Please give me your input if possible? I need to get wheels, tires, maybe some more suspension pieces, b-body rear end housing, offset leaf spring hangers, roll wheel opening lips. Who knows. Here is some background pieces that I already have.
Here is some of my suspension pieces-Hotchkiss rear springs, front and rear sway bars, strut rods, original e-body 8 3/4 rear end housing. I want to have a Great Handling car. I don't mind modifying the wheel opening lips, offset spring shackles, changing to a b-body rear end housing, re welding spring perches and so on. I would like some suggestions including tire sizes and wheel sizes. The wheel sizes and tire sizes will be different on front and rear. Back spacing would help also. Yes, I have searched here and other places on the internet for this info but I thought asking this specific question here would be the best. Thanks everybody.
Two important additions as far as parts go would be fat torsion bars - 1.0"- 1.25" and quality shocks - my choice was QA1 single adjustable.
Hopefully your front sway bar is over an inch.
Stiffening the chassis is important. Frame connectors, torque boxes, cowl to shock tower braces.
Good steering box from firm feel or stear and gear or maybe a borgeson box.
You can put a pretty good size tire on an ebody without mods, but if you use offset shackles you can fit a 315 in the back. The stock front can easily fit 255's and with careful backspacing and a little lip rolling fit 275's.
Thank you dodj. I didn't include the whole list of upgraded parts I have. Just some of what I thought, the most related ones! The front suspension parts I have Hotchkiss, Qa1, Firmfeel, Borgeson, Avco, US Car Tools, and Krc, I think I am ok with those. The rear end may have to change or add parts to depending on what size wheels and tires, I ultimately get. With the Hotchkiss adjustable rear sway bar might effect rear tire/wheel choices. I want to decide on wheels and tires so I can start assembling the front and rear suspension. Again I want a great handling car but no rack in pinion, coil overs, or 3 or 4 link rear suspensions.. There are so many smart people that I see here, respect, and I get good ideas from your posts and direct responses. Thanks.
I put 7 inch wide wheels on the front of my 70 Challenger and 8 inch wide wheels on the back to put wider tires on the back. That's all about personal preference. :wave:
Go through the sticky at the top of this forum. There is good discussion and pics of what fits.
There is a guy that posts on Moparts that has run up to a 335 (I think) in the back but the offset needs to be perfect.
Google "Wheel offset calculator" There are a bunch out there and they help visualize and usually give dimensions for how a wheel/tire combo will fit compared to another. so you can take what you have and input the data then you can compare how much room there is or isn't and play with size and offset to get the best fit. Works well for the rear. For the front it is a little more dynamic with clearance at full lock and compression.
I have 9" wide rims up front with 255's and 10.5" wide rims in back with 315's. I'm using Dr Diffs 1.5" spring offset kit. Putting those wheels on the back of you car will likely mean your hotchkis sway bar wouldn't fit. Might be able to make it work but I suspect the wheels would interfere in original form. Probably have to do something creative with the end links. I think Crash340 made up custom ones.
You can fit a 295 on an 8" rim with 4.5" backspace run at around 26-28 psi with no mods at all. To go with more rim or more tire will require you move the springs, this is almost non negotiable. You don't need to change the housing, but housing selection will impact backspace selection. Backspace for the stock E housing can be up to 6", or between 6.5 to 4.5 depending on which B body housing you use. The Hotchkis rear bar should not have any impact on wheel selection nor tire or spring interference. A stock, frame hung bar will interfere with spring relocation every time.
I run a 255 on an 8" rim up front with a 305 on a 10 rim in back. I have 4.5" backspace up front and 5" backspace on the rear. I use a 66-67 B body housing with a 1" spring relocation.
Quote from: ToxicWolf on February 16, 2019, 09:44:29 PM
I put 7 inch wide wheels on the front of my 70 Challenger and 8 inch wide wheels on the back to put wider tires on the back. That's all about personal preference. :wave:
I did the same on my '70 Cuda. 225/60R BF Goodrich TA radials on the front. I didn't go larger since I have manual steering. The backs are 275/60Rs. Stock suspension with Dana 60 rear. Only mod is QA1 shocks. Will be installing larger sway bar and torsion bars this winter.
I'm using a b=body width dana, DrDiff offset kit, Hotchkis sway bar and 18x11 rims with 5" backspace and 295/40/18 tires out back. Front is irrelevant as I modified the fenders to fit larger tires and rims.
With the Hotchkis rear sway bar I did turn up a bushing for the dog bone( instead of a bolt) to get some more clearance so it wouldn't hit my springs.
For visual...
Custom widened to 8.5 at the tire mounting lip. (9" if you include outward rolls). 275/60/15" with 4-3/4 BS.
This setup is within 1/2" of springs and also has roughly 1/2" of clearance to the stock fender lip. Rearward on opening at approximately 45° is the closest point.
If willing to remove or rework lip there can be roughly another 1" gained.
Quote from: HP2 on February 17, 2019, 08:34:18 AM
The Hotchkis rear bar should not have any impact on wheel selection nor tire or spring interference. A stock, frame hung bar will interfere with spring relocation every time.
Thanks for the clarification. I didn't realize the Hotchkis was unsprung. :drinkingbud:
Here is a link to my setup - 245/45/18 and 275/40/18 with 18x8 and 18x9.5 wheels, Hotchkis front and rear sway bars, Fox shocks with adjustable rears. Excellent handling car with no rolled lips on stock suspension.
https://forum.e-bodies.org/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-and-steering/12/us-mags/25/msg106#msg106
:popcorn:
Quote from: 303 Mopar on February 18, 2019, 07:44:48 AM
Here is a link to my setup - 245/45/18 and 275/40/18 with 18x8 and 18x9.5 wheels, Hotchkis front and rear sway bars, Fox shocks with adjustable rears. Excellent handling car with no rolled lips on stock suspension.
https://forum.e-bodies.org/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-and-steering/12/us-mags/25/msg106#msg106
SOOO close to pulling the trigger on a similar setup! But I want a little more meat in the back and have a B-body rearend to play with. I think those wheels or something similar should look good on silver/grey. Pulled this off the net but this is the direction I'm heading, but with matte hood.
Lots off good replys! A little more info from me. I can take some time to choose Brand of tires and Wheels. I want to make definitive choices
of tire and wheel sizes and even more important in the short term. Choose
1. 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch offset rear spring shackles, or original or AR engineering Shackles?
2. My E-body rear end housing or a B-body of what specific year rear end housing?
3. Do I have to roll the wheel housing lips with what ever tire/ wheel combination I choose?
4. If means anything I have Dr. Diffs 11.7 rear disc brakes ready to install in this rear end housing.
5. I may eventually have a set of rear tires/wheels to put on and take to the drag strip? So I want to have the clearance to do that.
As I said initially I want to at least start assembling the suspension.
Quote from: chryslers4ever on February 19, 2019, 05:29:06 PM
Lots off good replys! A little more info from me. I can take some time to choose Brand of tires and Wheels. I want to make definitive choices
of tire and wheel sizes and even more important in the short term. Choose
1. 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch offset rear spring shackles, or original or AR engineering Shackles?
2. My E-body rear end housing or a B-body of what specific year rear end housing?
3. Do I have to roll the wheel housing lips with what ever tire/ wheel combination I choose?
4. If means anything I have Dr. Diffs 11.7 rear disc brakes ready to install in this rear end housing.
5. I may eventually have a set of rear tires/wheels to put on and take to the drag strip? So I want to have the clearance to do that.
As I said initially I want to at least start assembling the suspension.
What's your intended "usage" for this car? How many miles a year do you estimate, street cruiser/car shows most of the time, track time? Are you happy with your current gear ratio? Any future plans like OD transmission? What percentages of HWY /in town driving?
Brads70 to answer several of your questions- Present rear end gears 355's (Possibly could change), 8 3/4 rear end, transmission SST A41 4 speed automatic (650 ft lbs of torque model) with a .70 overdrive gear ratio. Not going to be a show car only type of car.
First order of business is determining exactly what you want under there.
Many tire size options offered that will fit generically.
Second is then wheel size and offsets available for wheel of choice.
Now with that info you can determine required changes.
Choose a B rearend. You now have mounting flange locations that will determine offset shackles. If tires of choice are larger get required offsets and then relocate axel mounting plates as necessary.
If in doubt purchase a tire and wheel offset measuring device. Or fabricate a simple setup to mount tire for measuring. AND.... be sure to take dims from both sides of car. These were sloppily produced with loose tolerances. If you are trying to squeeze in everything you can. Don't assume they are equal.
Quote from: chryslers4ever on February 19, 2019, 07:35:31 PM
Brads70 to answer several of your questions- Present rear end gears 355's (Possibly could change), 8 3/4 rear end, transmission SST A41 4 speed automatic (650 ft lbs of torque model) with a .70 overdrive gear ratio. Not going to be a show car only type of car.
I have the same transmission, reason I asked those questions is you might consider ( if your budget allows) getting a B-Body width Dana from Cass (aka DrDiff) I had 3:54 to start with and with my engine combo/camshaft it was not "happy" at 65 MPH more like 85 MPH ,( I got stopped driving to Carlisle at 122 MPH?) so I changed out the rear gears to 4:10. You could likely sell your 8 3/4 3:55 for good money as its a popular/desired gear ratio , then put that towards a Dana with 3:73 or 4:10. It could be one stop shopping from Cass, offset shackle kit rear end, e brake cables, and brakes. His rear disc brake kits fit both 8 3/4 and Dana. Chances are you likely wouldn't hurt the 8 3/4? but for sure you will never hurt the Dana.... It was piece of mind for me, sold the 8 3/4 before it got hurt. You mentioned drag racing and having different tires for that. Sticky tires...That would be where you would hurt the 8 3/4 if you were going to hurt it at all. Again piece of mind, I'm more of a " overkill/overbuild" kind of guy, " do it once, do it right" sort of a thing. I hate buying the same part twice for the same car. Just my :alan2cents:
Dana pro's....
right width( b-body) for maximizing tire width. Cass knows all the required measurements
One stop shopping,parts all compatible, saves on shipping also
brakes from 8 3/4 all bolt right on to the Dana
opportunity to get the right gear ratio
everything is new, not 40-50 year old worn out parts
Upgrade Dana to truetrac, it's amazing!
Strange S60 is lighter than original Dana.
Piece of mind!
Adds resale value to the car
Dana cons....
cost
New driveshaft, can't use the one from your 8 3/4
PS I used this cover, stainless, never rust.... Looks great from the back.... you gotta give the Chevy's something shiney to look at. ;)
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ktl-304m60/overview/
Brads70- Dr Diff, Cass is a great guy. I was hoping I could get away with better axel's and Truetrack (which were on my to buy list). If I can at least decide on a B-body (which year) rear end that will help me start acquiring parts Unfortunately, I buy a few parts at a time. LOL.... But I will get there.
Quote from: chryslers4ever on February 20, 2019, 10:44:16 AM
Brads70- Dr Diff, Cass is a great guy. I was hoping I could get away with better axel's and Truetrack (which were on my to buy list). If I can at least decide on a B-body (which year) rear end that will help me start acquiring parts Unfortunately, I buy a few parts at a time. LOL.... But I will get there.
Price out all the parts you need for the 8 3/4 add in labour if your not doing it yourself and I'd bet the Dana would come in around to pretty close to the same price and be bullet proof. When I did the math.... that was the deciding factor and I'm not a wealth person either.
I've read of some issues with the trutrack in the 8 3/4 not being so good. Nothing, no issues in the Dana though. I'd contact member crash340 for his advice of a truetrack in a 8 3/4?
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=106207.msg1042962#msg1042962
I put a tru-trak in my 8 3/4 last year and it has been trouble free. :dunno: