Older 15 inch wheels with disk brakes?

I have a 62 Unibody with a volare front clip. I'm looking to run steel, or some sort of custom wheel from the 60's. I read somewhere that if you want to run the type of wheels I'm looking at I need to have at least a 4 inch back space.

Is there any truth to this? Or is there something else I need to look at on the backside of older wheels to see if they will work with disk brakes?


Mark

 

Correct me if i'am wrong, but the diameter of the inside wheel and the outside diameter of the disc and more importantly the outside disc brake caliper measurement are more important than the offset. I run a 5 inch width, 15 inch diameter rim with Wilwood disc brakes no problem.

 

I thought the same thing. You just need to deal with the measurements you mentioned. I believe what the other person said was that wheels with the 4 inch offset are built with less of a taper. I have no idea if this is true or just depends on each wheel.

 

As stated above you just have to make sure the rims you buy clear your calipers . As for the back spacing you have to make sure they clear you tie rods. If your using the same wheels all the way around make sure they fit your rear as well so you can rotate them as needed. Are you running drums on the rear? It's pretty easy to make a cardboard template of your bolt pattern with a high spot for caliper clearance and lay that in the backside of the rims your looking at before you buy. That what I did.

 

I tried a few sets of older chevy wheels, could not get a good fit, so I ended up ordering new steelies with a deeper offset on the rear. probibly would have been ok if all the s****pers hadn't gotten rid of every wheel they could find. I like the template idea

 

Let's see what we have here.....

 

There are several factors. One is caliper overhang. I cannot recall on the Volare clip, but I could check on Monday, as we just removed one. This is the amount, if any, that the disc caliper sticks out past the wheel mounting surface. If it is past the wheel mounting surface, the wheel center, or spokes must accommodate it.

Another is how far the caliper is away from the spindle center-line, when viewed from the side. In other words, the inner lip of the wheel must clear the caliper. Many older wheels vary quite a bit in design. Some have tapered shells on the inside. The metal from where the bead is, to the trough of the drop-center is sloped, at a straight line. Others, and most modern wheels, have a stepped shell. You are more likely to get a good fit with a stepped shell.

Then, as has been mentioned, the backspacing must be compatible with your tie rod ends (and any/all bodywork).

 

Some good info, thanks. Ive found several sets of wheels that I am interested in, but none of them are close to me, so it makes it tough to try before buying.

Spend the money on the wheels with shipping it gets pricey, especially if they dont quite fit.

 

As others have noted it's not about the back spacing or offset, it's about the back-side profile of the wheel center.

Pretty much any OE steel wheel made after '68 or so should clear. If I were in your shoes I'd be looking at running some 16x7 '90s Crown Vic P71 cop-car wheels and 225/60-16 tires, but the 15in variety should fit as well. You could even try to track down a set of the 15x6.5 Diplomat cop-car wheels...

 

I run 1970's 15x6 aluminum slotted mags on my Volare clip with stock Volare calipers and rotors with no problem on my '58 Chevy Fleetside

 

I'm pretty sure Volares came stock with 14's....

 

You know that's kind of funny. I get so hung up on 15 inch wheels I had forgotten so many cars came with only 14 inch.