Too much wheel offset?

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deathracer66
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Too much wheel offset?

Post by deathracer66 »

Is there a rule of thumb as to how much offset early model suspension can handle? Car is Tube framed, with partial Manta Mirage body. Probably weighs less than 2000 pounds. I am making it street legal, but will see very limited use, just car shows and cruise-ins. Is this much offset putting undue stress on any components? Thanks.
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freedo
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by freedo »

your wheels bearings are going to hate life. puts alot of stress on the studs. that being said. if its going to run at low speeds and very rarely id say it will be ok, just keep an eye on it. also paint them black so they blend in
deathracer66
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by deathracer66 »

These wheels and spacers were on it when I bought it. I'm going with a slighly thinner set of Cragers. I just checked EM rear bearing prices, I really don't want to have to replace them. Since I'm fabricating a new rear body, I may be able to taper it in if the wheels look like they're not spaced out far enough.
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davemotohead
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by davemotohead »

Ahh ya that's not good, OK if your just trailing it to shows But I would not drive it like that for any length of time, your bearings will die and the axle will slide out, bearings are designed for the load to be centered on the bearing, Zero offset is what a bearing likes,the further you get away from zero the more side load pressure is put on the bearing and it will wear out prematurely and rapidly from the added leverage of the giant offset you have here, stacking wheel spacers like that is not a good idea.
deathracer66
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by deathracer66 »

Okay, I just spent a few hours reading the difference between offset and backspacing, and how they affect each other. These wheels are 10 inches wide, with 7 inches of backspace. With the 4 inch spacers, the centerline is 2 inches from the hub. Removing 1 spacer will get me back to zero. But looking at the specs on stock wheels, they had 4 and a half inches of backspacing, and were only five and a half inches wide. That would put the center of the wheel at negative 1 3/4 from the hub. Is that the centerline for the bearings? I am getting rid of these wheels, I"m just trying to see exactly what I need for a really wide wheel to go back on. Thanks in advance if anyone can help.
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azdave
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by azdave »

This calculator lets you try some wheel and tire options and you get to choose all of the parameters. It's nice becase you get a visual drawing with a before and after to compare. I used it to set up the tire/wheel combo on my 66 sedan (including choosing the proper wheel adapter/spacer).

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

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Dave W. from Gilbert, AZ

66 Corsa 140/4 Yenko Stinger Tribute
66 Corsa 140 Coupe w/factory A/C
65 Monza 4DR 140/PG w/factory A/C
65 Monza 4DR EJ20T/5
64 Greenbrier 110/PG, Standard 6-Door
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reidmier
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by reidmier »

Sorry if this has already been discussed but... Is that the real Calamity Jane car from Death Race 2000?

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Reid M.
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VairLess
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by VairLess »

reidmier wrote:Sorry if this has already been discussed but... Is that the real Calamity Jane car from Death Race 2000?

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I thought that looked familiar........
Scott Farnell
Calgary, Alberta
65 Monza (Corsa Clone)
deathracer66
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Re: Too much wheel offset?

Post by deathracer66 »

reidmier- Yep, thats her. It got a little dinged up in the movie (it was built to last 3 weeks of filming, not 40 years). Rather than fix the cracked fiberglass, the first museum that had it covered it in cow hides. This can be seen in the 1988 movie "Earth Girls Are Easy". When the Volo museum (outside Chicago) got it, they stripped the cow hides off and had it covered in black fur to look more like a "Chicago" bull. And they glued every square inch of black fur down with liquid nails. Ask me how I know this! Anyways, the body is coming along nicely and mechanics are pretty good. I'm trying my best to have it completed for Springfest in Helen GA next year, or Knoxville at the latest.
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