Looking for information on split rims (3 Viewers)

[TheSquare]

So, I bought these 16" splits that are probably from an FJ55. I'm looking to restore them for use on my LJ73.

Is there solid info about tire fitment and inner tube specs for something like that? I know it's dated tech with some quirks to it. So still not sure how much I'll run them, but I got them cheap, and I need a set of summer road wheels for next year anyway. Worst case I'll restore the rims and resell, since the tires are old enough to where they crackled when I released the air from the tubes
But if there is a way to find new tires and tubes for these I'd like to use em. They look kinda cool as well!

As for restoring the rims. Are there any words of caution or suggestions I should consider before starting? Loose plan is to crack em open, donate the crackly tires as planters for the mother in law, and then clean up all the old paint and rust off the rims. Do people paint the tube side of the rims, if so is there anything specific I should use? The outside I would just thoroughly coat with rust protection primer and spray paint them.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

They're 5.5 inch wide, so officially you need quite narrow tyres. 205R16, 7.50R16, 225/95R16. 205R16 is very easy to find, but is on the smaller side for a Land Cruiser. 7.50R16 is readily available in most parts of the world. 225/95R16 is as far as I'm aware only available in Australia. There are also people running much wider tyres on them with no problem. 235/85R16, 255/85R16, 265/75R16, 33X10.5R16, 11.00R16. You might get bad handling and/or tyre wear from that though.

You will need both a tube and a flap. The old flaps are most likely fine to reuse, but if you can find new ones they're very cheap. The tube can't have a normal TR15 valve stem though, it needs a TR87, TR75A or the long rubber one I can't find the name of right now. The much more common TR76A will also work, but it will stick out past the bead so not really great if you're planning to go off road.

Allegedly there's separate tubes for radial tyres. Some say you have to use them, others (including myself) run normal tubes and radial tyres with no problems.

Tubes mostly come in old sizes. If you're not running 205R16, 7.00R16, 7.50R16 or 8.25R16 you just choose the tube that is closest in size.

When assembling the wheel you can put a bit of silicone between the rim and ring to keep moisture out. If you do it yourself, get an inflator that you can operate from a meter away or so. The split rims are otherwise safe to use, but when airing up for the first time they can explode if the ring isn't properly seated in the groove.

A tyre shop that works on heavy machinery should have the equipment and knowledge to mount them safely, but a tyre shop that only works on cars probably won't.