The excitement is building

[Island Girl]

Well . . . . .

After sorting thru and somewhat organizing all the boxes of parts that came with my kit, and marking each box as to contents, I went to put my wheels on to see how the T would look with its own wheels and tires, and while the fronts went on fine, with a nice low look,

The rears weren't so cooperative and need some wheel spacers . . . . I was rather disappointed that they didn't use a wider rear, or ask about the backspace on my wheels.

I have the 15X15 Weld ProStars with 4.5" backspace, which is the least backspace they come in.

With the tire right up against the body, there's still about 3/4" from the axle flange, (actually the brake rotor on the axle flange) to the back side of the wheel.

I'm thinking a minimum of 1.250" of spacer, and possibly nearly twice that to have adequate tire to body clearance . . .

Anyway . . . Summit to the rescue again . . . .

Ordered a couple sets of 1.250" Cal Custom spacers https://www.summitracing.com/parts/CAL-75813 and some lugnuts, so hopefully, next weekend they'll be here and I can see how the T looks with all its wheels in place.

Down the road, I'll be looking at a better alternative, as with that much HP, I really don't like the idea of having to use wheel spacers, especially aluminum ones.

And FWIW, I snagged the last 4 security cables, (linked above) from Home Depot, since they do seem to fit thru the wheel slots and around the brake rotors just fine.

 

[2old2fast]

There are a whole bunch of variables , inflation sidewall construction , weight of finished car ,but I'd personally like 2+". , Those big tires gave a tendency to flop about !!!....

 

[fluidfloyd]

Island Girl,
Regret hearing of your tire clearances. Short of getting a wider rear end assembly and being locked in with your current wheels it looks like spacers are the only option. So sense you have ordered the spacers here is something to think about. A spacer with just 5 longer wheel studs captures the spacer and does all the work. Aluminum in that design application is not a problem as the wheel studs do all the work. The design you indicated you ordered are a little different. You torque one set of retaining nuts to hold the spacer in place against the axle flange. The other studs trap the wheel to the spacer. I would have preferred singe stud that trapped everything together as you can get bigger diameter studs that have shouldered drive sections and no threads in shear. Big torque engines, torque converters, low gear ratios and wide tires can be hard on parts. If you can plant the tires at the stop light you need all the help you can get. That being said I seem to remember you said there weren't that many good roads to really hammer it on. Light car with OEM axles and OEM differential should be the weak link. When possible anytime custom wheels and clearance issues dictates custom rear housing widths and aftermarket axles. Never use air or electric impacts. Always use a hand torque wrench. Just some things to think about. But then I'm betting you already know that! Good luck with your project.
George

 

[409T]

Island Girl,
I would have preferred singe stud that trapped everything together as you can get bigger diameter studs that have shouldered drive sections and no threads in shear. Big torque engines, torque converters, low gear ratios and wide tires can be hard on parts.

Yep. Secondly, if you don't leave enough clearance for the tires to expand at high rpm which I'm sure you will have from time to time, you will wind up with nice circles on the body where paint used to be. I've repainted 2 bodies for friends that didn't believe in enough clearance. And thinking about spinning tires, how about a rev-limiter?

 

[Island Girl]

Yep. Secondly, if you don't leave enough clearance for the tires to expand at high rpm which I'm sure you will have from time to time, you will wind up with nice circles on the body where paint used to be. I've repainted 2 bodies for friends that didn't believe in enough clearance. And thinking about spinning tires, how about a rev-limiter?

I've also thought about sort of mini-tubbing the body, so a couple inches of tire sits back under it, but I have to take a good look and see if there's room for that, with my luck, probably not . . . Although it might be a nice look.

 

[T-Test]

Drag bodies, I know but there are more options.
You boat experience should help if you make changes.

 

[DonnyRay]

I like your new canopy. Your biggest enemy is will probably be a windstorm. That's what tore mine all to pieces.

 

[JetMech727]

Ahh, the altered look. Love it!!! And she has the power plant to pull it off. Any one remember the Pro Street 27 Total Performance use to make?

 

[JetMech727]

TP 27

 

[Island Girl]

Damn . . . . .

Now that is a cool look, . . . . I'll take mine without the front fenders and running boards though

 

[T-Test]

I've had this build instruction manual for many years.

 

[rodder25]

I have Billet Specialties wheels 15"x15" with six and one half back space with Mickey Thompson 33" x 22" x 15" radials. I have about one or two inch clearance from the body with the 9" Ford rear end .You must have a narrower setup than me . Every thing on your build looks great!

 

[2old2fast]

I have Billet Specialties wheels 15"x15" with six and one half back space with Mickey Thompson 33" x 22" x 15" radials. I have about one or two inch clearance from the body with the 9" Ford rear end .You must have a narrower setup than me . Every thing on your build looks great!

So , is it 1 or 2 inches ????. There's a lot of different width 9" Ford axles plus aftermarket any width you want .....

 

[Island Girl]

A few posts back, I mentioned what I thought was a novel idea, adding a little bit of mini-tub to compensate for the narrower rear to avoid needing wheel spacers . . .

Seems someone already did it, as I just found a couple pics.

What do you guys think of the look, it certainly isn't your everyday 27 look . . . .

 

[HenrysT]

What's the creature comforts in your car's trunk? Gas tank, battery? Enough room?

 

[Island Girl]

What's the creature comforts in your car's trunk? Gas tank, battery? Enough room?

I'll have to do some body-off testing . . . . not sure if the wheels can mount without spacers and clear the brake caliper lines, e-brake cables, or shock mounts. . . . It looks mighty close going from my pics.

The tank is between the frame rails and the battery box is under the passenger seat, so they shouldn't be problems.

I also found this place, with spacers up to 3", so I ordered a pair to see how they might work out. Wheel Adapters USA - Americas #1 Trusted Quality Wheel Spacer Brand!

Once I get some time over the weekend to dig into this issue deeper, I'll at least, hopefully, have some options . . . .

 

[rbsWELDER]

I would hate to cut an already painted body!

 

[Island Girl]

I would hate to cut an already painted body!

My body is still just white gel coat, so no paint to worry about . . .

 

[Spanky]

What do you guys think of the look, it certainly isn't your everyday 27 look . . . .

I would hate to see the cool 27 rear cut up in that fashion. I like fluidfloyd's idea of just using a spacer with longer wheel studs.

 

[JetMech727]

To me, new wheels with proper back space is the real fix. Get what you can for what you have and chalk it up to experience. With what you've spent thus far two new wheels is nothing.