Wheels / Tires: 17 x 7 wheels on my lark

[sven]

[52-fan]

I am not a fan of the spokes that curve outward, but for a modern wheel it looks good.

[swvalcon]

Fills up the wheel opening good and dont look out of place but I'am not a fan of anything larger than 15" on a classic car.

[Dick Steinkamp]

and

So many folks put the taller wheels on older cars but don't lower them like you did. The result is that the car looks like it is on its tip toes or that it's pants are too short and its socks are showing.

You did it just right. The wheels/tires fill the wheel wells with the car lowered.

Perfect stance (IMHO). Beautiful car.

Newish Mustang wheels?

[r1lark]

That does look very good! Honestly, I was a little afraid to open this thread , but glad I did. And the Regal trim on the hardtop looks really good, better than a Daytona IMHO (and I've got a '62 Daytona hardtop.......).

What specifically did you do to lower the car?

[fpstude]

What Dick said. The proportions are really good. I don't modify cars, but if I did I would start with the profile of your car as a guide.

[slinger]

Does it do anything for the ride/handling?

[Dougie]

Beuatiful. Makes the car look contemporary.

[starliner62]

That is a great stance!

[plwindish]

The car looks good with the wheels. Any clearance issues up front?

[sven]

thanks guys! I lowered the car years ago and left it on stock wheels/covers. I cut the coils years ago... think I took a full coil out with a porta-band. In the rear i just popped in an old 1" block I had laying around from when I use to tinker with ww2 jeeps. Had some longerish U-bolts too so it was a budget drop to say the least. The wheels are ridler retro thrusts with zero offset. Thats about 4" backset. 205/50-17. Yes light fender rubbing, I'm gonna slowly massage the metal open with a dowel and easy driving movements. Also installed some gas shocks I got from another member from the board a while back who's local here in Buford. The cars street manners are so much much nicer now. Tracks and corners better but the whitewall radials on the car before were just horrible. Stance is critical for me and I'd like to think I've started mastering the art of it over the years and vehicles I've had. Here's a before shot. If I decide to return to the stock covers I'll try to find some 15 x 7" wheels with wide whites for a different look.

[Xcalibur]

IF one keeps the outside tire diameter the same (or close) to "stock" there is no reason a larger diameter wheel need make the car look like it is "up on its toes," nor must it be lowered to compensate.

[48skyliner]

I think the stance and the wheels look good, though I would personally have not lowered the front quite so much - what you have there is a slight "Dago rake". Of course with four people in the car, it would probably sit about level. I have 17x7 alloys on my 48 Starlite coupe, and we set the ride height at 1 inch below stock, although we will have adjustability both front and rear when it is completed. My wheels are from some kind of Nissan, apparently sold only in Japan. The suspension we are using is pretty wide and requires a lot of wheel offset. I am running 215x50/17 tires.

For fender clearance, I formed a block of wood to fit into the rolled edge of the fender, about 6 inches long, tapered slightly at the ends so it will not have any sharp edges pushing out. Then I jacked out from the frame with a Portapower hydraulic ram, massaged the rolled edge ahead and behind very carefully with a large rubber hammer, released the pressure, took measurements, and repeated until I have the desired 3/4 inch increase, which gives me 1/2 inch minimum clearance. Your car also has a nice rolled edge which would allow this procedure.

I do not like the popular "slammed" look, which always makes me think the springs have collapsed. I think that can only look right if the wheel well openings are raised accordingly. And of course anything lower than what you and I have makes the car impractical for a normal driver.

[plwindish]

Unrelated to the wheels, but are you still using the roof rack? JUst wondered why you had the rack on. Regarding the wheels, I recently got an 89 Avanti with lowered front end and 18" wheels with 245/40 tires up front and 245/40's on 20" in the back. The front tires rub the anti-sway bar both directions right and left. I've started checking into some smaller tires up front. An afternoon session at the tire shop experimenting with some 225/40's and 215/50's to see what will give full turning and no interference issues is the next step.

[Peanut]

Man, you nailed the stance! And the wheel style looks too sweet. Nicely done!