John Bond
Active Member
I am trying to find a set of wheels for my car, the front is small bolt pattern, with 1 inch spacer to change it to big bolt pattern, and the rear is a big bolt pattern dana 44, what kind if wheels should I look at buying
back space question
- Thread starter John Bond
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harrisonm
Well-Known Member
In my humble opinion, you need to get rid of the front wheel spacers, and convert the front to big bolt pattern. That way you can buy whatever wheels you want. I had a BAD experience with those bolt pattern adapters 50 years ago. In 1969, I bought a new 69 340 Formula S Barracuda Fastback. SBP wheels were HARD to find. After about 6 months, one of the adapters came loose and caused a lot of damage that was of course, not covered by warranty. I would personally get rid of them ASAP. I know that others will say that they are no problem. All I can tell you is what happened to me.
mullinax95
Well-Known Member
Get rid of the front wheel spacers...not a good idea running spacers
John Bond
Active Member
what parts would I need to convert to the big bolt pattern?
John Bond
Active Member
I just bought the bullet and bought a kit that includes upper control arms and everything needed
j par
Well-hung Member
The trick is to put the disc brake spindles on then you can buy the disc brake rotors which are large bolt pattern. The thing with the upper control arm is the disc brake has a bigger hole for a bigger upper ball joint. You can either get the a arm that accepts the bigger ball joint which would be the 73 and later or doctor diff sells a shim that goes over your small ball joint and goes in to that larger disc all for $20. So all in all you really just need to find those spindles and some $20 shims. But I also believe dr. Dif sales, I was reading on here I haven't looked it up for $200 or less. Also remember if you put disc brakes on the front you'll need the new portioning valve that brass piece that's down below your master cylinder usually against the frame. Then of course now you need brake calipers for your disc's. It's a worth while upgrade.
4mopwr
Well-Known Member
If you want to stay with the drums this is what i did.....
I used the same adapters that the OP used, knocked out the 4.5 circle studs, bolted back on and used it as a guide/pattern for a drill,
Pressed in 1/2" studs.....Done.
Worked great.
I used the same adapters that the OP used, knocked out the 4.5 circle studs, bolted back on and used it as a guide/pattern for a drill,
Pressed in 1/2" studs.....Done.
Worked great.
Nothing wrong with spacers if they're made from good quality material and torqued properly.
Now, if they're those cast aluminum junkers that they sell, those are a disaster. But a good billet spacer is as strong as the wheel you're attaching it to.
mullinax95
Well-Known Member
Even though I see your point as in billet versus aluminum.... why not buy wheels that fit properly or change suspension components besides "jerry rigging" the car. Cheap scape mentally I guess... ???
Surely wouldn't put them on front of the car like the OP is mentioning. Glad he listened to us and will change the components
Oh... going back to my post .... you see you're losing in the voting... 5 to 1...
Even though I see your point as in billet versus aluminum.... why not buy wheels that fit properly or change suspension components besides "jerry rigging" the car. Cheap scape mentally I guess... ???
Surely wouldn't put them on front of the car like the OP is mentioning. Glad he listened to us and will change the components
Oh... going back to my post .... you see you're losing in the voting... 5 to 1...
Why not buy wheels that fit properly? That's pretty easy-
-Off the shelf wheels in a style the owner likes aren't always available in the correct size and backspace
-Maximizing tire size to the Nth degree sometimes requires adjustments of a few mm, even on wheels that have the right backspace, due to body tolerances
-there's nothing "improper" about running spacers
All kinds of vehicles use spacers. All kinds of vehicles use aluminum hubs too, it's not an issue. Heck a ton of new cars use cast aluminum hubs. In the case of the 1" or larger spacers that have their own set of studs, as long as the material of the spacer is strong enough to support the wheel studs and the lug nuts are all properly torqued, there's no problem at all. The billet spacers are going to be significantly stronger than the center of a set of cast aluminum wheels. The problem with the cast spacers is that they don't have enough material to properly support the studs over time, and they end up cracking. Billet spacers, as long as they're made from the correct materials and have sufficient thickness, won't have that problem.
As far as the voting, I don't really care. Those are just people's opinions, and they don't change the science. The fact is, properly designed, installed, and maintained spacers aren't a problem. In many cases they're as strong or stronger than the hubs they're bolted to, and in pretty much all cases they're stronger than the wheels they hold on. If you have the misinformed opinion that they're somehow a problem, you're just factually wrong, and your opinion doesn't change a thing regarding the strength and function of the spacer.
Now, I'd rather have a set of wheels that didn't require a set of spacers that had a separate set of lugs because you have twice as many lug nuts to maintain the proper torque on and check when you pull the wheels, but it's a minor hassle, not a safety issue.
I don't disagree and I know you know this...but the concern comes in first with the fact that without mentioning replacing the studs with longer ones, there's a risk there...
Also, in some situations, spacers can screw up suspension geometry and/or put a great deal of extra wear on wheel bearings.
But yeah, with quality parts, correctly sized and accommodated by longer studs...right on.
I don't disagree and I know you know this...but the concern comes in first with the fact that without mentioning replacing the studs with longer ones, there's a risk there...
Also, in some situations, spacers can screw up suspension geometry and/or put a great deal of extra wear on wheel bearings.
But yeah, with quality parts, correctly sized and accommodated by longer studs...right on.
Everything can't be torqued properly if the studs are too short, I thought that went without saying.
They won't add any extra wear on the wheel bearings or "screw up" the suspension geometry any more than a set of wheels that has the same backspace as what is being achieved with the spacers. For example, a set of wheels with a 5" backspace and a 1/4" spacer isn't going to be any different for the suspension geometry or wheel bearings than that same set of wheels with a 4.75" backspace and no spacer.
j par
Well-hung Member
Yeah I no doubt without saying I went and got grade 8 nuts and bolts all longer when I put the half inch spacing Block in there and of course without saying I don't see how you get different wheel bearing wear.
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