Chevy Silverado Rolls on 103-Inch-Wide Wheels
Outrageous homemade wheels turn this Chevy into something from a cheesy horror film.
The video above comes to us from the WhistlinDiesel YouTube channel and it features a Duramax-powered Chevy Silverado being fitted with a set of 103-inch-wide wheels. Well, they aren’t wheels in the traditional sense as much as they are barrels welded to a steel plate that is bolted to the hubs. However, if you bolt something onto an axle and drive on it, it is technically a wheel. You certainly couldn’t drive down the street with these homemade wheels, but this is a pretty amusing project that works out a whole lot better than we expected.
The Introduction
The video begins with channel host Cody Detwiler explaining what he is about to do to his Chevy Silverado HD. The truck generally rides on big, fat Hoosier slicks, but in preparation for the project, he shows us the raw materials for the build compared to the “normal” wheels and tires. His plan is to replace all four wheels wrapped in rubber with a series of 55-gallon drums welded end-to-end, creating wheels that are 100-inches wide.
He was doing this in celebration of hitting 100,000 followers on Instagram, hence the goal of 100-inch-wide wheels and while it seems ridiculous, Detwiler succeeds in fabricating somewhat-functional wheels of that size.
The Build
To transform twelve 55-gallon drums into four 100-inch wheels, Detwiler needs to create a base plate that is sturdier than the top of bottom of a 55-gallon drum. He uses plate steel, cutting it into a circle the size of drum with a plasma cutter, followed by cutting the holes to bolt up a dual-rear-wheel adapter that will bolt to the hub assembly.
After making two of these plates, he bolts them up to the Silverado to see if they will hold the weight of the truck. When they hold up while stationary, he takes the truck for a slow drive with two of the steel plate wheels. It is crude, but the truck is able to drive with the base of the 100-inch wheels. From there, Detwiler makes two more plates for the front as he prepares to weld up the 55-gallon drums.
At first, he plans to add one barrel to each corner, but he shows us what each wheel will look like when assembled. The result is four wheels measuring 103-inches wide before he welds them to the base plate, or before factoring in seven inches of spaces at all four corners. He adds the first barrel to each wheel, but they are bending and if they bend too much, he won’t be able to weld the next units onto the end. With that in mind, he welds up all of the drums rather than testing the Chevy with just one welded up.
He finishes the build by cutting the outer drums in a jagged formation, giving the wheels a much more aggressive look while making the big Chevy look like some sort of nightmarish farm truck.
The Test Drive
So, the Chevy Silverado HD with the massive homemade wheels looks interesting, but they aren’t really wheels if you can’t drive on them, so the most important part is the test drive. Detwiler starts by pulling the truck forwards and backwards in the driveway, turning the front wheels to see if there is steering and everything appears to work as expected.
Next, he backs the truck into the field across the street and begins to slowly drive around. Unbelievably, the diesel Chevy is able to drive around at first, but after a short distance, the passenger’s side rear wheel breaks off the base plate. A short time later, the truck gets stuck and as the wheels spin in place, the driver’s side rear wheel breaks as well.
However, after removing the wheels, re-welding the seams, giving them a unique paint job and bolting them back up, the Chevy Silverado goes for another ride in the field with far better results.
It is a little bit ridiculous, but also a little bit awesome, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
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