[b-man]

Here's a few shots of my new black powder-coated steel wheels and radial tires.

I wanted to give the car a new look, so I decided to replace the polished Centerline 15X8.5" & 15X3.5" wheels I was running on this car for nearly 20 years with plain steel wheels.

I like a different look than most, I'm trying to give the car an all-business look somewhat like a 1960's drag race stocker. No hubcaps for me, just bare wheels with exposed lug nuts.

In the rear I'm running 275/60-15 Firestone Indy 500 tires on 15X8" wheels, up front 205/75-15 Kuhmo touring tires on 15X5" wheels. This car is finally going to be used on the streets again after doing duty for many years as a bracket race car.

The GTO has been lowered in the rear with new stock regular-ride springs cut down by 1-1/2 coils with Air-Lift airbags at 10 psi, up front uncut new '67 Firebird springs bring the front end down a bit. The springs were new 15 years ago, but the car has not seen any street miles in that time, all 1/4-mile bracket racing.

[65gto69]

Hey b-man,

Where did you find those wheels??? I have been looking for a set of wheels like your for the last couple of years. I love the look of the steel wheel especially the reverse dish on the back.

Is there a company that makes these or do you just have to scavenge the junk yards and auto flea markets?

Thanks,
Mark

[b-man]

Originally Posted by 65gto69

Hey b-man,

Where did you find those wheels??? I have been looking for a set of wheels like your for the last couple of years. I love the look of the steel wheel especially the reverse dish on the back.

Is there a company that makes these or do you just have to scavenge the junk yards and auto flea markets?

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

I had these wheels custom-built, I bought a full set of 15X5" 1956 Chevy wheels and had them use the centers to make the wheels.

I won't say who made them because their customer service was less than spectacular taking over 6 months, I'll leave it at that.

You could have a set made from any later model 15" GM wheel center with the right bolt pattern (5 on 4.75"), but I went to the trouble and added expense of securing earlier wheels that have the 'correct' looking center. Since I won't be running hubcaps I wanted a good-looking wheel center, the later centers don't have the 'right' stamping details in the lug area for a '60s look. The original rims on the Chevy 15X5" wheels would have hit the front brake calipers, so newer-style rims had to be welded to the centers instead of using them as-is for the front of the GTO.

All I can say is do a search to find a wheel company that can make them for you. So far I have dealt with 2 different wheel companies to make steel wheels for 2 different cars and both times it took 6 months along with phone calls every 2 weeks to make it happen.

Good luck, Bart

[65gto69]

Bart

Man that sucks, but the wait looks like it definitely paid off. I really like that look, always have, but on the east coast here it is very hard to find the old steel wheels in really good smooth condition.

I will keep looking, maybe get lucky at a flea market or garage sale.

Thanks very much for the info

Mark

[mwritter]

Looks neat...what backspacing did you use in the rear to get a 275 in there on an 8" wheel? I plan on doing a 255 on an 8".

[b-man]

Originally Posted by mwritter

Looks neat...what backspacing did you use in the rear to get a 275 in there on an 8" wheel? I plan on doing a 255 on an 8".

Matt,

Mine have 3-1/4" backspace, but that dimension is irrelevant unless you have a narrowed rear end in your car exactly like mine. The GTO has a Ford 9" that has been narrowed 1-13/16"(1.8125") per side. The deep-dish reversed rims are of course necessary with the narrowed rear, giving the car an aggressive drag-race look that I like.

When I bought the car it already had the rear narrowed 1-1/2" per side. Then I narrowed it another 5/16" per side when I was tucking a set of 10X28" slicks on the old 15X8.5" Centerlines, the slicks fit even tighter than these street tires do.

So by doing a little simple math I can see you'll need 8" wheels with 5-1/16" (5.0625") of backspace to put your wheels in the same place as mine. The 275/60-15 is pretty much the tire size limit for these early A-body cars, especially lowered as much as this car is.

Keep in mind that a little minor hammering is needed at the very rear bottom of the inner rear wheelhouse, here is a look inside the trunk at the 'damage'.

[6704gto]

i love that look it looks kool

[Scarebird]

awesome patina on the 64.

[mwritter]

Thanks for the math B-man.

[SD421]

B-Man a friend of mine has two 15x8 steel wheels. The offset from the inside is 3" the front outerside is 5". Do you think running this on the back of my 1966 GTO with a stock differential would be a problem?
Thanks,
Don

[b-man]

Originally Posted by SD421

B-Man a friend of mine has two 15x8 steel wheels. The offset from the inside is 3" the front outerside is 5". Do you think running this on the back of my 1966 GTO with a stock differential would be a problem?
Thanks,
Don

Don,

With a stock '66 differential you'll have big problems to say the least.

Also keep in mind that 1966 was a transition year, some of the cars built early in that year had the 1" narrower (1/2" per side) '64 through mid-'66 rear end and later they used the wider mid-'66 -'72 rear end width.

Either way, if you have the narrower stock rear end you'll need 5" of backspacing. With the later wider rear end you'll need 5-1/2" of backspacing (measured from the back rim edge to the wheel mounting face) to use an 8" rim.

Also be aware that an 8" wheel is measured from between the beads, not from the outside of the rim lips. If your wheel is 8" from outside lip to lip then it's a 7" wheel.

Bart

[SD421]

Originally Posted by b-man

Don,

With a stock '66 differential you'll have big problems to say the least.

Also keep in mind that 1966 was a transition year, some of the cars built early in that year had the 1" narrower (1/2" per side) '64 through mid-'66 rear end and later they used the wider mid-'66 -'72 rear end width.

Either way, if you have the narrower stock rear end you'll need 5" of backspacing. Withe later wider rear end you'll need 5-1/2" of backspacing (measured from the back rim edge to the wheel mounting face) to use an 8" rim.

Also be aware that an 8" wheel is measured from between the beads, not from the outside of the rim lips. If your wheel is 8" from outside lip to lip then it's a 7" wheel.

Bart

Hi Bart,
Thanks for the reply. I have a 1968-1972 Chevy 12 bolt in the Goat. So I guess its of the wider version you mentioned. "Measured from the back rim bead to the wheel mounting face", on this wheel its 3" and 5" from the mounting face to the outside bead (not the outer lip).

I guess I can't use them. Thanks for the info.
Don

[66 LeMans]

Nice wheels B-Man.

Are you going to match the GTO with the wheels? Paint wise that is
The poor GTO could sure use a bit of paint....

[Old Goat 67]

NAW, that's called PATINA.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by 66 LeMans

Nice wheels B-Man.

Are you going to match the GTO with the wheels? Paint wise that is
The poor GTO could sure use a bit of paint....

My old GTO is indeed begging for a new coat of paint but unfortunately it won't see any for a while. I need to sell it before too long as I have too many cars and projects, the next owner can douse it with the color of their choice.

[mike nixon]

I hate to hear that you're selling that car Bart. It and the white 64 are the ones I think of associated with your name.

Mike