Im fixing to buy chrOme smoothies for my 53 customline, 15x6 what backspace do i need??? I found some that are +6, would they work? I want my wheels flush to the inner edge of my fenderwell!!
I'm not sure what back-spacing you need....but with your wheels flush with the inner edge of your wheelwells, you will never get them off let alone get them on...! These 52-54 Ford and Mercuries have the worst wheelwells (too short)...usually you have to drop the shock to allow the rear spring to drop as far as possible...some even place a jack between the spring and the frame to try and push the spring even further down....! Believe me, you want that tire as far away from the inner lip as possible... I shortened my rear end by 3/4" on each side....(Mustang 8 inch)
you do not want to put it flush with lip....like the above post says near impossible to get the tire and wheel out from stock, im running g78-15 tires on stock wheel and have to let all the air out just to take wheel off and thats wiggling it past the fender lip,the only other way i can get them off is to drop the axle and leafspring.
did a search here for info on how to measure for rims/tires? online? place where you are ordering from should have info. don't forget to allow for bulge of tire and body movement.
Sorry i didnt tell that my car has air ride taildragger from gambino!! And bagged up front which allows me to have more than enough clearence when jacked up to change wheels and tires, and im running 5.60-15 firestones which are little!! Anyone have 15x6's smoothies On their 52-54 ford cars??
I am sending you an invitation to join the HAMB 1952-56 Ford social group,watch "Your Notifications" up top and click on it,do an intro when you join and get there a lot of the guys have lowered 52-54's and can help you out,If you get a Std offset rather than a reverse you should be good to go,there is usually excess material along the inside of the rear fender wells if you put a slit in it about every 4" and bend it up you will have a little more clearance and a smoother edge less likely to scuff a tire.I did that on my '54.
This is how I do it - Make or buy a plumb bob. Drop a line from the inside of the wheel house on whatever the tire will rub on first. Usually it's the leaf spring. Don't forget to correct for wheel travel if there is anything the tire will rub when the suspension is compressed. Make your first mark on the floor where the plumb bob lands. Now drop a line from the surface the rim seats to. Brake drum, rotor, whatever. Mark a line on the floor parallel to the first mark. Now drop a line from the outer wheelhouse correcting for anything that the tire will rub when the suspension is compressed. Make your third mark on the floor parallel to the first two marks. The outer marks are the maximum section width tire you can stuff in there. Section widths of the tires is usually posted on the tire mfg's website. Subtract 1" from the section width to allow for 1/2" clearance on the inner and outer edges of the tires. For backspace measure from the center mark to both outer marks and subtract the smaller number from the larger. That number is your backspace positive or negative depending on which way the wheel needs to shift to be in the center of the wheel well. Do the same on the front and account for the turning of the wheels. I mock up a cardboard wheel and attach it to the wheel mating surface. Use a ruler during lock to lock turning to see what will fit in the front.
The Jalopy Journal
