I contacted Brent Hall in Customer Service at Coker Tire to see if they would build these - after all, they already build a Firestone Wide Oval radial with 3/8”redline (and they sell a Goodrich radial with 3/8” whitewall). His response was that I should have as many potential buyers as possible submit their request for these tires on the Coker Tire website, and depending on that demand they would consider building them for us. If we want to see these tires produced, we need to share this opportunity with every car club, web group, individual, etc. that may have interest in cars which had these tires as original equipment - and we need to have as many people as possible make the request to Coker to produce them. At the bottom of virtually every page on the coker website - including the Home Page - there are four columns of contact options (in black), and on the list on the far left you will see an option for “New Product Recommendations or Requests”. Click on that option and fill in the info they request, with special attention to specifying a radial Firestone Wide Oval radial with 3/8” whitewall in FR70X14 size. Brent was receptive to my request and provided me with his direct number in case anyone wants to discuss this further: 423-648-8559. Please get on this and share with anyone/everyone who may need these tires for a correct restoration and be sure to ask them to contact Coker with their request as explained above (I have already done so).
There used to be shops that would remove the black rubber sidewaa to provide any width white wall on your tires
Yes, that is true - there are a few existing ways to get a 3/8” whitewall for the more or less correct look of the original, pinwall tire - Gooderich currently has a 215/70R14 radial (which is the approximate equivalent to an FR70X14, and Coker also currently makes the F70X14 Firestone Wide Oval in bias construction. As you have pointed out, it is also possible to have tires custom cut with 3/8” whitewall. However, I personally want the factory correct look of a Firestone Wide Oval rather than any other tire and I prefer the radial reproduction of that tire because it should have better road manners than the bias version. It may seem like a nitpicky thing but to an anal retentive like me for whom details stick out like a sore thumb, it’s a niggling issue. Hence the request to Coker to reproduce the factory correct tires for Cougars and many other cars that used them - I believe they could sell a batch if they make them.