Wheels / Tires: Mustang Wheels become Avanti Wheels

[sweetolbob]

Nothing up my sleeve!!

I've shown bits and pieces before but here are parts and the assembled centers and wheels all cleaned up on the Avanti.

I turned the center caps and WCP provided the Avanti centers, Thx Bill.

Bob

[BobPalma]

Slick! Does not look fabricated. BP

[Buzzard]

Very nice work Bob!
What year is your car and what are the wheel sizes(staggered?) and tire sizes you used?
Bill

[Dave Bates]

Looks great!

[sweetolbob]

Very nice work Bob!
What year is your car and what are the wheel sizes(staggered?) and tire sizes you used?
Bill

Bill - 1974 Avanti, Turner front brake kit using 99-04 Mustang wheels. 17" X 8" rims with 225-55R17 Falken Ziex tires. No stagger.

Thanks guys, Bob

[studegary]

They look nice. I hope that you are using lug nuts that are large enough for the large Ford wheel lug holes.

[bensherb]

They look good, I like those wheels but they're hard to find here. It's nice too that the '04 Mustang still used 1/2" lugs so the fit is easy. Did you need to shorten your steering arms so the 17"x8" wheels will clear them? Or have you installed the short steering arms? Now make some simple brackets like these from 3/8" plate and you can add the '04 mustang brakes too. Both front and rear.
sorry they're upside down, this site does that.

I've got 2017 Mustang wheels with 235-55-17's to use but the 2017 uses 9/16" lugs so I made special washers to re-size the wheel holes to fit 1/2" lugs and nuts. I do need to shorten the steering arms about 1/4" to clear the rim though.

[grobb284]

Bob, Your modifications always look professional.

[Chris Pile]

Finer than frog fur.

[sweetolbob]

They look good, I like those wheels but they're hard to find here. It's nice too that the '04 Mustang still used 1/2" lugs so the fit is easy. Did you need to shorten your steering arms so the 17"x8" wheels will clear them? Or have you installed the short steering arms? Now make some simple brackets like these from 3/8" plate and you can add the '04 mustang brakes too.

I've got 2017 Mustang wheels with 235-55-17's to use but the 2017 uses 9/16" lugs so I made special washers to re-size the wheel holes to fit 1/2" lugs and nuts. I do need to shorten the steering arms about 1/4" to clear the rim though.

I chose the 99-04 wheels because of their backspacing. It looks like they fit quite well. I haven't done anything to the front suspension other than rebuild it completely with Delrin bushings and added the Turner brake kit.

Here's a couple of shots that I should have posted earlier showing the back side clearance. I believe that the later Avanti's used the shorter arms from the factory.



Bob

[sweetolbob]

They look nice. I hope that you are using lug nuts that are large enough for the large Ford wheel lug holes.

Thanks Gary, Always worth the warning. Luckily, as Ben said above, the Mustang lugs fit the Avanti wheel studs. 1/2" X 20. Another reason I stayed with the 99-04.

Bob

- - - Updated - - -

Bob, Your modifications always look professional.

From you Gene, I really appreciate that.

Thanks, Bob

[studegary]

Bob - I figured that you knew about the sizing. I posted more for general information for others because many buy wheels/rims without the matching/appropriate lug nuts.

I am a bit surprised that you used the old rim edge weights and not the modern stick on type for balance.

[sweetolbob]

Bob - I figured that you knew about the sizing. I posted more for general information for others because many buy wheels/rims without the matching/appropriate lug nuts.

I am a bit surprised that you used the old rim edge weights and not the modern stick on type for balance.

Good eye Gary. It took me quite a while to recognize that Discount tire used a combination of lip and stick-on weights. I don't know if they ran out of stick-on's or their machine told them to do it this way. I had them so long that the tires that were new when they installed them are now three years old so I'll run them this way and see.

I guess my dotage is slowing down this build.

I acknowledged your comment on lug nuts as I like to condense a topic so it is available in future searches and it was appropriate.

Thanks, Bob

[bensherb]

I chose the 99-04 wheels because of their backspacing. It looks like they fit quite well. I haven't done anything to the front suspension other than rebuild it completely with Delrin bushings and added the Turner brake kit.

Here's a couple of shots that I should have posted earlier showing the back side clearance. I believe that the later Avanti's used the shorter arms from the factory.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]75085[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]75086[/ATTACH]

Bob

Interesting. I'm surprised you don't have the same interference with the steering arm I have. Your wheels have over 1/4" more offset than mine, but are also 1/2" wider , meaning they should end up in about the same place, in fact should be .030 closer. I wonder if the Turner brake hub moves the wheel mounting surface outward compared to the Stude hub. I notice a wheel spacer next to your wheel in one pic, did you use a spacer to move the wheel outward?

[sweetolbob]

Interesting. I'm surprised you don't have the same interference with the steering arm I have. Your wheels have over 1/4" more offset than mine, but are also 1/2" wider , meaning they should end up in about the same place, in fact should be .030 closer. I wonder if the Turner brake hub moves the wheel mounting surface outward compared to the Stude hub. I notice a wheel spacer next to your wheel in one pic, did you use a spacer to move the wheel outward?

Ben, Let me say to the spacer (yes, no, maybe) Before I address that issue just a couple of cleanup photos and thanks to you for pressing the issue.

Wheel weight distribution on wheels.


To start the discussion, the wheel data - Sorry it's upside down.


When I removed the drivers side wheel there was a spacer (less than 3/8") between the wheel and rotor. I cleaned up the wheel, added the center cap and replaced it on the rotor without the spacer, I bolted it up and it fit like the pictures so I thought I might have just left the spacer on after I switched from the old wheels to the Mustang's a few years back and let the thought go.

Your question prompted me to rethink why it was there. In my defense, I'm working on the 4th quarter of 100 yrs and I'm claiming CRS. I decided to measure the back spacing on all the wheels and they were 4 1/4" on all of them.
A touch on an angle but close.

I then took a different wheel and put it on the passengers side. At full left turn lock the wheel just hit the edge of the A-arm and the zerk end. Nothing like the drivers side. I went back to the drivers side to be sure and I could get my finger between the wheel edge and A-arm. Plenty of clearance on the drivers side. Took the wheel off the drivers side, put it on the passenger side and the same rubbing issue with the A-arm. Not a wheel issue.

Decided to measure some of the rotor and clearance gaps to find the issue and here's the data. A caution as some of the measurements may include shim stock thickness but the numbers will be consistent from side to side.



The rotors measure out about the same on either side distance wise including rotor face to spindle end so I would suggest that they are mounted in the same position side to side.

The two differences are the distance from the base of the zerk on the front of the upper A-arm to the rotor face which is about 1/2". So that accounts for the difference in wheel clearance. Shimming the wheel out 1/4" on the passenger side gives enough clearance to mount the wheel.

The tie rod lengths are the other difference with about a 3/8" difference. I thought I had the wheels running parallel but there has been so alignment so I suspect that will also have some effect on clearance. The steering wheel is centered by splitting the number of turns in each direction also.

I not sure yet if I will use spacers and use longer wheel studs or adjust the alignment to parallel with a slight toe-in to see what happens or entertain adding a steering stop to each side.

I'm adding this data to the post to be sure others check when they change wheels but it will be a while before I add my final solution as the stuff I need to buff out the paint should be here tomorrow and that's more important to finish in warm weather than the spacing issue in my book.

I hope other that read this will add there thoughts and suggestions to the mix.

Bob