17x7 wheels for 66 T-Bird, should fit, but do not.

[Stuart522]

for 66 T-Bird, i bought some new rims and tires online and they don't fit? fronts are rubbing caliper, rear hitting skirt

F28921726 FALKEN ZIEX 912 215/65R17
R645-7765GP Ridler 645 17x7 5/4.5 4.0" Backspace

Every website says they fit fine, i bought them, fronts are hitting OEM caliper and rears are hitting skirt.

And they shouldn't be??

Any ideas?

[Alan H. Tast]

http://www.vintagethunderbirdclub.net/p ... 32&t=10200

Compare measurements. Post photo of inside of wheel. Report back on what your inside measurements are.

[Stuart522]

will do, thanks!

[Stuart522]

The Rim has a 4'' backspace with 0 offset.

[Alan H. Tast]

And the inside diameter of the rim is? What's hitting the caliper? Pictures, please...

[Stuart522]

its hard to get my mechanic to take pictures, he's in another state with the car. i assume the rim (spoke) is hitting the caliper. I assume the whole tire is hitting the rear skirt.

i give up.

[Alan H. Tast]

If inside of front rim is rubbing against the caliper, is it rubbing against the balance tube, caliper casting or ? If it's only slightly contacting the caliper body, you might be able to grind away a portion of the housing to get it to clear.

If rubbing the skirt at the rear, have you considered removing the skirt and running without it? How much of the sidewall is in contact with the skirt? You might be able to remove some material from the lower lip of the skirt, but that in turn may compromise the structural integrity of the skirt to the point that it could fold over in the middle.

Q1: It seems to me if you're going to spend $$$ on spoked/aftermarket rims, why would you want to hide them with skirts (especially if one is running wire wheels)?

Q2: What is the width of your rear end assembly from wheel mounting face to wheel mounting face? Distance from wheel mounting face to inside lip of skirt and to inside lip of wheel arch?

Q3: Is the tire rubbing on one side only or both?

[franklin]

I had to grind 2 places on my skirts where the tire bulge hit. There is a small ridge on the caliper that some people have ground down to fit depending on whats rubbing. I also had to modify the front of the front wheelwell trim to prevent rubbing when turning.

[Stuart522]

I am actually near the car now.

Front - hitting on the caliper where people have ground down, its the place where it sticks out, part of fluid chamber on inside, does anyone know how much it can be ground down, without exposing the chamber? and does anyone have the picture of caliper ground down? i saw one on sight, but can't find now....
also am going to machine off a little bit on spokes of rims where it is hitting.

Rears: yes taking skirts off eliminates issue, but i like the skirts! (that's what he said)
it is rubbing the locking lever; has anyone done any mods on that? i had a thought to just remove the long locking rod, and use a heavy duty spring to hold the latching mechanism down, eliminating the rod all together. ?? any thoughts? or could permanently attach them, however i like being able to keep them off or remove them.

* But for all the websites that say 17x7 rims will fit are wrong, they will fit with modifications.

[franklin]

My skirts are aftermarket fiberglass and have a spring loaded pin on the front that locks into a hole in the fender. I think yours is different. I had to make a tool to slip on the release to remove the skirt. Its damn tight in there!! Good luck with your creativity!!

[DaveG]

Here is a pic of mine a 64 and i run 17 x 7 with a 225x60x17 tyres. I have relieved the spats where the tyre bulges no probs on front i run a 1" bolt on spacer, These are American Racing wheels

I had 15x7 chrome smoothies on it originally with 215x75x15 sold them to a mate with a 66 and they hit a little on the spats but the front rubbed badly because of the tuck in of the guard in front of the wheel.he went to lower profile tyres fixed the problem

[kzguns]

17x7 up front 17x8 in the rear i did use a 1/4" spacer in the front.

http://www.vintagethunderbirdclub.net/p ... 25&t=10278

[kevindeluca66]

Dave, you have a beutiful car there, I love the color combo and the wheels and I am a factory correct type of guy. I like the dual antennas whippin in the wind also. Again, awesome looking car.

[Stuart522]

where does one find aftermarket fiberglass? i also had to modify the lever to lock the original ones down, it stuck out from skirt and was hitting also, so far so good, but feel like it could fall of with just a bump.

My skirts are aftermarket fiberglass and have a spring loaded pin on the front that locks into a hole in the fender. I think yours is different. I had to make a tool to slip on the release to remove the skirt. Its damn tight in there!! Good luck with your creativity!!

[Stuart522]

Georgeous!
had to trim the front caliper and a shade of the rims where it would hit, had to modify the clamp for rear skirts to bring it in closer.

Here is a pic of mine a 64 and i run 17 x 7 with a 225x60x17 tyres. I have relieved the spats where the tyre bulges no probs on front i run a 1" bolt on spacer, These are American Racing wheels

I had 15x7 chrome smoothies on it originally with 215x75x15 sold them to a mate with a 66 and they hit a little on the spats but the front rubbed badly because of the tuck in of the guard in front of the wheel.he went to lower profile tyres fixed the problem