New Shoes

New Shoes

I looked quite while for a set of artillery rims. One fella on eBay wanted $750 for a set of four rusty “versions” of artillery wheels (yikes!!) , so I decided to go another route. Wheel Smith manufactures some gorgeous reproduction wheels, and their artillery steelies looked perfect for Cornelius. So I had a set of five made up, to have one for the spare, of 15×6″ wheels, with a 5-1/4″ bolt circle and a 3-1/4″ backspace. Powder coated red, they look amazing. I had some triple diamond stainless reproduction hub caps that I purchased at Restoration Specialties, and Wheel Smith modified them perfectly to fit the new rims. Finally, I also purchased a set of stainless trim rings from Wheel Smith to top everything off.

Wheel Smith Red Artillery Rim With Coker White Walls

Wheel Smith Red Artillery Rim With Coker White Walls

So the rims are no good without a good set of tires, and for these I turned to Coker. I had been undecided as to whether to go for a set of radial “bias-ply look-a-likes” but decided to simply find a good set of bias ply tires for Cornelius instead and I am very happy that I went this route for several reasons: First, they are a LOT cheaper; second, Cornelius likely won’t be driven above 40 to 45 miles per hour occasionally – so it’s not like I will need radial drivability for highway excursions; and third, I had driven bias-ply tires on my ’53 IHC R-110 Series pickup for almost 12 years, so I am used to them, how they handle, and what their limitations are.

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