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i my search for options on shoeing the old warhorse i have come down to a few options and would love some input. since i came aquired a couple sets of 90% plus tread humvee tires for 500 bucks i now know what tires i am using. just don't have the cash for new NDTs. i'll be grabbing a set of 12bolt humvee wheels and cutting the centers out. this is where i need the help. welding in the centers i need to figure out the max back spacing i can go with as i want as little tire out past the body as possible. i dont care for the flat steel centers but that may not be an option. if it can be done i would love to have the bud centers from the original wheels welded into the humvee rims. has anyone gone this route or know if it can even be done without alot of engineering. i dont have the H1 wheels yet so can't get any measurments, but am assuming the bud centers are smaller than the inside dia of the H1 rim. i was thinking perhaps welding a ring inside the rim to weld the bud to. any and all input from yall would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.trailworthyfab.com/

Call these guys, they have the centers for the budd wheels to weld into the hmmwv rims. I think you'd be better off buying the m37 wheel centers from them and welding them in since they have already done the engineering for you.

i spoke with them last week and their centers are made to slide into the back of the H1 rim giving about 4.5" of back spacing. i have 10" wide MRW wheels on now with 6" back spacing. the stock buds are @ 7". for appearance sake and PA's body clearance laws i am trying to get 7" backspacing. the 33-12.50x16.5 on it stick out about 2", the state maximum.
i was just out examining the bud centers and they are 15" dia so it would be a hell of a ring to weld in for attaching. that and they have curiously little meat at the rivet points.which is surprising considering how thick the rest of the center is!
i am trying to avoid it,but, i may have to cut and section the fenders to extend them 2-3". and i really hate to do that to my recently acquired NOS rear fenders!

I am looking for three original Budd centers that are undamaged. Usually 3 or 4 out of every 5 original Budd rims have had the tires on so long that the lock ring lip is to corroded to be safe or someone has bent the outer rim by hammering to get the tire free. Those rims should not be used and the are out of round or the lock ring will slip and pop a tire. I normally drill out the rivets and push the center out. I have a guy who will weld them in a 16" tubeless rim that gives me the back space to clear the drums. The tires just protrude an extra 1-2 inches. Anybody have any centers they want to get rid of or sell for cheap?

I called trailworthy and they just make flat plate centers to weld in. Stockton does this also. I don't want to go with that look.

how wide of a tubeless rim is he welding them into? and could he do a 16.5?

http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/december/ ... rlugs1.jpg
above is about what i am looking to achieve. this does not appear to be a H1 wheel, but a stock wheel with some sort of bead lock. anyone able to identify this wheel?

and the solution a friend gave me? ready for this? cut the bud centers out and make "hubcaps" out of them to sit on the center disc of my MRW wheels! lol damned if i didn't think hard for a minute or two!

those wheels are stock wheels from wwII, combat rims.

You're in a bind trying to use HMMWV rims because they are bead locks but you might have better luck with standard 16.5" rims that you can find at junkyards all over the place for cheap.

DAP wrote:I am looking for three original Budd centers that are undamaged. Usually 3 or 4 out of every 5 original Budd rims have had the tires on so long that the lock ring lip is to corroded to be safe or someone has bent the outer rim by hammering to get the tire free. Those rims should not be used and the are out of round or the lock ring will slip and pop a tire. I normally drill out the rivets and push the center out. I have a guy who will weld them in a 16" tubeless rim that gives me the back space to clear the drums. The tires just protrude an extra 1-2 inches. Anybody have any centers they want to get rid of or sell for cheap?

I called trailworthy and they just make flat plate centers to weld in. Stockton does this also. I don't want to go with that look.

DAP, Do you have any more info on these rims? I have pretty new tires on stock rims, but I would love to have tubeless rims and keep my tires. I didn't think a 16" drop center rim would clear the drums and still have similar backspacing to the original rims. I want to keep my tires inside the fenders and keep the original narrow tire profile

You're in a bind trying to use HMMWV rims because they are bead locks but you might have better luck with standard 16.5" rims that you can find at junkyards all over the place for cheap.

the reason for the humvee rims is because of the ease of modification relative to other wheels and being nearly straight, clearance isn't an issue. as far as finding 16.5 rims at any junk yards around here,well,that aint happening! they crush and clear about every 6 months. if you don't want a front clip for 2004 honda they don't want to talk to you. and when was the last time a company put 16.5 tires on a truck from the factory? steel prices shot up and everything got melted. and to find 16.5 x 8.75 or wider in a matching set anymore on craigslist or classified is a needle in a haystack.and i would have the exact same issue as with the H1 wheel.
anybody wanna buy 10, 95% tread 37x12.5-16.5 tires? lol

Harlie at Stockton Wheel has found a low center drop 16" wheel that just barely fits. I think it is a 16 X 8. I believe the original Budds were 16 X 6.5. In order to clear the drum or disk brake setup he has to increase the offset a small amount. With 11 X 16 Michelin XZLs the flat side of the tire sticks out past the rear fenders about 1/4"+

I didn't answer your original question if this would work on 16.5 wheels. I don't think so as they turn down the centers and cut it about center line on the rivet holes of the Budd center. So I think going to a 16.5 rim would require a small spacer ring to fill the gap. That would be the weak point plus expensive to make.

another friend of mine who owns a welding shop gave me another idea. he had a 16" dually wheel but didnt have the clearance for brakes. but he did put forth the idea of filling the lug holes and re drilling 5 on 6 7/8 pattern and using the dually center from some old 20" wheels. havent found any with 5 hand holes but 4 or 6 would still look alot better than a flat centers
also contacted a company that can make copies of the original wheels in a tubless rim. if i order 300+ at $55 each! lol

gravely8199 wrote: also contacted a company that can make copies of the original wheels in a tubless rim. if i order 300+ at $55 each! lol

I will take five if these really fit! You will be well on your way to 300 sold in no time

I just got off of the phone with Harley at Stockton Wheel and he told me that the 16 and 16.5 rims are so close that it is irrelevant. he only needs a diameter of about 14" to turn the budd center down to weld into either size. think i may be going this route since there just isnt enough(any!) drop in the H1 wheels and he can do me up in a 9" wide. now i wish i hadn't sold of one set of those H1 tires.next,brakes!

Is this what you are looking to do? The PO had this done at a shop that is no longer in existance but the point is that it can be done. These are my 16.5 H1 rims with BUDD centers.