Thanks to Mike Kast for the free wheel.
I took my grinder to the sucker tonight and hacked off the barrel.
When I get a free day, I'm gonna hit a tire shop and dig though the old tire heap and find a suitable 17" tire to cut to match the wheel.
I haven't figured out how I'm going to make the tire sit next to the lip of the wheel yet... something will come to me.
Next step is to secure a small quartz mov't clock and hand set from a local hobby shop.
I can't decide to paint the wheel or if I should strip and polish it.