14" tires on shoebox

[Dan]

I am considering using 14" tires on my chopped '49 as I may have found a good deal on some "moon" disc style wheel covers. The car will have a spring pocket drop and maybe a coil cut off the spring. The rear will be lowered a like amount with blocks (I am guessing this will yield about a 3" drop??) Anyhow can anyone recommend a good size tire for this combo? I will be using radials as I will probably just find some decent used ones for the time being and I think the blackwalls will look best with the discs. I want something till enough to fill the wheel well but "lift" the car. Something somewhat skinny I think would also look best. What size would be good to search for? Thanks-

[Zor]

i'm definetly sticking with 15's on my fifty one. blackwall radials for now, wide white bias in the future.

i agree with blackwalls and discs being a good mach-up.

a buddy put 14's on a 54 chevy. dropped and chopped (pretty wild custom), and the 14's looked like shit. they looked like 70's lowrider wheels.

[Dan]

yeah, that is kinda my fear. I want the car to be on the ground but have the wheel wells full of tall skinny rubber - probably tough to do with the 14"s, huh?

[Bass]

I'd stick with 15's. 14" wheels look funny on a shoebox unless you run a huge bias whitewall like a G-78, and even then it's questionable. Keep in mind they were originally equipped with 15's and 49's even had 16's.

Of course this is just my opinion, but when I was building mine I had some 14" rollers on it for a while and I thought they looked horrible. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

-Brian

[Zor]

also, i think it might be a little difficult to locate tall skinny radials for 14's, not positive, but pretty sure.

[Tman]

On the 54 I ran 195/6514s in the front and 215/65 14s in the rear. Filled things up fing, even better when lowered. Peerless tire $25 Ambassadors...cheap to try the look.

I got yer tranny sitting here.

[286merc]

I run F78 14's on my 53, with a big drop they look good.
Also check Diamondback Tires, they may have some tall radials.

Dont know about a shoebox but the 52-4 is a real PITA to change rear tires when using a 3" drop. Requires 2 jacks and an air tank.
One of the prices of looking cool http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Tuck]

BASS whatcha talkin about willis....
i got 14" chrome reverse
with goodyear wide whites
and they dont look the least part questionable muhaahaha

im givin u the STINKEYE[tm]

i think 14" work
goodyear supercushy wide whites 'n
4" drop blocks
1 coil

it'll be on the GROUND and still ride nice

Tuck

[Rocky]

I ran 205-70's with polished american straight spoke torque thrusts on my 49 coupe. I liked the look with a serious slam.

[fordnutz]

14 inch pinstripe whitewalls and chrome reverse. I like it. Low enuff for around here.

[Bass]

Like I said, just my opinion. Tuck, please reserve your trademark Stinkeye for a better cause. For what it's worth ,I like the way your car looks with the big whites and chrome reverses. The fact that it sits really good definately helps. But I'm sticking by my guns... I think it would look even better with 15's. Hope you can stand that.

Rocky's shoebox looked really good with the 5 spoke mags on it too, but 15's would have made it look lower visually, since the upper lip of the wheel would have been closer to the edge of the fender. I think it makes a difference. There's nothing really wrong with 14's, just a matter of preference, I guess.

I think if your going for the hot rod look and stance, then 15's look way more aggressive. On a mild custom, 14's should be ok. That's not the gospel, just what I think.

[Tuck]

BASS brotha
i know what yer gettin at...
and for what its worth im going to 16" chrome rims and wide whites. Stock '49 rims pulling the rivits and pullin em apart and chromeing them.

It is literally a pain in the ass to get the rear tires on my car. IT SUCKS for real...

I have to let all the air out, FLAT and then get em at such an angle and then slid em up in... with 15's it would be easier to do... 16" stock width rims would be CAKE.

I do like the more rim look anyways... i think it looks more vintage.

It'll change the apperance of my shoe but I dig the look...

but once those 14"s are on i dig em...

the other problem is the reversed rims around corners in the rear... oh yeah. thats all i gotta say,

smell that?
what?
it smells like burned rubber..


Bass that stinkeye comment was a joke dude, i was just ribbin ya i hope ya dont think im all out serious. Its just b/c im runnin 14"ers

I run 15" on my galaxie. and I do think they look best with spider caps etc.

LATER YO
Tuck

[Bass]

Tuck... I think 16's will look bad-ass on your coupe. Definately more vintage...post pics when you get em on!

I hear what your saying about changing tires on the rear... I have to let all the air out of mine to get em on and off too. I also have L-78-15's on 15x7 wheels in the back, which people that don't know shoeboxes take for granted. It's impossible to run a tire that big on a stock shoebox.

You should bring your coupe down to the Kontinentals drags Nov. 8th so we can line 'em up. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Tuck]

BASS I would LOVE too bring my shoebox to that show...

One of these days for real we will line em up!

im comin down your way for the roundup though...
if i do make it to the drags id be driveing a damn honda i would make it a slam bamb weekend and head back...

ill post pics of the 16"s!! i cant wait!

I had a comment when we rolled into porkeys drive in one night... couple of older guys in lawn chairs said... OLD STYLE CHROME REVERSE... [short pause] how the HELL did you get them to fit on the back of a SHOEBOX ford?? with a big ass grin on his face... I just snickered and grined back~

id say hes been there... done that http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[bluegrassboogie]

my vote goes for 15".i have 14s on my 57 and they look like paint rollers.but as for now,they roll.ill change em .i had 15 "firestones on a 52 and glad i did.they looked "right" to me.but its youre car man!

[cool57]

[ QUOTE ]
....run a huge bias whitewall like a G-78....





[/ QUOTE ]
I just happen to have some for sale in the classifieds. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif HAMB classified ad (http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=155853&Forum=U BB3&Words=G78&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&L imit=25&Old=6months&Main=154502&Search=true#Post15 5853)

[DrJ]

I think the most anti-Bling-Bling Dubs statement you can make would be to run 14" or even 13" wheels with big BALLOON tires just to make sure no one confuses your ride with the rubber band tire ricer crowd.
I usta lke 17" wheels with smalle tires but not any more because they might get confused for reasons already stated.
Just please don't do gold spokes in a chrome rim on a Kustom.....

[50Fraud]

I'm with Bass: wide whites on 15", or even 16" wheels. I have 215-75s on 15x6 on my Victoria; to get the rear tires off I take the wheels off the drum, then pull the drum, then I can get the tires out of the wells. Vanity is a bitch.

[Wowcars]

I don't care what you put on it, I'm just glad that my old car is finally gettin some attention! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Germ]

15"s on KUSTOMS
16"s on HOT RODS..

SIMPLE FORMULA..

what more can you do to try and change that??

14's don't fill the wheel well as nicely on the visual, even with the tires..

and they WILL never LOOK as RIGHT as 15's and 6.70's......

so why bother?

germ

[fordnutz]

A couple of guys have mentioned they have trouble getting the rear wheels off their shoeboxes. Best way I have found yet is use a floor jack from the side and lift on the frame just ahead of the wheelwell. This raises the one side and gives clear access to the whole tire and wheel. They are impossible to get off lifting from the rear.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

... with the floor jack in from the side on the frame just in front of the rear tire. With the extensive channeling job I did on my '54, I cut the whole quarter blister off the car to make them into a large set of fullsize skirts. Even then, it's still very hard to do the rear tires. I also had some bad bolts in the front spring bushings that froze, and ate out the holes in the front spring brackets. The fix for that was some latemodel S-10 (90's) rear leaf springs with box-tube-fabricated front hangers. Even then it was still difficult until I ditched the stock rear shackle mounts and cut up another S-10 spring main leaf and made up some 'goofy leafs' and plate shackles (3/4 elliptic rear suspension design). The goofy leafs mount upside down just to the rear of the axle, with the spring arch curving down and the bushing at the rear. Plate shackles connect the goofy leaf to the rear of the lower spring. With weight on the springs the goofy leaf bushing sits up against the framerail, when lifted it bends down away from the rail as much as 4 inches and gets extra droop from the axle weight.

I can shoot and post a pic if anyone wants to see it...

Doc

[Wowcars]

Hey Doc, I would love to see your set up! Let's see some pics!