hi all. Been some time. Finally getting back at it. My '53 was on a 4x4 s10 frame. Stance sucked no matter what I did. Found a 2x4 frame, same dimensions with 3" lowering blocks in the rear, 2" drop springs in the front and v8 mounts for dirt cheap. I know everyone says to use a 4x4 rear on these swaps. But can I use the 2x4 rear and get a wider tirer with the correct offset???? Has anyone done this???? Thanks for the help. Very jealous of everyone's trucks ☺️
The short answer: It depends. The amount of wheel offset in modern vehicles is much different than "vintage" wheels. The correct offset is everything. We used to go by backspace (self explanatory), now its offset. Offset is relative to the center of the rim (i.e. 4" in on an 8" wide wheel is zero offset). Positive offset pushes the mounting surface OUT (which pulls the tire IN). Vintage wheels had negative offset (hence the term "deep dish"), nowadays offsets are more likely to be positive. The OE's have figured out they can push the brakes INSIDE the wheel, and use the freed up space under the car for other stuff. For a really cool interactive tool showing offset (and tire size data), visit www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp
Ednarg, I reread your post, and noticed you mentioned wider tires out back, as part of the benefit of wheel offset/rear end width. A quick check with a yardstick says there is around 11-1/4" clearance between the fender-lip and the bedside. If you figure the width of your finger (3/4") for clearance inside and out, you are left with 9-3/4" for tire width. A quick revisit to the interactive tire sizing tool I linked in my previous post, and a 245 wide tire is 9.6" wide at the bulge. A 255 is right at 10". Tubbing the bed means steamrollers all day, but a stock fender will limit you to a 245, with margin. For reference, Penny (my truck) is shod with 245's (245/50R20 on steel wheels- same height as the original tire, just much wider with less sidewall), and they FILL the fender.
We're all waiting for that, Zig... You know, when you assemble that bed, you could hang a CHEVROLET tailgate on it. Steve.
