Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Fitting 2002 aluminum rims on a 1996 truck - both trucks are a 2500.

[Dan_69GTX]

I did some searching on the site to find out will a 2002 2500 series aluminum rim fit on my 1996 2500 truck.



If you do a search you will find a LOT of posts regarding this topic - such as:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=105864&highlight=rim*



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=105097&highlight=grinder





Here is what I did:



I used fellow TDR member JPittinger's advice and did the following: Jack up the vehicle, take off rear tires/rims, install 2 lug nuts to hold the drum on. Start the truck, put it in 1st and low range of the transfer case - this makes the drums turn REAL SLOW. If you have an auto, you may not be able to do this - whatever you do - make sure the drums turn REAL SLOW so not to hurt yourself. I then used a 4 1/2" grinder to remove metal from the outside of the rim so that the new rims would fit. If I had the time would I do this again - maybe. If you have the time to take the drums to a machine shop to have them turned - That would be much faster and no where near as messy (grinding dust everywhere).



The approximate dimensions of the rim's outer lip width was . 325 before - and approx . 25" after - note - these measurements were not real accurate since I don't have accurate instruments!!



After I did this, I checked the rims on a balancer. They were off just a tad - most people wouldn't even notice (one was . 1 oz the other was . 2 oz). If you have a balancer - go ahead and true them up.



Then I installed the rear rims - yes, it is a tight fit. Make sure you remove enough metal from the drum to allow for some expansion of the drum. I have about 1/16" clearance.



The front bolted on w/o any problem - BUT you need to check clearance of the brake lines. I found the right side to be fine. The left side I had to bend the hose bracket to make sure the tire wouldn't rub on the hose when turning. According to one of the attached posts - there are steering interference problems that need to be addressed in the 98-99 trucks



Attached are a couple of photos.



Good luck and hope this helps!



Dan

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Here is a pic of the OEM Chrome rim on the rear

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Here is a pic of the new (2002) aluminum rim on the rear axle





Oh Yea



I found this out the hard way - do NOT leave the dust from ginding the drums on the vehicle - remove it immediately! If it gets rained on - you will have to buff/compound the vehicle to get the little rust spots off - grrrrrr.



Dan

 

[SDrake]

I thought about doing this but wanted to know more about cooling. If I get the brakes hot which happens occasionally what is going to happen to the tire and will the brakes fade? I am sure around town would be fine but out in the hills with a trailer??????

 

[Dan_69GTX]

... but wanted to know more about cooling...

Brakes are cooling just fine - even when towing. IF you are hauling a very heavy trailer and are using the brakes a lot, the first problem will be your front brakes, not you rear ones.

... If I get the brakes hot which happens occasionally what is going to happen to the tire and will the brakes fade?... .

Anytime you heat up brakes you WILL loose braking efficiency (fading) - this occurs on all vehicles with any type of wheel. If the heat of the brakes affects the tire much at all - well, - your brakes will have smoke pouring off of them and you will have other problems to worry about.

 

[budctdca]

concerning brake fade, it is recommended you change your fluid from time to time, as with any petroleum product, it breaks down with time and heat and can lose its ability to perform correctly