk drivers. Us grey haired drivers get caught in that net as well.

I may eventually find an insurance company that will insure it for regular use, but otherwise it is off to specialty insurance where either you are put into facility insurance with the drunks for about $5k per year, or collector car insurance that limits you to participating in shows.

This is the situation that has been on my mind for the last year as I have sat on this truck, flip flopping on three options of
1)keeping it completely stock,
2)modifying it the way I want,
3)or selling it off.

(A secondary issue is my concern that if I take an otherwise unmolested chassis and head off in a modified direction I may undermine its value unless I take it all the way to full on hotrod).

We need SEMA to step in.
Anyone reading this from Ontario should contact http://www.semasan.com/page.asp?cont...a_leg&g=semaga

[VTX-Black]

That's the background Daze57

That is why I am on the fence.

When I opened this thread and got excited about the project again recently I had put it out of my mind for a while, but I need to deal with my concern or I'll be stuck forever.

[VTX-Black]

BTW, here is what I was working on during that year thinking about what to do with my truck.

(I leased space in a buddies shop until it was all black and shiny.)

[OrrieG]

Unfortunately they are regulating the object not the behavior. Idaho was having similar issues in the 70's and early 80's. The rodders got together with the legislature and educated them showing that modified and home built did not equal poor quality or a danger to the public. They made the point that a lot of the improvements enhanced safety. What came out was a compromise. Replacement parts that bolt on are not a problem. Any rods built from scratch or that are heavily modified have to be inspected and passed before they can be licensed. Police could already order an inspection on any questionable vehicle they stopped.

Another point that was made was the economic value of the hotrodding movement and industry. People by things which generates sales tax. Vehicles are place in service which increases licensing revenue. Value added fees are generated from vanity license plates. Good will is fostered between the government and citizens. And the rodders made the point that if knuckleheads were building unsafe vehicles and driving them in unsafe manner they would be the first to support sanctions against the ones messing it up for everyone else.

[Daze57]

vtx-black

whatever your decision is sir - best of luck !!
btw -uhhhhhhh nice porsche !!!!!!
( i still like the truck )

[VTX-Black]

Thanks OrrieG

I have a mind to finish the truck anyway, and if I can't insure it for full use, then own it for a summer, have some fun and then get rid of it, but when I think about doing that I wonder how far upside down that would put me money wise compared to what it is worth now with the 6 and some steel rims.

DAZE57,
thanks, I didn't pay much for the car (abandoned project) but it was a lot of work to get that car to where it is. The truck will be a lot easier even if I take it all the way.

Most people including me find the truck more interesting at least at first glance because the truck is so unusual.

[VTX-Black]

I've been thinking a lot about what direction to go since I put this thread on the back burner.

My current vision is inspired by the 57 caddy:
1) Thinking of steels with full caddy style hubcaps (to me the fleet side four headlight truck was inspired by a car so why not continue in that direction).

2) Thin whitewalls to bring it into the era that the fleet side box entered. I see fleet side as a the dividing line between fat whitewalls on a round bodied cars and trucks, and the later slab sided era.

thoughts?

[Russell Ashley]

The narrow stripe whitewalls didn't come on new cars until 1962. If a new 58/59 Fleetside had come with whitewalls they would have been about three inches wide.
Not trying to change your mind about what to do with your truck, just commenting.

[VTX-Black]

I appreciate your comment, and you have confirmed that it is the right thing to do :-)

If I had a step side or earlier model, I'd say wide whitewalls.
but since I see the fleetside as a step towards the future, then the narrow white walls should move it there nicely without moving it decades ahead.

I browsed for 57 Caddy pictures and I'd estimate that over 70% of the pictures I found wore narrow whitewalls to go along with their smoothy hubcaps.

As a period hot rod (versus a restoration) it would be totally reasonable that a 3 year old truck would have received the latest in styling elements, and the release of narrow whitewalls would have been cool bak then I think.

[VTX-Black]

I just found this picture

I guess the remaining question is, would a used truck have made a desirable hot rod back in the day, and if so do the wheels kill it or bring it to life?