1988 Chevy R30

[Cattleguy18e]

Howdy,

I just got an 1988 Chevy 3500 4x4 regular cab. I want to put the biggest tires and new rims on this truck but I am not sure what I can get away with. Currently 235/85/R16 tires.

Any direction is greatly appreciated.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Howdy,

I just got an 1988 Chevy 3500 4x4 regular cab. I want to put the biggest tires and new rims on this truck but I am not sure what I can get away with. Currently 235/85/R16 tires.

Any direction is greatly appreciated.

You must be registered for see images attach

Love the truck, but I have heard that on duallies you are limited on tire options because most will rub on the rear dual wheels.... paging @618 Syndicate and @someotherguy as they have lots of dually experience!
You might also want to join (or at least check out/lurk/read some posts on) www.gmsquarebody.com, since your truck is actually a square body instead of the OBS/GMT400 series. GM built the square body platform trucks for several years, concurrently with the GMT400 series trucks, to use up the old series parts, and until the production lines and plants were completely converted and changed over to the new style trucks.

 

[movietvet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

What @HotWheelsBurban said is true. You are limited in the tire size because the insides of the rear tires can rub and chaff and damage tires, unless you install a spacer. Hell, do they even make a spacer?

Truck looks very straight for a 36 year old truck. More pics please.

Is that color called champagne?

 

[someotherguy]

Welcome.. I mean, what is your definition of "big" - tall, wide, or both? As mentioned, wide gets to be a problem unless you want to run spacers, and they'll have to be bolt-on style and extend the rears past the edges of your fenders and look goofy (IMO) plus contribute to bearing wear and beating your paint up with rocks thrown from the tires.

235/85/16 is -kinda- at the edge of tall/wide for a dually, unless you want to bump up strictly in height. You could score a set of what we call "Frito" 19.5's which are 19.5x6" wheels with the regular 8x6.5" bolt pattern so they directly bolt up; they are typically found on the older Fritos step vans. They're ball-breakingly heavy but you can put a 225/70/19.5 (32") or a 245/70/19.5 (33") tire on 'em.

225/70/19.5's

You must be registered for see images attach

245/70/19.5's

You must be registered for see images attach

(Note that truck has a 3" body lift.)

Richard

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

What @HotWheelsBurban said is true. You are limited in the tire size because the insides of the rear tires can rub and chaff and damage tires, unless you install a spacer. Hell, do they even make a spacer?

Truck looks very straight for a 36 year old truck. More pics please.

Is that color called champagne?

Could be, also looks similar to the Pewter Metallic they used on the later 400s.
Somebody said Rawhide (my crew cab) is "champagne" color the other day; Mom thought it was cool. Anyone who has seen my truck would be more likely to call it tan or gold (least that's what I think). The truck's name comes from one of the VIN number reports that I got from other members, when I got the truck. It lists the color as "Rawhide Metallic". The other report has the same number code for the paint, but calls it "Light Autumnwood Metallic". In '99 that was GMC's name for Pewter Metallic" and that is a different color.
Pic of both trucks to show difference in colors....

 

[movietvet]

Could be, also looks similar to the Pewter Metallic they used on the later 400s.
Somebody said Rawhide (my crew cab) is "champagne" color the other day; Mom thought it was cool. Anyone who has seen my truck would be more likely to call it tan or gold (least that's what I think). The truck's name comes from one of the VIN number reports that I got from other members, when I got the truck. It lists the color as "Rawhide Metallic". The other report has the same number code for the paint, but calls it "Light Autumnwood Metallic". In '99 that was GMC's name for Pewter Metallic" and that is a different color.
Pic of both trucks to show difference in colors....

IMO, the front one is a Silver Birch Metallic, like my own 2005 Tahoe Z71 and the rear one is what I would call the Champagne. But every time I turn around color names are changing. To tell you the truth, I have never seen a "black eye" that looked black.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

IMO, the front one is a Silver Birch Metallic, like my own 2005 Tahoe Z71 and the rear one is what I would call the Champagne. But every time I turn around color names are changing. To tell you the truth, I have never seen a "black eye" that looked black.

I think the Silver Birch Metallic is what the Pewter Metallic evolved into. Both our '99 Burbs are that color, as are 1 in 3 Suburbans built that year. To me it looks like the color of the anodizing on carburetors; too gold for silver and too silver for gold. On overcast days it looks more silver or gray, and in dimly lit areas it practically disappears. The big truck looks like a stereotypical "gold" color to me. I guess if I had the time and energy to polish the paint up, it might be a little different looking (besides being shiny). But it takes all day to wash a truck this big, so that might take a week to wax/polish it....

 

[Cattleguy18e]

Welcome.. I mean, what is your definition of "big" - tall, wide, or both? As mentioned, wide gets to be a problem unless you want to run spacers, and they'll have to be bolt-on style and extend the rears past the edges of your fenders and look goofy (IMO) plus contribute to bearing wear and beating your paint up with rocks thrown from the tires.

235/85/16 is -kinda- at the edge of tall/wide for a dually, unless you want to bump up strictly in height. You could score a set of what we call "Frito" 19.5's which are 19.5x6" wheels with the regular 8x6.5" bolt pattern so they directly bolt up; they are typically found on the older Fritos step vans. They're ball-breakingly heavy but you can put a 225/70/19.5 (32") or a 245/70/19.5 (33") tire on 'em.

225/70/19.5's

You must be registered for see images attach

245/70/19.5's

You must be registered for see images attach

(Note that truck has a 3" body lift.)

Richard

Thank you for the perspective, I guess in my mind I was think I could put 305's maybe. However I don't want to replace front end parts every other oil change. I thought optically it would look a lot meaner.

I think I am going to keep the same tire size and get like a yo-yo open country and put some chrome rims on it and call it good.

I think Champaign or gold is probably what I would call the color. I am debating about painting it down the road.

 

[Cattleguy18e]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

What @HotWheelsBurban said is true. You are limited in the tire size because the insides of the rear tires can rub and chaff and damage tires, unless you install a spacer. Hell, do they even make a spacer?

Truck looks very straight for a 36 year old truck. More pics please.

Is that color called champagne?

I got this tuning in an auction/ estate sale out of state. Looks to be fairly original for the most part or as original as can be. 39K miles on the 454, air conditioner had some work to be done as the ac switch was melted. Shocks were rotten but no leaks after fresh fluids and a belt. The tires and rims are the last big update for now.

Drives fairly quiet and has a lot of power. Definite head turner at the red light for sure.

 

[618 Syndicate]

I run the frito 19.5.s on my square dually, but it's lowered a little so I have the shortest sidewall I could find in a 19.5 tire. If you want a little lift that's the way to go imo.