Custom wheel measuring advice requested

I'm getting ready to order a new set of custom wheels for our 52 Chevy PU and would appreciate any advice/suggestions/tricks on getting the best measurements before I place the order.

I've got a pretty good idea about the critical areas to watch for such as caliper clearance, backspacing, etc. but would like a sanity check with you other "Pro's" just to be safe.

The truck has a Mustang II IFS in the front and a Chassis Eng. rear leaf suspension in the back. The rear end is out of a 98' S-10 ZR2 Blazer. I haven't decided on a wheel mfg. yet either.

Thanks! :D

These are not cheap, and I'm not suggesting you actually buy one, but if you can find a tire store near you that has a Mount Mate, they could advise on back spacing as required. These are $500.00!

I just went through this. Waiting for my wheels to arrive. I borrowed a Tire MountMate. It helped, especially on the front.

Check this out:

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...&threadid=6471

Thanks Guys!!

Great suggestions - I'll do some checking around locally to see if I can find one of the tire mount mates to borrow. I'll also use the spreadsheet to double check all my measurements.

It would be really nice if this device wasn't $500 but then I guess the company is targeting the wheel dealers that can afford it.

Thanks again for the information! :D

Now that's what I call some true American "backyard" engineering at it's finest!:cool:

Actually, I've been thinking about this particular application a lot more and believe I can put some of that 5 year Mechanical Engineering degree of mine to good use :D I'll keep you guys posted on how this develops and run some ideas by you "Pro's" to shoot holes at :)

Stay tuned...this is going to be fun!!

Streets idea is, indeed, ingenius! The only flaw I see is that you'd need a wheel to cut up that is the same diameter as what you'll be running. That could be a problem if you'll be running 17"+ diameter wheels. Not alot of cheap, big wheels around to chop up!

Seems like you could expand on Street's idea and make the diameter adjustable (a couple more cuts to the wheel maybe?)

The $500 tool had a similar design weakness in that you already had to have the type of tire diameter / profile size available. This is great if you're a tire dealer and have a huge stock of different tires in the back but for the do-it-yer-selfer at home, we have to be a little more creative! :D

Street's suggestion is more practical for the average gearhead at home :)

Unless I misunderstood Streets post (entirely possible!) you still have to have the tires on hand to try. I had a buddy who owns a tire store loan me some new ones but there's other ways to do it.

Most any tire store will let you pull some out of their "disposal bin". You know, the ones that are bad, bald, or blown. You're not putting air in 'em anyway so overall diameter and width is all you're interested in.

You could probably "rent" or borrow some from a tire store. Maybe explain what you're doing and agree to buy your tires from 'em when you're done.

Good point, the "buddy" system at the tire store is another great angle too.

I have the same problem, hesitant to commit the cash for four wheels that might not be right. So far I have tried to use the advise of the guys at Bebops in Tennessee where I ordered a lot of my chassis parts (really TCI parts). They recommend a backspace of 3 3/4" for a Maverick 8" rear with the Model-A wheel well on the rear with a 7x15 rear wheel. Then they advise a 14x6 front wheel without any mention of backspace. I have measured using the site:

http://www.earlywheel.com/choosing.html

and an 8" piece of wood on each side plus the 56 1/2" drum-to-drum width and I get 65" with 3 3/4" backspace, but measuring on a real steel '29 sport coupe I only get 66" maximum width inside the fenders. That is a bit close for me so I repeat it here in the hope that some other person with a full fendered '29 Ford can comment on the 66" width? BUT (!!) now you have me worried about the front wheels! I have an Econo Kit with midsize GM caliphers and Dodge rotors, so I have no idea what offset will clear the front disk brakes. Sadly my mind was frozen back when 6.70x15 and 7.10x15 were widely available wheels and tires but now it is a real free-for-all in tire/wheel sizes. Can you give me a hint at how to estimate the offset for the front wheels? The guys at Bebops are busy building a lot of '32s and very few '29s so I am not sure they are telling me right for the '29. Personally I would rather have 15x7 on the rear and 15x6 on the front, not 14x6 on the front. I am guessing that the 15x6 fronts would have a better chance of clearing the front rotors. I can't see any way short of cutting up a wheel as Streets suggests to estimate the offset for the fronts, but I have no way to cut a rim in that way. Maybe there is someone out there who has done this before for a '29 Model-A with a Maverick rear?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

My '36 had 14X6's on it when I got it. They are factory GM rallye wheels from a mid-70's Camaro with 3 1/2" BS. They cleared my GM "Metric" Calipers and 11" rotors without any problem.

HTH