RustyPlymouth
Well-Known Member
what size slicks have you guys gotten under your early a? i have 66 valiant and the street tires arent cutting it. i need more grip. right now i have 235/60/15's on there on a 7" wide rim and they rub a little.
Stock rear suspension on a 64 Dart,MT Drag Radial 235/60/15 26'' tall aprox 8 7/8'' wide using a 15x7'' wheel with a 4 1/4 backspace rubbed the outer wheel house during bumps and during turns. Same tire on a 15x6'' wheel with a 4'' backspace no rubbing anywhere.Fitment was the same on my 63 Valiant. So a Slick with the same aprox 26x9 on a 7'' wheel with a 4 1/2'' backspace should work for you. That's the best I can tell you from my cars. Love that slant !
I thought about adding a leaf that would raise the rear about 2''(50 year old springs) That would solve the rubbing during bumps and turns.I had the 6'' wheels so just used them.
FYI I ran Drag radials on my 67 Dart drag car (slant 6 ) to a best 12.93@ 101mph.This was with a 5000 stall converter and 4.30 gears.Worked perfect.Also ran the same tire on a 65 Belvedere 451 stroker 3500 converter.11.90@110 thru a full exhaust.Switched to Hoosier slicks and had no improvement.I'm pretty fond of the drag radial.
I have 28.0/9.0-15 M/T ET Drags on my 66 D/Dart and they barely fit. They are mounted on 15x6 rims that have 3 3/4" offset. I had to add a 0.250 in spacer on the passenger side to keep the tire from rubbing on the S/S spring clamps. The cross sectional width of this setup is about 11 1/4". If I had to order new tires for my car, I'd go 8.5 max on the width for my car. Just check the cross sectional width of the tire you choose. 275/60-15 BFG Drag Radials will not fit. Too much cross section.
There's some pictures on the D/Dart thread of my car with the M/T's on it. No close up though.
Since it's going on a 66 Valiant and if it's used on the street, how about some cheater slicks. M&H Racemaster has some period correct cheater slicks. Radir also has them. Firestone (Coker) has some pie crust cheater slicks that look pretty cool. There's also a company that makes recap pie crust cheater slicks. Can't remember it's name though.
Good luck
Do you know what the pinion angle is? A lot of Mopars came with a pinion angle (front of the diff way too high) that was designed to make it easy to turn the tires to give the impression of more power, but it makes it hard as hell to hook when you want it to. If you get the right pinion angle and weight transfer you should be able to hook without needing to tub your ride. Caltracs and shims work great for getting the right hit on a leaf spring car.thank you all for the input. I have shackles on my car that are adjustable. i can get the back up but i already have a pretty decent rake to it. not really worried about period correct look. just looking for something that fits and hold the road. was thinking about drag radials but the way this thing takes off i was thinking the wrinkle side wall might eat some of it and help it hold. i can change the tires when i get to the track thats not a problem.
what size slicks have you guys gotten under your early a? i have 66 valiant and the street tires arent cutting it. i need more grip. right now i have 235/60/15's on there on a 7" wide rim and they rub a little.
Moparphil do you mind sharing some info on your 8 3/4.?
Do you remember how much did you cut/ narrow the rear end...i will like to use a 275 on my 65 dart, and will like to center as much the wheels and tires.....Thanks, gilberto