So I had a vision for this car when I bought it and I'm pretty close. Really want a pro-touring appearance and I found the wheels at a hell of a price.........if they will work. So the guy agreed that if I can take a front and back, then figure if they will work. So the bolt pattern is good. Now just the question if they will tuck or not. 18x9 in back, 18x8 in front. I just put the wheel on to make sure the bolt pattern was ok and to eyeball the clearances. Sure looks like it will be close. I do have some 1" spacers, not sure if they'll be needed or not. So anyone ran a similar setup? What size tires? Other advise? My plans are to find some junk used tires that hold air to mount and check for fitment tomorrow.
I am waiting & watching to see what you come up with. I have 17 inch on my '67 and think they look small.
I have 16x9's (widened 16x8's) I wanted to see more meat, less bone, but that's my personal preference. I also used an old Chevelle 12 bolt which is 1" narrower. Have fun! Backspacing calculations are key!!!
I lowered the frame down while the axle was on a jackstand so do some measuring. The clearance on the backside was scary. I had to do some light machining to get the 1" spacers to work but they fit like a champ. Installed wheel and I think i can pull this off. Pics are after spacer. I have about 1.75" on the backside and .75" on the outside. I haven't checked the front but from what I've heard they shouldn't be too bad. I guess I shouldn't make assumptions though.
The tires are going to extend out past the rim bead. That doesn't look like it is going to work to me.
How thick is your spacer? I would remove it so the wheel is closer to the frame. That should allow the tires to fit if you dont get tires that are to wide for the rim. Just my lousy 2 cents.:Brow:
Definitely looks close, but I'm not giving up yet. If they don't work, I'll move on but I really like the look and at this price they're hard to pass up. I should know by the end of the day.
Even if your choice of tires "appears" to clear with the car level and sitting still, you haven't seen what happens with body roll and side loading of the rear axle housing during a turn. Way too close to even move on from here if you ask me. Devon
When I'm done, you guys may say, "I told you so." But otherwise I'll never know. :beer Falken 245/40ZR18 on the front w/ spacers. Plenty of room. I'll post a better picture when I have it out of the garage. Obviously the back won't be so easy. Still need to do some math and hope for the best.
They do look good on there:TU: Works real well with the paint. I would lose the rear spacers, if they scrub its better in the back than on the outer lipou: Ive done some crazy a$$ things to fit bigger meats:shock: I once gained 3'' per side on the rear of a Jaguar XJS:bglasses: I rolled the lip, beat the inner wheel-well back with a 4lb sledge, and pushed out the 1/4 panel with a bottle jack:eek2: It looked like it came that way when I was done:beer
I know some people go to drastic measures to get wheels and tires to fit. It was a little too close for comfort on the inside w/o the spacers. Worst case scenario I can have the backside of the spacers milled to give me a bit more on the quarter panel side. The best part is that this was the original vision I had for the car. Thought about the popular torque thrust II's, then considered baby moons w/ black steel wheels and white walls. Just glad I was able to stay on track. Best part is I found the wheels used for one hell of a bargain.
Sorry, there isn't. The problem is all cars are different in how the suspension is working. Worn out control arm bushings mean lots more variation in wheel position relative to body position. A rear axle with worn out bushings can move over an inch laterally on a hard corner. The first thing to do for front and rear is to check clearance all around at full jounce and rebound (jounce = wheels up, springs fully compressed or limiting bumpers are hit, rebound = suspension hanging freely). This is an even bigger deal for the front, as people often check tire clearance with steering locked left & right with the car sitting at curb height, but then end up tearing up fenders and fenderwells on the road because they didn't check clearance at jounce. Check out how the front tires move with just small amounts of jounce and rebound on this old '67 Electra TV commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AeqQIfg6yc Here's an animated study of a front corner. Watch to the end to see just how much space the wheel and tire can take up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=69RmZzOi2zY Everything may look fine while the car is sitting like a Hot Wheels toy on the bookshelf, but dynamics while driving is a different story. Devon
Nice wheels jack!!! They'll look sharp!!! As for clearance for the front,,have you done any suspension mods??
No suspension mods. Springs and shocks work as they should. So I haven't fooled with them. I actually have a ton of space in the front. No worries there. It's the rear that concerns me. It'll have to wait for another weekend and til I restock the beer fridge. :grin:
9" wide will work in the rear. Can you get a 1/2" spacer instead of the 1" to center the wheel in the wheel wells?
These adapters/spacers can get pricey. I could get different spacers but I'm cheap. I may call around tomorrow to see about getting them milled down a bit.
