Ford swiveling lug nuts

The E-Series 1983 and older used "Coined" wheels. Alternating recesses and protrusions served to lock he rear wheels together. An index pin forced the wheels to go be installed only the correct locking way. The the lug nuts finshed the centering AND carried the load. Later E-Series have the Hub-Centered wheels and the Swivel Nuts only hold the wheels against each other and the hub.

I wanted to replace our 16.5's on the '83 we had adn realized there was an issue. Then one day blew a tire on a trip and simply replaced all the tires plus the spare with new 16.5's. That was 13 years ago. If I had it to do today, I'd look for a set of 7 16" Coined Wheels.

The lug nuts are $4 each at Rockauto.

Thanks for the replies. It has been exhausting trying to find the elusive lug nuts. Never thought about the centering aspect. Guess I will just put these wheels on claigslist and try to recover some funds. The lug nuts I did find are pricey and I dont think the conversion is going to be very cost effective. The 16.5 tires are not as rare (or expensive) as I was led to believe. Thanks again.
Jaime

I think there has been a change in the hubs used since Ford went from 16.5" wheels to the current-spec hub-centric 16" wheels. There should be a 16" wheel you can use, but it will not be the same as now used on the E-series, rather a hub-centered 16" wheel for the older 4.88" hub.

It could take some shopping around to find the right dually wheels. Check for wheels that were used on 4x2 F-350 when your E-series was made, or a few years earlier, as they may have been 16" and either lug centered, or at least hub-centered on your hub size. The 4x4 F-350 used more wheel offset, so you might have clearance problems with those.

In one brand, Ford used Accuride 29577 wheels on F-350 4x2, '84-97, and on the dually van '85-91. That one is hub centered and will need the swivel lug nuts.

This upgrade is a little easier on Chevy than Ford, not as much changed in the wheel specifications.

The 16 wheels that you have center on the hub (hub-centric) while the 16.5 wheels are lug-centric. The "swiveling" lug nuts have a rotating washer integrated with the nut. I think this allows the wheel to more easily center on the hub. I think the remaining question is whether or not your hubs are suitable for hub-centric wheels. Maybe someone else will know. If you live near a Costco with a tire shop, they sell lug nuts cheaper than anywhere else. They have quite a selection but I'm nut sure if they have the swivel ones.