When I bought this Ford, it sat OK on its WW Radials, but I was never happy with them. So, as the winter drew in, I began the long, confusing, and conflicting trawl to find the right tires for the rims and the car and the era. 670-15s seemed standard, but 710s were also a viable option. I popped a wheel (Vintique Gennie), and found it to be 5.5" width. The upper recommended limit for 670s, and in range for 710s. More research showed that the Janich and Lopez '41s ran 710s, so the next thing was to decide the WWW width, the manufacturer, and the supplier. I checked out Denmans and Lesters - both with 4"+ whitewalls, and the standard Firestone Deluxe Champions at 3 1/4" Whitewall. More agonizing, and eventually I went for the 'stones. Price was similar on all of them, and in the end Summit offered the best price. Plus, I could also order some extra parts and save on Canada shipping. The box got filled with a 2" lowering block kit, and an Autometer GPS speedo sensor to get the non-functioning speedo into action. Summit delivered quickly and cheaply, and my parcels were waiting when I returned home from work (I work just outside Detroit, and believe me, I seriously considered bringing this stuff home in hand luggage to save on shipping), it as all waiting. First I fitted the GPS Sensor. Easy fit, done in an hour. Then the rear end went down by 2". I'd like to say 'I threw in the lowering blocks', or 'screwed the blocks in place', but as with anything that sounds easy....The driver's side put up a 3 hour fight. The passenger side cooperated and was done in 25 minutes. Then away to work again, and last Friday, got the rims painted and the tires mounted. Took it out yesterday to clean it and see how it looked. And it decided to throw a transmission cooler pipe and puke all its tranny fluid all over the 4-day-old driveway. It looked like a cow had had its throat cut and been dragged out of the garage... Needless to say, with a near-hysterical wife overseeing the operation, the car didn't get cleaned and photographed yesterday. But today, I'd replaced the pipe, refilled the tranny, and got it out. And here it is. I can report no scraping if I take it slow over the garage slope, no rubbing on full lock, and a perfectly functioning speedo.
Just the 3.25. I guess the weight and the balloon effect of inflating them squashes down the black area. I'm glad I didn't go for the 4.25s - it could've turned out like a Dinky toy.
Vancouver is just outside Detroit? Gorgeous car. Thanks for doing my homework for me. I'm a long way away from working on my '41 but when the time comes I'll probably end up with the same tires.
I agree - they look perfect and I would have guessed the wider ones would have looked right but I'd have been wrong! Very, very nice car you have there. Thank you for the info.
My gosh, that is an absolutely gorgeous Ford. All your changes worked out perfectly. Beautiful house, too. I bet your wife is really pissed about the driveway.
Thanks all for the positive comments. That whole 'tire selection' thing is fraught with concern...will they fit the rims? Will they fit with the modified suspension? Will I have to dismantle the whole rear end to fit them? What size whitewall? etc etc. I'm glad they worked out. And while I did have to struggle and swear to get the rears on, it can at least be done without undoing anything... Now the stance is set, it's on to other things. First is to get the hood aligned at the passenger side cowl.
Every time I saw your car on these pages I said to myself "Man,why these fugly radials ? Would look so much better with the right tires." So glad you finally made the move.What a difference.
The Jalopy Journal
