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Rear Knock Off wheels too Wide
Sometime quite a while back I picked up a set of used 5 pin Knock off wheels including the universal (Chevy or Ford) hubs. They are 7.5 X 15 & 9.5 X 15 wheels. I finally got around to trying them on my CR1. Now I find the front work fine but the rears are too wide! They stick out of the rear fender almost 2 inches. Over an inch of that alone is the adaptor.
So now I have to either choose different wheels like the bolt on style wheel, keep the (IMHO the original, ugly) black steel 8" wheels that Classic Roadsters supplied, or replace the rear wheels with 7.5 " wide knock offs. Just purchasing two of the knock off wheels is more than the cost of the whole set with adaptors that I already purchased. Its not like I'm trying to build an exact replica, obvious since I purchased a CR1! Suggestions? Thom |
What kind of adapter are you using? The five pin adapters I had on my Hurricane were less than 1/2" thick. Can you post a photo or two?
Larry |
Will try to post Thursday afternoon. Wife has to go to Chicago to get her 2nd Covid vaccine tomorrow.
Thom |
When buying ANY wheel for a Cobra checking and specifying wheel back spacing is critical since there's no standardization between different manufacturers. This determines how far your wheel sits within the wheel well and subsequently how far it sits outside too. It's just not as simple as... 7.5 X 15 & 9.5 X 15. It sounds like your rears won't be usable.
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I remounted the knock off on one rear side (yes, I know it is on the wrong side- just temp mock up). It turns out the due to the snug fit of the pin drives- it does only add 1/2" to the hub.
But that still left the wheel sticking out 1 1/2". So I purchased some 2" fiberglass flairs. I temp mounted one onto the rear fender just to see how it would look. They are normally a screw-on for race cars and come in black fiberglass. Click on a photo to see it in a larger view. If I keep the wider rear wheels I need to increase the fender width. I could glue them on, and add glass filler to blend them into the fender. Trying to decide if it will look OK. http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/pict...=19407&thumb=1 It will cover the wheel at the top. There is a lot of space above the tire and wheel arch on the rear as the car sits now. http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/pict...=19409&thumb=1 As you can see from this finished CR on a side view, the rear arch is very high, So I think the added flare will actually improve the sizing. http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/pict...=19410&thumb=1 Do like having the 9.5" rear wheel vs the 7.5" that would fit under the stock fender. I will just have to work with the fiberglass to make sure the added flare looks not like an add-on. Thom |
There's always more than one way to skin a cat; each to his own and all that!
Checking for proper backspacing/fit, as Undy brought up, is the lesson here. |
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But with that said- I had gotten such a deal on the setup that even if I decide to stay with the stock fender line and purchase 2 new rear wheels in a size that will fit, I will still be in for less cost then if I had purchased 4ea- 5 bolt-on style wheels. I have also thought about just reselling this setup and purchasing 4 new bolt-on wheels that will fit under the fenders. No undoable mods have been made to the fenders as of yet. More to come. Thom |
I would verify that the wheel goes all the way onto the adapter with a feeler gauge. I'd also measure thee depths of the pin holes on the back side of the wheels. If they have enough depth,you might have that surface machined down and re chamfered or radiused to mate to the adapter to bring the wheel back into the right position.
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Ed |
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Are you using a live axle (e.g. Ford 9")? Have you thought about getting it narrowed? |
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The easiest solution is to get two Trigo 427 Cobra 5-Lug Wheels in the 7.5" width to match the front and sell my two Cobra2 9.5" X 15" rear wheels. The 7.5" width does not allow as much rubber but its backspacing and adapter does make it move out a bit ore to the outside edge of the fender then the original steel wheel the car came with. One I used my lead hammer on the knock-off- the wheel sets right into place. But the 9.5" width with the 1/2" adapter and the backset of the Cobra2 wheel pushes the edge of the wheel out beyond the fender edge by 1.5". I did look at the Rocket Wheels Sunburst Wheels. They are a bolt on with the look of the original Sunburst style. Love the look but more costly. I have some time to choose the "next step" for the wheels. I have decided not to add the flair- just don't like the look of it. Just needed to make sure before it goes off to the paint shop soon! Thom |
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I did reach out to Vintage Wheels and they will assist me with getting replacement rear wheels for my needs. Very quick response and very helpful! I'm impressed!
If any one is looking for a pair of used 9.5"X15" 5 pin drive wheels- let me know! Thom |
You will be very happy with your decision. Vintage made two custom backspace wheels for me that worked perfectly. Wider wheel/tire combo was brought just inside the fender. Make sure that the extra backspace will clear all bracketry and spring perches.....but Bob will have warned you to do all that!
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To the OP, While flaring the fender will cover the tire / wheel combo you are potentially changing the appearance of the body in a significant way. Even if you are not attempting a period correct car, there are visual cue's and an expected external apearance that potential buyers look for when they are making buying decisions. Your flare enhancement is likely to violate those unspoken expectations and diminish both the visual appeal of your car to potential buyers and also the resale value. I would try to find a different solution. Ed |
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Mine is a drum. I will pull the wheels and take a closer look. Guess I am a little confused what is a "tone ring"? Thom |
Mine was a disk unit. The tone rings were used on the disk brake axles. They were mounted on the axle between the housing and the flange for the anti-lock brakes. The housings for the drum and disk rear-ends were the same, but due to the disk brakes, the rear ends were wider.
Forte makes disk adapters as well as North Racecars. North Racecars were cheaper because they made them out of steel if I recall. I upgraded from the factory 10.5" to the 11.66" Mustang Cobra brakes on the rear. Real easy to do. I had 17" rims. Not sure of the 11.66" brakes will fit with 15" wheels. I bought the axles from Moser if I recall. I ordered them with the disk brake hub instead of the drum hub as the disk hub is larger. The axles were surprisingly inexpensive. I guess people did it a lot. So, I had the housing narrowed, bought the disk adapters, and put in new shortened axles. Then I had 11.66" rear disks with the narrowed rear. |
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