wheels - Backspace

Whats the best source for information on tires/wheels/backspace for a '67 G10?

probably other 1st & 2nd gen van owners.

Welcome to the forum. may I suggest editing your profile and listing your city? Washington is a big place. Actually it is two places. lol

You could have several vanners right near you, but if you don't list your city, we'll never know???

If you click on the search tab at the top of the page and type wheels, you'll see many threads on the subject. Like this one. https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/t4501-wheels-on-66?highlight=wheels

Most of the wheels that look right on these vans are classic 70's style offsets.... generally 50% or more (usually 62-63%) is to the OUTSIDE of the mounting face resulting in a Deep-dish wheel and a widened stance...... Wheels with modern offsets (deep on the back side) are unlikely to look good

good ? so if we would want too put a set of crager ss on a 1965 chevy panel van what would we ask for on front and then on back and what size tires?

Rick without messing with the suspension about the largest you can run on the front of a 1st gen would be a 15"x 7" standard offset with a 235-60 tire. That's what's on the front of my 65 with a V8 and I don't have any problems. I'm running 15"x 8" standard off set on the rear with the same tire.

ok that sounds good Kev

just off the top of my old memory??????????? seems all backspacing was a standard 3 & 1/2 " in the 60-70 area.

wideload wrote:Rick without messing with the suspension about the largest you can run on the front of a 1st gen would be a 15"x 7" standard offset with a 235-60 tire. That's what's on the front of my 65 with a V8 and I don't have any problems.  I'm running 15"x 8" standard off set on the rear with the same tire.

I hope that's not 100% because I'm planning to use 15x8's on all 4. I think my backspacing is under 4". Seems M1D said that would work even with front disk setup unless I misunderstood.

If not, I'm gonna be banging something to make room.

Laz not 100% but I tried 8's on the front of mine and they would barely rub the front lower corner of the wheel well. M1 knows more about this than probably anyone else here so if he says they will work I would trust him.

WL,

The current late 70's Vette wheels currently on the van I was told could just slightly rub under hard cornering/acceleration with the disk setup. Looking for as much meat and height on the tires as possible. Hoping some room can be made....

Laz check out Billski's sport van. I pretty sure his lower front wheel wells have been modified for tire clearance. I'm pretty sure he's running bigger tires than I am.

wideload wrote:Laz check out Billski's sport van. I pretty sure his lower front wheel wells have been modified for tire clearance. I'm pretty sure he's running bigger tires than I am.

Thanks.

I had heard he recently added bigger tires or wheels?

It looks like they sit outside the wells a slight bit which is fine with me.

As long as a hammer can fix the clearance issues, I'm straight!

If I could figure out what size BFG's to get that will work, I'd be even straighter!

Appreciate all the great help here.

Here's a different shot, better shows how far they stick out.



Send Billski a PM, it might take him a while but he'll answer you.

Don't quote me but I think Billski is running 15x8s with 245/60s all round. They look tough !

I think your right Joe. I knew they were bigger than my 235's.

So, here is what I have with existing wheels that are being replaced and 225/60/15's.  This is with the wheel fully turned.  I was advised that this would be really close and might rub.

We were thinking that I would need to drop down to a 215 tire in order to make this not rub that front side wheel edge while using an 8" wide wheel and 15" tire.  The only other solution would be to cut the well out about an inch, which I wasn't real sure I wanted to do but his van looks great.  I missed the part on first read about Bills's front wells being modified a bit.  That would make sense. That area just got new sheet metal and if I'm ever going to trim it, this would be the time before it goes into paint.

If mine is this close and might rub, Bill's well must have been cut down.  Also curious if using a 215 up front and 225 in the rear would be enough size change to make that ass end look a bit beefier if I don't do any cutting and go down in size up front. No plans for 10" rears.

And those are some mean looking tires filling up that space.

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Laz if your not concerned with being able to rotate the tires for wear purposes you could look at a 50 series rather than a 60 series. Would be the same width just shorter side walls.

Thanks, Mike. I really want the largest possible tire all around without them sticking out more than a tad. I like Bills big tires but might extend out a bit more than I prefer.

End of day, I probably want to fill the height of the tire more than anything while still using the 8" wide wheels since I'm at stock height and not flipping axles, etc. I have air shocks in the rear so I can play with that on the upward end if I need or want to.

Lee, I saw this in the members gallery. Something to go by?
Happy B-day, Sam
https://vintage-vans.smugmug.com/Vans/Wheels-and-Tires/i-WRSrgNd/A

That's Donivan's 65.

Thanks, Sam. That is a nice little comparison. No low profiliers for me..beefy or nothing.

I'm thinking I should trim those wheel wells for sure and then I can always stay with 15" wheels. I just don't want to pop out much beyond the van if I can help it. Always a trade off..

I have a 1967 Dodge A100 what is the back spacing on the wheels?

most everything built -earlys were 3- 3&1/2 " backspaced!! When custom wheels were being built in the 60's we never worried about backspace! They were all the same except the racecars,dragsters, and roundy round cars!