How to narrow an Aspen/Volare front clip???

BACKGROUND:
When it was somewhat fashionable (1991) I replaced the parallel spring/beam axle front on Clarence with a 1979 (maybe 1978) Dodge Diplomat front clip. The 14" ET unilug wheels (early on) and (later) the boneyard steelies fit and worked perfectly on the front. Offset looked good and nothing ever rubbed. Last summer I took down four 15x7 swap meet slot mags that I bought way back when and put them, along with new tires, on Clarence. The rears moved the wheels/tires out and now that looks way better than the old wheels ever did. The old wheels looked funny as they sat too far towards the centerline of the truck while the 14" fronts looked perfect.

The fronts, however, are a different story. The tires stick out too far. Not to mention the 15" tires are taller. I even had the tire shop order new front tires to match the rears but the smallest 15" that they could get. They are still too tall and stick out too far.

At the time I didn't worry about it since my plan was to order up polished American 5-spokes with appropriate back spacing to make everything right. Since then the slot mags have grown on me and I sorta like them now. I suppose it's possible to find/buy slot mags with deeper backspacing but what I have are perfectly matched and I'd like to keep them.

QUESTION:
Is there a practical way to suck in the Aspen/Volare/Diplomat front to have these existing wheels closer to the centerline of the truck? i.e.,

• shortener A-arms (modified original or aftermarket)?
• different (modified or aftermarket) uprights that bring the wheels in?
• other?

Note that if I had known over 30 years ago what I know now I'd have rebuilt the springs/shackles/kingpins/steering box/etc. and kept the beam axle. Ain't hindsight great??? Back then I had a huge house payment and a high-maintenance wife, leaving nearly no money available for hot rod parts. It was less expensive to put the Mopar independent in than to rebuild what was there.

 

I doubt there's an easy way to narrow it. Or even a difficult way, since the torsion bars go across the crossmember.

Have you considered using different style wheels, front and back? Like we did in the old days, when we could only afford to buy two wheels at a time? For example, I have aluminum slots on the front of my Corvette, with Cragar G/Ts out back.



Or how about finding some 14x6 aluminum slots for the front? They seem to be easier to find than narrow 15" wheels. Tire choice is a problem, though, as you know.

 

Stuff to consider...

 

I've installed a few of those clips back in the day, as far as I know, there is no way to make it more narrow.
The lower control arms have the cross torsion bar attachment points, so you are pretty much stuck with those being stock. Then the next issue is the torsion bars themselves, that only fit that K member, and only are available in the one length, which would prevent any kind of narrowing. They probably wouldn't accommodate inset spindles if such a thing could be had, the rotors wouldn't clear the torsion bars.
Wheels with the correct inset are your only option. Sorry.

As for the wheels, the factory stock Dakota steel wheels from 1988 to 1990 have the 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern with the wheel center towards to outside of the rim buy about an inch. They were 6" wide 15" wheels.
This is a 15" x 6" Dakota wheel. Might give you the offset you need.

 

Could you push the fenders out a little bit around the wheel opening without damaging your new paint job?

 

Thanks Gene. I still have the 14" steel wheels that I had on there at one time. They are on a trailer right now but I could paint them up and put them back on with chrome lug nuts, spider bullets, and trim rings. Along with doing the same thing on the rear. Maybe I could put the 15" slot mags on the trailer...

Thanks for the response SS; but nope. Those fenders are fiberglass and there's not much way to modify them without a major bodywork overhaul. That just ain't gonna happen.



Sounds like I'm back to doing something with wheels. Maybe I'll go back to my original thought of ordering polished Americans. Or buying slot mags for the front with more backspacing and/or narrower.



Thank you all for reading, considering, and responding.

 

I bought narrow new aluminum slots for the front of my 57 Suburban, they worked fine. That was around 10 years ago.

 

I like that.

Of course that 'burb is one of my all-time favorites and the wheels are just perfect on it.

 

Sorry, I didn’t realize you had plastic fenders. I wouldn’t want to screw up the paint job either if I was in your shoes.

 

I was going to offer a set of the 15" Dakota wheels to test fit, but then I checked to see how far apart we are, I suspect 340 or so miles and almost 6 hours one way driving time is probably a bit of a haul to test fit some wheels.

 

Yeah; it is.

 

If you like slots, there's a guy on here that makes up and sells chrome slots. From Milwaukee, I think. I can't think of his handle.

Gary

 

If I buy more slots they will be aluminum to match the rears.

Thanks though.

 

You could go back to what ya had and....put some big-old-fatties on the back to bring THEM out some !!
Gotta love a panel truk

 

@atch, I have four unilug aluminum slots that are 14", 14x6 I believe. If I make it that direction I will bring you two!

 

Thanks man. Let's talk later in the summer...

 

You actually *want* 14"s ??? . Got 2 - 14" ET IV unilugs. Don't think I'm going to use them.
Marcus...