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Spacers on front wheels

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Old Jan 24, 2007 | 01:42 PM
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Default Spacers on front wheels

The guy I bought my car off of put some big $ boyd rims and tires on my 76. He said he was postive that the offset was correct, but they look to far into the front wheel well by at least an inch or two. Can I put a spacer between the hub and the wheel to push the front wheels out? Or will this do something horrible to the bearings/knuckle.



Car in question.

Last edited by BigBadRed; Jan 24, 2007 at 01:47 PM.
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Old Jan 24, 2007 | 02:33 PM
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You can in fact install spacer/adapters on the front to bring the wheels out further. Ebay is a good place to look, but make sure you are getting hub-centric adapters.

Now, with that said, it would be a good idea to pull the wheel after 50 miles, and re torque everything. The lugs that hold the adapter can loosen or seat in the adapter, and by re torquing you avoid problems.

They will put extra strain on the bearings...but it's nothing they can't handle unless you drive and turn hard.
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Old Jan 24, 2007 | 03:06 PM
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I have 1.5" wheel adaptors (these are the ones you bolt onto your original hub and mount the wheel to the spacer) on the front of mine to push the wheels out to fill the flares...had no issues with them.

In fact I think I have another pair of 1.25" spacers on my workbench ..$30 if you want 'em
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Old Jan 24, 2007 | 07:54 PM
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It is hard to tell how far in your wheels are sitting in that pic but I can't believe that your wheels are sitting even an inch too far in and your able to get any turning radius to speek of. I have Boyd smothie II's and they cant make them with the proper backspacing. They were in 1/2" further than they should be and I had to put spacers behind them as even that would have been a problem. Another thing I noticed is even with the backspacing right the modern tires have a much squarer corner and will rub the sway bar if you turn really hard.
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Old Jan 25, 2007 | 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by lvrpool32
I have 1.5" wheel adaptors (these are the ones you bolt onto your original hub and mount the wheel to the spacer) on the front of mine to push the wheels out to fill the flares...had no issues with them.

In fact I think I have another pair of 1.25" spacers on my workbench ..$30 if you want 'em

Thanks for all the tips, and lvrpool32, let me measure to see how much I need, and if its 1.25" I will email you
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Old Jan 25, 2007 | 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by lvrpool32
In fact I think I have another pair of 1.25" spacers on my workbench ..$30 if you want 'em

Are your spare spacers hub-centric? Are they bought or did you make them?
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Old Jan 25, 2007 | 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by BigBadOrange
Thanks for all the tips, and lvrpool32, let me measure to see how much I need, and if its 1.25" I will email you
1.25" works well with the original studs on the hub.The entire stud will fall below the flush outer edge of the adapter. Anything less than this and you will either have to replace the original stud, or carefully grind down the exposed top of the stud until flush with the top of the adapter. This assumes your new wheels need a flush mounting surface. The only risk is the lug nut may not capture as much threading as they should (as per the experts) if the billet is thick at the lug seat. I used 1.25" and some 721 Loctite to secure the adapter to the hub...no probs at all.

Also, be aware that hubcentric adapters, ones that fully contact and engage the cap at the center of the bare hub, are not all the same. They can be different for the front and back. If the front has the "ice cream cone" bearing cover the standard sets you can buy for the rear will not work unless you machine the center opening a tad wider. You will need a set that is slightly larger in the center and will probably not fully contact the hub. Again, I got 'em on mine , no probs.

And $30 for a pair is an absolute steal...
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Old Jan 27, 2007 | 02:49 PM
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I agree, front and back can be different. It's best to be in contact with the person making the spacers, so you can make sure all the measurements are correct.
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Old Jan 27, 2007 | 03:06 PM
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BIGBADORANGE, it might help a whole lot to be more
specific about what size wheels you have!!
That can also make a world of difference of
what you need. A spacer is completely different
from an adapter. Post some better shots of your
wheels while they are straightend out kinda like a side
shot.
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Old Jan 27, 2007 | 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by MEGALADON
BIGBADORANGE, it might help a whole lot to be more
specific about what size wheels you have!!
That can also make a world of difference of
what you need. A spacer is completely different
from an adapter. Post some better shots of your
wheels while they are straightend out kinda like a side
shot.

Sorry, I do tend to use the same word for both when there is a big difference. I think he is clear that he wants adapters.
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