Well with the way things are going I figure I need to get the wheels I want for the 63 ford galaxie skyliner. I've already got the leeds disc brakes for the front, keeping the rearend stock. I've looked at 100 plus pages on the net and found that wheels are like women everyone runs something different, so my question is...without and cutting or bending I'd like to run cragers 15 inch front and rear. Same size rims, 15x7, and tires I'm sure someone out there has done this already so what a good tire size that'll work without any issues?
my 61 Sunliner 235/75 15 rear on 6" 215/75 14" on 6" I have to put stands on the frame and let the rear down to squeeze them on .my car has new stock springs & bushings on it in the rear.the old ones were really saggy and worn.the 63 may have more room
I'm just going to say one thing, Your eye should NEVER pick out the wheels before it sees the whole vehicle as a complete unit. Tim's 61 is a prime example of getting it right. The red handles the Craigers and you see one fine looking red 61 rag top and then you start looking picking out the details one by one. No component on the build should overpower the rest of the build.
I went and looked at my car there is room for a bigger tire a good inch probably on the fender side.but I am thinking I had to let the air out of the tires to get them on
My Buddy ran one style on one side and another on the other side in HS . He would swap left to right , right to left , front to rear , rear to front . It amassed me as long as it did no one noticed same wheels as always on the car just swapped places .
Well, the first thing is I'm confused by you referring to your car as a 'Skyliner'. This name was only used for the '57-59 retractable hardtops. If you have a convertible, that's a 'Sunliner'. While Ford referred to that name in sales literature through '65, they dropped external badging in '62. With that said... The key is the right wheel backspacing. 'Standard' Cragar SS wheels use a 4.25" backspace in the 15x7/15x8 sizes which is perfect for these cars. I have a '60 Sunliner and am currently running 15x7 in the front with 235/60/15 tires, along with 15x8 rears with huge 275/60/15 rear tires. These clear the inner/outer fenders with room to spare. If I could find a 15x10 wheel with 5.25" backspacing, it would be possible to fit 295/50/15 rear tires with more than adequate clearance. There is one caveat however... Ford mashed part of the top of the inner wheelhouse down to accommodate the convertible top when lowered. The 275s rub slightly on the top of the wheelhouse when I hit a whoop-de-do at speed. I'm planning on dropping down a size as these look large (lending more of a 'race car' look than I want) with 215/70/15 fronts and 255/60/15 rears. These sizes match the diameter of the original 7.10x14 tires fitted from the factory, so I'm hoping this will at least reduce if not eliminate the rubbing in the rear (until I lower it... LOL). If you have a hardtop, there shouldn't be any rubbing. If you go with a 15x7 wheel with 4.25" backspacing and 215/70 tires all around, you'll have zero issues with fitment. The '60-64 full-size Fords are basically the same car after all. If you decide to step up the rears to a 255/60/15 for a more 'muscular' look, switch to a 15x8 with 4.25" backspacing as this will center the tire almost perfectly in the wheelwell.
Yes sorry its a sunliner late night last night and had other things on the mind when I wrote this. Thanks for the info Steve that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for function more than the muscle look since the wife will probably drive it more then myself. Would there be any issues with a 225/70 for maybe a little more meat on the pavement?
I don't see any major issue with going up a size. OEM diameter is 27", the 225/70/15 is only 1/2" taller although much wider, so you may still experience some minor rubbing in the back. The 275/60/15s I'm currently running are a full inch taller and don't rub hard or often. Not enough to worry about IMO. Some good stiff rear shocks will help with this. Hopefully you have functioning power steering. Mine is manual steering and is a real handful at slow speeds in parking lots with the 235/60s on the front. That's one reason I'm dropping the tire size, although adding power steering is on the list... LOL. Good luck!
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