HELP!! I have a question on rear rim width for my new set of 17's that I'm about to order for my '69... I want to get a 9.5" wide rim but the rim I want only comes in 9" or 10" widths.

My plan was:

17” x 9.5” with 5.5” back spacing with 275/40/17's in the rear.

So, if I now have to stick with a 9" wide rim, what tire could I go to compensate a bit and make up for the narrower rim and fill out the wheelwell a little more? Could I go up to a 295? Any recommendations???

From what I've read here, the 10" rim would be out of the question on an unmodified wheelwell '69, right???

The wheel is the coddington dictator....
Thanks guys!

Rob

A 275 on an 9" wheel is still going to be the same width as a 275 on a 9.5" wheel. There might be a very slight difference but not enough to change wheel deminsions. I think you should still get a 275/40 17, on the 9" wheel with 5.5" backspacing. If you're running drums, and don't plan on going to disc, then maybe get 5.25" bs, if that's possible. When I put a 9.5 with a 275 on a '69 we had to roll the inner fender lip to get proper clearance, but this car sat REALLY low. So maybe with you 9" wheel, you won't have to do this.

Thanks Mark. This is kinda what I figured but still wanted a little more reassurance...The car will have 13" discs up front in the next month and eventually discs on the 12bolt out back, but drums will be there for a while. Now I just have to decide on which wheel to get! AAARRRRGGHH!!! My choices are narrowed down to:

Intro Pentia 5 with soft-roll option
Billet Specialties GTX-01 (no soft roll option?)
Coddington Dictator

Anyone care to cast their vote among these three?

Rob as for the 9" wheel making a differance Mark is right, not to worry. Remember I have a 315/35/17 on a 17x10 and the side wall is pretty much strait up and down...look at the photos I sent you...you will be fine and you should be able to go with less backspacing to get a deeper dish...this will make the wheel look wider than it is. As for the wheel choice, you know Mark and I really like our Intros!! And I beleive they will give you everything you are looking for in a wheel, give HVYDEES a call..hard to beat their prices. Let us know what you order!! smile.gif

Rob... you are more than welcome to come test fit your car with my rims.....

The wheel manufacturer I bought from recommended I go with a 5.25 on a 9 inch rim rather than the 5.5 on the 9.5 everyone is running...... I dont think I'll have an issue, but looking back I think I still should have gone with the 5.5.... theres plenty of room inside, but on the outside I may be limited if I want to lower the car more.

The tire is no where near the fenderlip since mine is rolled but if I drop the car alot it may rub that area that sticks out thats actually up in the fenderwell above the lip....

If I could do it again ( and I can since the wheel guy will re-do my BS for cost since it was his recommendation), I would go 5.5.....

Hey Ned, thanks for the offer!! What are you doin' tomorrow? I'd really love to see how those wheels look on your car in person... I was going to email you my ph# but your last email to me is at my work so I don't have your address here... Email me at casablanco4us@earthlink.net

After thinking I was settled on 17's, now I'm re-considering 18s all over again... On some cars, 18's seem too big...and I do like to see a little bit of tire and not just all rim...Arrrgh! Anthony is right, according to their web page, you can't get the Dictator in 17x9 or 9.5... drat! But it IS available in 18x8 and 18x9, in any BS. I just fired off an email to boyd's, we'll see what they say about availability...Ned I agree, I'd like to go with 5.5" BS on the rears. Can always use a spacer to bring the rim out slightly but really can't do much going the other way...and since rear discs are in the eventual plan...I want to make sure there is enough BS to accommodate. Anthony- thanks for the pics and info you sent! Guys here's the link with the best prices I've found yet on the Dictators:

http://shop.sportruck.com/bcodd/gotcha/dictator.htm

I am also looking at the Billet Specialties GTX 70's...

Rob, you have mail, smile.gif .

One tip. If you do get Intros, and you're running big rear disc brakes. Make sure you get flush type valve stems. Since they are mounted behind the spokes, they can hit the caliper. I'm using the flush mount, and they just barely clear my caliper. I'm running 13" rotors in the front and rear.

[ 03-03-2003, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: MarkM ]

13's in the rear too !!!! damn........... which rear brake set-up are you using in the rear ??????

Same as front, smile.gif .

Rwhite69
I just got my Coddindton Dictators in last week.(17x10 and 17x8) They look awesome!! Way better than the pics on the net... just thought I'd let you know...mx

Hello Everyone- I wanted to post an update, and thank everyone who helped with the selection process and sizing recommendations for these wheels (Scott G., Mark M., Ned J., Anthony and a few others!) graemlins/waving.gif

I finally received my wheels from Boyd's last week graemlins/hurray.gif , after placing the order on 3/1. A long time to wait but I was in no real hurry, lots of other stuff still to do on the car, as well as a lot of other things in life competing for attention...They are essentially the Dictator style with a couple of subtle custom modifications to make them a bit unique (see if you can spot them!) Sizes are as follows:

FRONT: 18"x8" with 4.75" BS
REAR: 18"x9" with 5.5" BS

-Rob

ftp://casablanco4us:ynxbc7w7@ftp-www.earthlink.net:21/webdocs/images/Wheel1.jpg

ftp://casablanco4us:ynxbc7w7@ftp-www.earthlink.net:21/webdocs/images/Wheel3.jpg

ftp://casablanco4us:ynxbc7w7@ftp-www.earthlink.net:21/webdocs/images/Wheel2.jpg

Those are SHARP!

Nice wheels!

BTW, Do the 18 inch soft lip style wheels really look like they are 19's like they claim they do due to the larger windows????

Hey V8- Yes, that is one effect of not having a stepped hoop to the rim...With a smooth rolled lip type, the center section appears larger. A step is still present, in fact it is behind the center section, in stead of in front of it (you can see it in one of the pictures) Hey where are you on LI? I'm originally from there - Mattituck. Moved out here in '97. - Rob

Hey Rob! I'm in Port Washington, NY(Nassau County) recently moved up from Tampa, FL. As you probably know...not many around here or in Florida modify their classics into G-machines! I'm hoping to be one of the few with the balls to do it... just started mini-tubbing a 67 to fit 335/30/18's although I still cant get myself to hack the dash to fit a simple aftermarket CD player/stereo. :D -Chris

Ho-lee Smokes! That's where I was born! My Dad and Uncle owned Bob and Joe White's marine service in Manorhaven, Off of Manorhaven Blvd, on Manhasset Bay. My Dad retired and sold his 1/2 of the business in 1979, and we moved out to the East End! So how do you like living in Fla?

Meant to say, how DID you like living in Fla? What brought you to Port Wash?...

Its a small world! smile.gif smile.gif

I now live in Manorhaven! Born & Raised in NY...moved down to Florida after I graduated Syracuse University to start my Masters(MBA) program while working at Merrill Lynch as a Financial COnsultant. Once I graduated with an MBA I was free to relocate back to NY last Fall and just transfer to a Merrill Lynch office on Wall Street. I'm closer to my family and old friends now.

Tampa, Florida was cool(pun NOT intended); cool drag/street racing scene down there; FL DMV did not require front license plates! :cool: Party scene was incredible-nothing like Ybor City and the stripjoints are considered only second to Vegas. graemlins/beers.gif Miami was also just 3 hours away. graemlins/hurray.gif

How do you like Cali??? I always thought about moving there but I think I'm too much of a type 'A' personality...although Cali would help sooth the nerves...no? Traffic Ihear is as bad as NY though(in L.A at least).


My planis to get my classic on the road and setup a cruise cross country to Sand Diego, CA this summer. Lots of tools in thr trunk and a AAA card to boot. I've Been to Sacremento to for a wedding...kind of a boring city IMO. I really want ot checkout San Diego as well as Lake Tahoe, Nevada as well during the winter for some skiing.

-Chris

BTW, where is Tracy, CA??

Hey Chris-

Tracy is to CA, what Levittown is to LI. The ultimate "bedroom community". The entire town empties every morning, most folks work over the hill in Silicon Valley. It is about a 60 mile drive East from San Jose, up over the Altamont Pass. Yup, traffic out here is indeed bad. But at least you are guaranteed a minimum of 300 sunny days per year. You need to go to Tahoe and rent a boat and get out on the lake. It is spectacular.

3 months?? Boy, that must have been some custom order. I ordered my Boyd Smoothies around 5/1 anticipating a twelve week wait and they were ready in two weeks. They're all paid for and sitting high on a shelf at Big O waiting for me. The car is at the bodyshop having some dimples smoothed out and a full coat of clear shot on it. Still about two weeks away.

It's been there since April. I'm starting to forget what it was like having it around.

Glad someone's enthused about their "baby". graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Hey Faster, Yup, there were a few custom mods done to the wheels to make them a bit unique. Also the guys at Boyd's were very good about getting the dimensions for the backsides of the spokes right so as to avoid any caliper clearance problems for the front brake setup. I didn't mind the wait so much, though. Have so much going on in my life right now...