It seems that I went to the big swap meet in Denver a couple weeks ago.  You know that it’s going to be really interesting when a story starts like that.  None of my boys could make it.  Something about sorting socks in the sock drawer or something of equal importance.  My wife wanted to go to a sewing and fabric show that was just up the street from the swap meet.  The result was that I was turned loose in the biggest swap meet of the year with no adult supervision.  And I had a pocket full of cash, a really bad combination.

Anyways I found a set of wheels from an ’82 Corvette.  These are my all time favorite wheels.  I had measured one before and found that they wouldn’t fit the ’51 because they were too wide.  The outside of the rim extends about an inch outside of the front fender.  I don’t know about the back fenders ‘cause I’m nowhere near putting the rear fenders on.

So here I am discussing this little problem with the guy that is selling the wheels.  He is also selling new chrome smoothies that I know will fit.  He points out that the Corvette wheels have zero offset, that is the mounting flange is in the center of the wheel.  This does not have anything to do with how they fit on my truck, but I am becoming befuddled looking at the shiny wheels.  I have just enough cash to buy the Corvette wheels and my negotiation skills are no match for chrome intoxication.  My wife took the checkbook, smart lady!  I didn’t even have enough cash left over to buy wheel polish.  I did scrounge up enough out of my lunch money to hire a kid to haul the wheels out to the curb.

After I get home the situation is thus:  shiny new (to me) wheels that stick out of the fenders.

I know of a web site where a guy built a truck like mine.

www.purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/sumnerindex.html

In the postings he mentions widening the front fenders.  I fire off an email to ask him how he did it.  His response is something like “get the right wheels, stupid”.  Now I am in full reality denial.

He also mentioned that he really didn’t widen the fenders, he widened the hood and moved the fenders out.   Hummmmmm, Did you know that the advanced design GM truck cabs are tapered front to rear?  That is, the front of the cab is something like six inches narrower than the rear.  I didn’t discover this trivia until I put a non-tapered frame under one. But that is another story.

Now I have a plan.  Widen the hood, yes?  And widen the front of the cab so it matches the width of the back of the cab.  Now I have lots of wheel room!  And that  ’63 Mercury dash isn’t way too wide anymore.  Not to mention more room in the engine compartment.  I am sure that there is a fly in the ointment somewhere but I haven’t discovered it yet.

Since I haven’t finish welded the cowl to the frame it happens that I am in a position to proceede on this lunacy.

I’ll keep y’all appraised on how this works out.

Norm

Tags: 1951 GMC

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