***Official Car and Gearhead Thread***

[BigRedChief]

Seems like we need one on here to talk cars, mods and the coolness of your or their car.

Interested? Chime in

[Perineum Ripper]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup, something a lot like that.

I'm really coming around on the Rotiform SNA's and think I could make some adjustments to the finish and get a good look there.

Edit: Wait a damn minute...that's that rambler and looks like a 1-piece rim. That could be right in my wheelhouse. Edit again: Nah, pretty sure that's a 2-piece but probably still pretty doable.

According to Jegs website it is a 1 piece

[DJ's left nut]

Pretty damn close to what I'd have...

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

They ever get into trademark beef with Moroso?

Don't think so. Wouldn't imagine they would.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Okay custom guys - I'm running into an issue with 18s.

Looks like many manufacturers don't make an 18x7 rim. They do 18x8 but to get to 7s I need to go down to a 17.

I can get away with going with 18s in the back and 17s in the front, right? That size difference shouldn't create any odd visual cues.

I just really want to be able to put the 7s on front (probably stick with 8s in the back for depth/dimension). That will let me get those wheels back up in the fender wells a bit and improve the look.

I'm personally a fan of the staggered look. And yeah, i can't recall ever seeing an 18x7. An 18x7 would look kind of funky imo.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup, something a lot like that.

I'm really coming around on the Rotiform SNA's and think I could make some adjustments to the finish and get a good look there.

Edit: Wait a damn minute...that's that rambler and looks like a 1-piece rim. That could be right in my wheelhouse. Edit again: Nah, pretty sure that's a 2-piece but probably still pretty doable.

Not sure why'd you even want a 1-piece outside of saving some $$$.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by mac459

According to Jegs website it is a 1 piece

Yeah, looks like I can find them for about $230 for the back and $170 for the front. Well within budget.

And really, the Rotiform's were cheaper than I expected as well but they don't appear to make a 7'' rim so !@#$ 'em.

As Detox noted; a lot of those custom wheel manufacturers are making stuff for the auto-cross and hardcore custom crowd and that's just a price range I ain't gonna be working in. Even when the wheels aren't that expensive, they don't make them in the right sizes for a car that hasn't been tubbed or some shit like that.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Not sure why'd you even want a 1-piece outside of saving some $$$.

Is your concerns cosmetics or fit?

Is there a reason these ramblers wouldn't do what I'm looking for here? I guess I just don't understand the distinction between the 1 and 2 piece rims well enough to see what you're working towards. I know you've discussed the 2-piece being able to handle the offset better but there are enough options with this wheel that a good shop should be able to measure and know what I need.

Please expound, sir.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by mac459

According to Jegs website it is a 1 piece

Figured it out - that wheel comes in both.

It's about $550 more per wheel for the 2-piece. I really don't think I can justify that at all. And there is just enough of a cosmetic difference that I don't think I could get away with putting 1-piece rims on the back and the 2-piece rims on the front to keep some costs down.

For a $2,200 price difference (that would more than cover parts/install for my EFI), I think I'd have to just make due with the 1-piece. If it's a 2-piece rim and no EFI or the 1-piece rim and EFI (and probably still enough left after that to fix my AC and upgrade calipers in the front), it seems like a bit of a no-brainer.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Is your concerns cosmetics or fit?

Is there a reason these ramblers wouldn't do what I'm looking for here? I guess I just don't understand the distinction between the 1 and 2 piece rims well enough to see what you're working towards. I know you've discussed the 2-piece being able to handle the offset better but there are enough options with this wheel that a good shop should be able to measure and know what I need.

Please expound, sir.

Both.

With a 2 piece you can maximize your backspacing specific to your car. You may be able to get a little more "lip" on the rim barrel in the rear, and you can assure yourself proper fitment in the front. Im assuming you want the wheels to be tucked under the fender/quarters, right? Nothing worse then getting some wheels and they freakin' stick out.

Like i mentioned in a post before, call these wheel manufactures and ask them what the back spacing is on their 1 piece for a 1st gen Camaro. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you called 3 different companies and got 3 different answers. Maybe they all give you the same answer and you can hav a bit more confidence with a 1 piece. But i'd call around and check for sure.

I distribute for several different wheel manufactures, and several of them list different backspacing for the early Mustang. It can range from 4.25" to 5". 3/4" may not seem like much, but an 18" wheel IS an oversized wheel for these cars, therefore 3/4" could be the difference between shredding your side wall on an embankment or not.

Also, like in the pictures MIA posted, those cars are all running staggered fitment. The backspacing in the front is obviously not the same as what's used in the rear. The rear has a much deeper dish.

If you go custom 2-piece, you can achieve that staggered depth, rather than having the same wheel on all 4 corners.

Consider this:

One wheel manufacture builds their Camaro specific offset based on a car with Drums in the front.....The other may build it off a car with Discs in the front....another may base their measurment off a car that had Aftermarket Discs up front....because the surface of the hat changes in all 3 examples, each manufacture may have 3 different measurements.

Sure, the difference may only be an 1/8" to 1/4", but that difference can be the difference between your tires rubbing or not.

I can't speak on Camaros, but i know for a FACT that no two Mustangs are the same. What may fit on one '67, may rub on another.

[ModSocks]

Here's a story:

I had a customer from several years ago with a '66 Mustang. He had all stock suspension and he came to us looking for wheels.

He said he had read online that you could fit 17x8's on all four corners. I explained to him what i explained to you DJ.

He didn't listen.

He ordered up 4 wheels from someone else, we installed them, and when the car was on the lift....they fit perfectly. In the air, with no weight on them, they cleared just fine.

We sat the car down the ground....it was tight...couldn't even get a finger between the wheel and the fender.....but they fit.

As soon as the customer drove the car out of the shop and onto our sloped driveway...he left a coil of rubber on the ground...completely shaved off the sidewall against the fender. There weren't even letters on the tires up front anymore.

[ModSocks]

Like i mentioned before, if a customer calls me up looking for wheels, I'm going to sell him what i know is "safe" for his car. What is safe may not be what looks the best, as the goal is to make sure the wheel clears, not maximize the space in his quarters/fenders.

If you want what's safe AND what looks best, you may have to go with a custom measured 2-piece.

Oh, and you better be sure the guy who's measuring knows wtf he's doing...

[Marcellus]

Yea there is a metric shit ton than can effect wheel fitment especially if you are trying to maximize.

The way my car is set up I will have 4.5 to 5" Back space on an 8" wheel up front and 3.5" of backspace on an 8.5" or 9" wheel in the back.

With my suspension set up I have more room to the inside wheel well and hub in the front and on the outside of the hub in the rear.

Which will give you the flush looking wheel in the front and a deep dish wheel in the back.

I am also going staggered 17's and 18's.

Even if I used 8" wheels on all 4 corners the dish would be quite different. This is next to impossible to do with stock suspension.

[Marcellus]

Now imagine this car shiny black with a cowl hood.

[DJ's left nut]

My buddy's car:





His is on par with those super restorations above. Obviously a full frame off rotisserie restore. That's why he can't ever drive it and I can drive mine to work and softball. He had a whole bunch of combat pay and nothing to spend it on so when he got back, he just kept throwing money at this thing and 5 years later had the monster that it is today.

The funny thing is that as nice as that car is and as well built as it is, there are still as many gremlins in that as there are in mine. He had a problem with his rear brakes for the longest time (couldn't get them to unlock right) and for some weird ass reason, his tail/brake light on the left side just wouldn't turn on/off correctly.

He has some pretty exotic shit in there, though. It's been awhile but he ended up with some sort of strange block design (I think from Jegs) that mounts to the 350 engine mounts but makes like 550 HP. I've never actually driven his; just a little skittish with that much car that required that much $$ and if you wrecked it you'd never really have it exactly right again.

[Perineum Ripper]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

My buddy's car:





His is on par with those super restorations above. Obviously a full frame off rotisserie restore. That's why he can't ever drive it and I can drive mine to work and softball. He had a whole bunch of combat pay and nothing to spend it on so when he got back, he just kept throwing money at this thing and 5 years later had the monster that it is today.

The funny thing is that as nice as that car is and as well built as it is, there are still as many gremlins in that as there are in mine. He had a problem with his rear brakes for the longest time (couldn't get them to unlock right) and for some weird ass reason, his tail/brake light on the left side just wouldn't turn on/off correctly.

He has some pretty exotic shit in there, though. It's been awhile but he ended up with some sort of strange block design (I think from Jegs) that mounts to the 350 engine mounts but makes like 550 HP. I've never actually driven his; just a little skittish with that much car that required that much $$ and if you wrecked it you'd never really have it exactly right again.

When and where do you play softball at..I play Thursday nights up at Cosmo Park