Can anyone tell me what is the largest tire and rim you can install on a 1962 Mercury Comet without having to perform a mini-tub on the car? I plan on installing a Ford 9" Rear End and shortening it, however I really don't want to mini-tub it. Thanks A Bunch!
just looking at the old Thunderbolt Fords of 1963/64 - those Fairlanes got a pretty big tire under them on a 15" wheel....you have to consider off set.....try going to a Ford Thunderbolt web site.....
You'll find that a Fairlane and a Comet are two completely different things! The Comet shares architecture with the same year Falcon, and the bad news is that there IS no room! My '62 Falcon has the stock leafs, a Maverick 8" narrowed to 54" hub to hub, 7" wheels that are backspaced 3 1/2", and the best I can stuff under is a 195/65-15. Now, a bit of bashing and playing here and there, and i think I could go as much as a 215/60-15.... Maybe.
I got a 225/60-15 under a '64 Comet on the stock rear with a 7" wheel and 4.25" backspacing but I don't think the early bodies are that roomy... And I had a hard time finding the wheels.
I have a '60 Falcon. It has the same wheel houses as your '62 Comet. I run 195/60-R15's on 15" x 7" wheels, with 4-1/2" backspacing. I am running a 1991 Ranger 8.8 rear end, that is 56-1/2" wide, or 1/4" wider on each side than the stock rear. I had to build new outer wheel houses. They are what cause a space issue. @hotroddon has a '63 (I think) Falcon. I am not sure if he has tubs. He has installed front wheel arches in the rear, and his tires are pretty damned wide. Maybe he will weigh-in. When I have a block of time, I will be installing front arches in the rear on mine, as well. I cannot change a tire without disconnecting the shocks.
I also re-arched the quarters which will allow wider tires to protrude out, but the rear leafs are too close to the hubs to get any width under the car. I'm running 235/60/14 on reverse 8" rims and they nearly hit the springs. Before I did the arches, I was running 205/70/15 on 15x7 wheels with 3.125" backspace. They left me with one finger (3/4" or so) width from the leaf springs. They just barely fit and would scrub on bumps and turns, especially with passengers in the car. I'm running a stock 8" rear, which is the narrowest 8" that Ford ever produced.
We have a '61 Comet. We put in a narrowed 9", don't recall the width, and 6" rims, have forgotten the offset too. (I'm old, leave me alone.) Got a pair of OT 225/75R15s to work. They clear OK, but we have to let the axle hang to get them on and off the drum. I think we might have even gotten away with 235s, but the 225s are pretty close fit.
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