Frame to Rear Drum Brake Distance, '47 Chevy Fleetline

Hey Guys, I wanted to ask how far the distance should safely by between the back of my drum brake to the flange of my frame. I have an old 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan. I have the frame off; I recently installed a 1980 Monte Carlo rear end with the trailing arms because I am going to be running airbags all around. Right now, I measure the distance from the back of the drum to the flange of the frame about 1”. Is this too small?



I plan on running skinny 5.60 x 15” tires (or maybe 14’s) with big whitewalls. I just want to make sure the tires are nicely tucked into the fender and not rub on the frame or the fender/skirts.

 

Nice visual explanation ...........WOW....


I believe 1 inch is too little. Even with custom offset rims........the tires would most likely be too close to the body. Most inner fenderwells taper out to the fender.


BUT I am not familar with the 47 Aerosedan.

 

I'd give at least an inch and a half (brake lines ect) good luck!

 

i have 3 inches on each side on my 50 chevy and thats cutting it close for me. im running stock 1960 biscayne steelies

 

Thanks for the reply...I was told I can go with adding some spacers between the drum and rim??? Maybe a 2" spacer?

 

Here's My Set-Up:

yes, check it out:

 

is anybody making 5.60x14's.... in a skinny white?

 

Oooh: that looks way too close to me. Remember the rear is going to twist a lot going into driveways & such. With the frame on stands, put a floor jack under one of the drums & jack it all the way up while the other is hanging all the way down. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit the frame. Also, I think 2" spacers are a little wide for safety reasons - although I'm sure others have run them without incident (I tend to do burnouts & take curves really fast...)
You may have to find another rearend.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

If you can't take the heat, get out of the nuclear reactor.

 

Hey, I am going to start over on the rear end. The '70 Monte Carlo rearend matches up perfectly as the stock one. It uses the trailing arms and is a 12-bolt posi. I am going to have about 2.5" distance from the back of the drum to the frame, instaed of the 1" clearance I had with the '80 Monte Carlo. I also re-measured my wheelbase and it's 113". The stock '47 Chevy Fleetline was 116". It was done wrong! 3 steps forward, 2 steps back...