Help with wheels

I just traded for a 1963 Dodge 3/4 ton step side.....its has 8 lug 17.5x5 in wheels with 40 year old biased ply tires....I need to drive this thing 300 miles....
1st question what wheels (bolt pattern) can I put on this thing to get it home?
2nd question what would be the easiest route of swapping the fronts to a regular mopar 5x4.5? is there a brake kit that anyone knows of? for the rear I will just swap the whole axle assembly...I think that should do it for the rear....I want to keep the straight axle up front.
Also Side note....I know its not a 6ft bed but its doesn't look like an 8 footer either....what the heck is it?

This is a 3/4 ton truck with all of it's benefits and you want to step it down to 1/2 ton size...does not seem like the best idea to me. Trade it off for the 1/2 ton you want.

having 8 lug wheels isn't in my plan....everything else on the truck is spot on....perfect patina.....rock solid....slant 6 with 4 a speed....I appreciate your opinion though.

I'm betting you can just swap on a 5 on 4 1/2" front brakes & drums from any 1/2 ton up to a 71 version onto your axle and use your existing spindles.
Worse case you might have to swap the spindles, or change the front axle as well.

There might be places where you can get a disc brake conversion if you want to go that direction. Think I would check to see if the guys at www.rustyhope.com make a conversion for your 63, but that's getting pretty new for them. Gene

There's a perfectly good reason for wanting 5 lug wheels...

If you have the reverse Elliot type axle you can swap the spindles with those off a 1/2 ton. There are several disc brake conversions with Scarebird being the most popular. Some have run into problems with wheel fitment/clearance issues using this kit.

I've never measured one of those beds but it might be 7' or 7.5'.

Yes, I like that very much, I love the color and the fact that I can haul a crowd...a sweet truck limousine.

But a 3/4 ton truck should be a workhorse and to reduce it's capacity for work seems to me a step in the wrong direction...but, of course, it is your project, not mine and I don't need to use it. Good luck.

To get it home... how bad are the tires? Obvious bad dry rot cracks or not? If not, I'd make sure they are aired up to at least 45 PSI, including the spare, and run it.

Most likely the bolt pattern is 8 x 6.5". Check is always a good idea. If the tires are really bad, JY wheels and even tires should fit in a 16" or 16.5" size. Donors can be up to early or mid '90's when the switch was made to metric bolt pattern.

FWIW there is very good selection of 17" aftermarket wheels for 8 x 6.5" bolt pattern in both steel and aluminum. Tires also.

The guy says tires are good.....I've heard that before....the wheels are 17.5 I have NO idea where to find affordable tires in that size which is a shame because the stock wheels and dog dishes look sweet on the truck....I will look to see if I can find some JY spindles and look at a brake swap...I already grabbed a 8 3/4 out of a 67 1/2 ton

Super Traction of America (STA) can fix you up with tires I believe. I'm running a set on a 47 PW and have been fine (not many miles, but quite a few years).

PS can you share a bit more about the truck? Pics ect. Thanks!

http://www.stausaonline.com/tires/sta-super-traxion/

Those tires are $200+ each.

i found a 61 dodge at the pickapart awhile back that had 3 of the original 17.5 wheels on it----i was hoping there was a 35-37 inch tire to fit them but found a really poor tire selection---i just left them there thinking that finding another couple of rims same size would be unlikely.....

that's the best I could find too.....
Ill get some pics as soon as I get her home