I've got Buick drums on the front of my roadster and am looking for wheels for it. I found a set of skinny aluminum slots and am trying to ascertain the backspace. In the meanwhile, what backspace would I need to be looking for? I'm running Buick hubs that are re-drilled for the Ford bolt pattern, so the hubs are on the inside. r
My experience was that there are a few more moving pieces than just a back space number to get it to all work. The position of the wheel drop center and shape of the transition from the drop center to the bead seat varies a bunch. So some wheel just don't work, and others won't let you position the tire correctly depending on the "look" you are after and how concerned you are that the tire contact patch and the king pin center line come any where close to being as they should.
Man Jim. That's really adding a lot to the question. I have Buick 45-fin drums and am running Buick hubs adapted to 47-8 Ford spindles on a stock 47-8 front axle. I know the wheels have to be 15" and I have a set of skinnies that I borrowed from another Hamber, but the width is all backspace and they won't seat on the drum face. I'd like the wheel width to be 4.5", but they would need to be slightly 'deep-dished' to clear the drums. I know there are people out there that have used skinny wheels on Buick drums, so give a shout out and let's get this resolved. r
theres always the set the backspace yourself process.......... get yourself a set of 15x4.5(or whatever size you choose). grind the welds holding the wheel center to the hoop. adjust to your desired backspace. now with your new measurements set your backspace and tack the wheel center to the hoop. take you time and check frequently for runout. theres lots of opinion on how often to stop and recheck your runout. safe bet to me is tack in two opposing spots, check for run out. tack two more opposing spots, check for run out. tack in four opposing spots, check for run out. if all good at this point slowly finish welding the center back to the hoop. theres a few threads around here about reversing wheels with good info and pics. a bit of a pain in the ass method but possibly the best way to get exactly what you want...ken....
My little Bro's A coupe has Buick drums with the hubs on the outside. So say the hubs add 3/8" more offset than you got. He has used old Halibrands on it that are 4.5" wide and probably have a 0 offset. He also has run Ford pickup 15"x5" steel wheels that are probably 0 offset as well. I think both of these wheels gave him plenty of clearance. So you can probably get up to 2.5" backspace or maybe a little more.
I'm using steel 49-51 15" Merc wheels on my roadster project. On the rear I found the max. back space was 3-1/4". I 'm using an old pair of widened to 7" wheels I found with that back space and they just let the fins hang out of the wheel. I haven't addressed the fronts yet though. I hate seeing half of the Buick finned drum hanging out of skinny wheels, Charlie
I like to use a backspacing that results in a slightly positive scrub radius. I like my steering feel to be light, but not so light that it feels squirelly.
Unless you like the drum being way exposed, you will need wheels with some decent backspacing. Not a reversed type wheel. Study the pics above by J, the one with black wheel looks much better. It also puts the center of the tire at approx the line from the kingpin extended down to ground level. This line should be at the center of the tire for best handling. Just mount any wheel and see where it lines up. Then decide to add or subtract backspace distance from that wheel to get the desired end result. You may be able to find some stock wheels that will work, or may need custom offset.
Jim, What size are those black wheels? They look like 16x4 Fords. My problem is that I have 15" tires and have re-drilled the hubs and drums for a 4x4.5" bolt pattern. r
Raven - Not sure about the wheel in the pic as it's not mine. I kept the Buick drums mounted to the Buick hub and used bearing adaptors from 29Rat to mount to my spindles. So I kept the 5 on 5" bolt circle that's on a bunch of big Chevys, Caddy, vans, etc. I'm running 15" wheels, and settled for 5" wide rims on front. They have a 3" backspace and my drum exposure is about like the black rim pic I posted. I've not played around with the 4.5" bolt circle, so I can't point you to a specific rim for your application. If you can't seem to locate anything, perhaps you can contact WheelKid and he may be able to help.
Jim, That's exactly what I need with the exception of the bolt pattern. r Oh, and wheelkid does not respond to PM's as I have sent him many over the last year concerning this topic...
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