Quote:

looking at these.. to fit in this wheelwell

is there an approved Mopar vendor that sells

Billet Specialties stuff ?????


[image]http://www.billetspecialties.com/itemdetail.asp?cid=16&scid=257&pid=1074[/image]

link to pic



I saved it on my computer since it had some great info:

Hey Andy. Glad to see the car's coming together. Wheel selection can be a hair-puller. Finding a design you like, in the size you need to fit the hardware, but still providing the right "look", could drive you insane. Most of my customers are about the same as you(myself included), in that they really want a nice corner burner, but they dont want to give up the classic look of the car. I spend alot of time searching wheel and tire sizes that can do both. Many of them liken 17" rims to teenagers in Hondas, which is reasonable to assume until you start looking into it. First, let me say that 15" wheels with the Alterktion will only allow 3.25" of backspacing - more than that will hit the tie rod end. In a B-body, this limits you just a few 15x7 wheels. I am able to do a small mod that allows the 15x7 Rally's, but that wouldn't apply here.
In a 16, the backspace limit is the same, but the tire selection is so bad, it wouldn't be worth it anyway. Even in a 15, tire selection is quickly disappearing as 17's become the norm, and companies are cutting budgets in smaller markets - check out T/A Radials - the list of sizes now is less than half of what it was in '08.
Anyway, the magic number is 17" - smaller is a fitment hassle and 15's still have a certain "floaty" feeling in turns because of the tall sidewalls. If you go to 18's, you're starting to get into the lower-profile tires that have the blingy look and a more harsh ride quality. Although 18's do handle better. In a 17, the tire and wheel selections are just enormous at this point, and they will be available for years to come. The ride quality is still very nice, as there's enough sidewall to be flexible, and you can put sizes on that retain the musclecar look. With a 26" on the front and a 28 or so on the back, if you select a classic wheel design like a torque thrust, very few people will even realize it's not a 15, especially in the bigger cars. That said, there are a million possibilities when you get into the details, but in general, the classic idea of 8" front rims and 10" rears works out great. Find a front tire in the 26X9 range and a rear around 28x11 and I think you'll be very happy with the look and ability.
From a personal opinion, I lean heavily towards the 5-spoke torque thrust look - I'm an A-body guy, which requires more backspace, so the Bullet knock-offs are my wheel of choice and are pretty cheap. Americanmuscle is mustang parts place and they have a whole bunch of wheel sizes in that 5-poke design. A bit too much backspace for B and E cars though. In your car, you should stick with about 5" of backspace - 4.5" will work too, but I prefer to use 5" to get the wheel inboard more. These days, we're using a narrower track width, but on yours 5" would be best.
For tires, I know there are millions, but I'm a fan of Nitto's. Their website also has very handy(and accurate) charts with all of the tires they offer, so it's easy to pick out the right sizes. And regardless of size, I've found DiscountTire to be the easiest place to order and just about the best price.

I just went through this with my own car again, but used 14" brakes. I really wanted 17's, but the brakes required 18's and I had to compromise. In the end, when the car's on the ground, you dont really notice. A few friends of mine are very old-school purists, and even they mentioned you dont notice the 18's unless you stare at it. So I'm happy with the results, even though it's a little different than what I originally envisioned.


There is one problem-wheel on the market that I think all people should made aware of - The 17" Magnum 500 wheel is often chosen because it retains the original look but allows 17" tires. The problem is, it still uses the smaller center, and has a step in the hoop to go up to 17. So although it allows a 17" tire, it DOES NOT allow the bigger aftermarket brakes - Just an FYI while I'm thinking of it

68 Road Runner
67 Coronet