Father-Son 1974 Duster Project

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Can you put a spacer on it and get it to clear?
You know I could, but I'd need to get loner studs and a half inch spacer might get me an 1/8" clearance on the spring.

I'm going to have the 245 mounted on the wheels and put them on and have a look. Seeing the wheel an inch out into the opening made a massive difference in appearance.
 
What is the back space on your wheels?
I have 275 on a 4.25" back space, with a 7" wheel and plenty of room on the spring and fender.
8.75 stock a body rear.
 
Here are the cop wheels with 255s on them. Less than 1/4"
IMG_6920.JPG

We thought we would take a chance that the 275 on the 8" wheel would have less bulge and clear the spring. It didn't. The spring squished into the tire by 1/8 or so.
Here is the 245 on the cop wheel
IMG_7121.JPG

I think the 245 on the 8" wheel will give me almost no bulge and it's going to get me real good clearance.
 
The new wheels are 4.5 backspace. The cop wheels were 4.25 but the thinking was the wider rim would cause the tire to bulge less.
I think the 245s are going to give a nice look on that rim and have good clearance to the spring and be a safe bet. The 245 is 1.2 inches more narrow and less tall. I'm a little bummed about the width but I'm good with it being shorter...
IMG_7186.JPG
 
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What is the back space on your wheels?
I have 275 on a 4.25" back space, with a 7" wheel and plenty of room on the spring and fender.
8.75 stock a body rear.

I just measured from the outer face of the brake drum to the outer edge of the spring. 5-9/16". I'll mount the 245s and decide if they stay or to try 255s
IMG_7188.JPG
 
What is the back space on your wheels?
I have 275 on a 4.25" back space, with a 7" wheel and plenty of room on the spring and fender.
8.75 stock a body rear.

I just measured from the outer face of the brake drum to the outer edge of the spring. 5-9/16". I'll mount the 245s and decide if they stay or to try 255s
View attachment 1715071454

The problem here is that 8.25" rear axles aren't as wide as A-body 8 3/4's. Drum to drum A-body 8 3/4's are 57-1/8" wide with SBP axles and about 57-13/16" with BBP axles. A-body 8.25's are only 56-3/4". So with an A-body 8 3/4 and BBP axles you can usually run close to a 5" backspace, and even with SBP axles 4.5" of backspace isn't usually an issue. I'm a little surprised the 4.5" backspace on a 15x8 with 275's is so far off on this one, I did a test fit on my Duster when it had the BBP 7.25 (same width as an 8.25") and managed to get a set of 17x9's on there with 275/40/17's. It took a 4.75" backspace to get them off the springs, and realistically I would have needed a little more space than that to run it on the street. But those numbers are a little misleading because there isn't nearly as much sidewall bulge on that combination as on a set of 275's on a 15x8" rim.

But the measurement says it all, 5-9/16" is not a lot of room. 275's are 11" wide, so, they hang over a set of 15x8's by 1" per side. Throw in a 1/2" spring clearance and do some math, you get a backspace of 4-1/16" to fit those 275/60/15's on 15x8's on that particular car. That's a pretty narrow axle.
 
The problem here is that 8.25" rear axles aren't as wide as A-body 8 3/4's. Drum to drum A-body 8 3/4's are 57-1/8" wide with SBP axles and about 57-13/16" with BBP axles. A-body 8.25's are only 56-3/4". So with an A-body 8 3/4 and BBP axles you can usually run close to a 5" backspace, and even with SBP axles 4.5" of backspace isn't usually an issue. I'm a little surprised the 4.5" backspace on a 15x8 with 275's is so far off on this one, I did a test fit on my Duster when it had the BBP 7.25 (same width as an 8.25") and managed to get a set of 17x9's on there with 275/40/17's. It took a 4.75" backspace to get them off the springs, and realistically I would have needed a little more space than that to run it on the street. But those numbers are a little misleading because there isn't nearly as much sidewall bulge on that combination as on a set of 275's on a 15x8" rim.

But the measurement says it all, 5-9/16" is not a lot of room. 275's are 11" wide, so, they hang over a set of 15x8's by 1" per side. Throw in a 1/2" spring clearance and do some math, you get a backspace of 4-1/16" to fit those 275/60/15's on 15x8's on that particular car. That's a pretty narrow axle.

I thought the 275s would have made it on a 10" rim with that 4.5" backset. She is going to be sitting pretty with the 245s and if there is some room, I'll bump up to 255
 
I thought the 275s would have made it on a 10" rim with that 4.5" backset. She is going to be sitting pretty with the 245s and if there is some room, I'll bump up to 255

A 275/60/15 isn't even recommended for a 10" wide rim, 9.5" is the widest recommended for that. Not to mention finding a 15x10" rim with a 4.5" backspace, that's a -26mm offset. A 15x9 with 4.5" of backspace would probably work, with 5-9/16" to the springs a 1/2" of sidewall overhang and 9/16" of spring clearance puts you at 4.5" of backspace. That would probably be tight on the quarters. Remember that a rims are an inch wider outside-to-outside than advertised, the advertised width is inside to inside where the tire mounts. So a 15x10" rim is actually 11" wide outside lip-to-outside lip, a 15x9" is 10" wide, 15x8" is 9" wide, etc.

The 15x8's would work just fine, that's actually the width used by the manufacturer to measure the tire specs for a 275/60/15. You would just need a backspace between 4" and 4.125".
 
Wish I would have caught your posts earlier D/D. With the right backspace the 245's will fit perfect. I have them on my 74. So many people say "bigger, bigger." They don't work on our 74's. If you go bigger it will rub. Rims look great! I think my backspace is 4 1/2 on my 8" wheels, but I'm not positive. You just have to measure.
 
D/D one more thought for you. They make brand new kick panels in black that have the speaker holes already molded in, you can buy them with or without pioneer speakers already installed in the panels. More money, but much better set up. A few companies make them-also on e-bay.
 
Wish I would have caught your posts earlier D/D. With the right backspace the 245's will fit perfect. I have them on my 74. So many people say "bigger, bigger." They don't work on our 74's. If you go bigger it will rub. Rims look great! I think my backspace is 4 1/2 on my 8" wheels, but I'm not positive. You just have to measure.

275's will fit on a '74 Duster with the stock locations if you've got the right backspacing. Done it. I have 295's on my '74 Duster now, but that's with a 1/2" spring offset and a 1/2" quarter lip trim.

275's, everything stock
IMG_4733.JPG


295's, 1/2" offset, 1/2" lip trim
IMG_2252.JPG
 
As with all things, budget dictated that these wheels be bought. Only $370 for all 4. Only come in 4.5" backspace

Final tire combo is front 215/65r15, on a 15x7 wheel. Rear 245/60r15 on a 15x8 wheel. I have 3/8 space from the tire to the spring.

I am very happy with Misty's appearance now:rolleyes:
IMG_7205.JPG
IMG_7207.JPG
IMG_7204.JPG
 
As with all things, budget dictated that these wheels be bought. Only $370 for all 4. Only come in 4.5" backspace

Final tire combo is front 215/65r15, on a 15x7 wheel. Rear 245/60r15 on a 15x8 wheel. I have 3/8 space from the tire to the spring.

I am very happy with Misty's appearance now:rolleyes:
View attachment 1715071618 View attachment 1715071619 View attachment 1715071620

They look good! :thumbsup:

Believe you me, I know all about budget and certain rims only being available in certain backspaces. My Enkei RPF1's were not actually my first choice for my Duster, but I couldn't get my first choice in the right size/backspace to make it work. And if I had unlimited cash I'd be rocking a set of SSR GTV01's or Enkei GTC01RR's right now. But $2k+ for just set of rims isn't exactly in the budget! :(
 
They look good! :thumbsup:

Believe you me, I know all about budget and certain rims only being available in certain backspaces. My Enkei RPF1's were not actually my first choice for my Duster, but I couldn't get my first choice in the right size/backspace to make it work. And if I had unlimited cash I'd be rocking a set of SSR GTV01's or Enkei GTC01RR's right now. But $2k+ for just set of rims isn't exactly in the budget! :(
Thanks. The wheels make the car look like what I expected it to be...
 
72blu- Is that a 275 60-15? I was just referring to a un-modified Duster
 
72blu- Is that a 275 60-15? I was just referring to a un-modified Duster

It's a 275/40/17 on a 17x9" rim. Not as tall as a 275/60/15, but just as wide. And totally unmodified in the first picture. There are plenty of unmodified Dusters on this site with 275/60/15's. All of the Dusters, 70-76, have the same stock tubs and spring locations.
 
Have you driven it yet? I suspect you may get a little rubbing. That tire looks awfully close to the spring. Nothing a thin spacer won't fix though.
 
That's a full 3/8" way more than I had with the old 255 on the cop wheels. They didn't rub.
 
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