The 1/2" spacers were necessary for the 14" wheels to clear the calipers. Spacers means needing longer studs so we got racing studs. We were going to cut them down, but since they clear the dog dish caps we left them alone. They actually make putting the wheel on and off extra easy (why they use them for racing).
The interesting part is now with the spacers my front wheel track is the same as the '75 Dart (earlier Darts had a narrower front track). It actually improves the handling...go figure.