Lookie what $5000 buys you....

[Kern Dog]

For the past couple of hours, I've been looking online for tires.
The front wheels here are 16 x 7 so the sizes for that width are readily available. I can get a 245 or 255 50-16 from a wide variety of manufacturers.
However.....
The rear wheels being 10 inches wide is great for filling out the wheelwell. The 16 inch diameter is the hard part. I can get drag radials in a 295-50-16 size but so far, I can't find anything street legal. Everything so far is ultrashort tread if any at all, or slicks. This won't be a track only car.
A 295-50-15 is readily available. The 17 and 18" diameter is better for 295 series tires too.
I'll keep looking. Maybe I will find something. There are Mickey Thompsons on these wheels right now but they are date coded 2013. I'm not settling for 12 year old tires!
I'm not sure if I will stick with these wheels or not. It might make more sense to step back to a 15 or up to a 17. The 16" diameter size seems to be an orphan.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

16" was the first "Big" wheel tire, but it was being phased out by the mid 90's... And I doubt that situation is gonna improve... That said here's a DOT drag radial...

Hoosier Racing Tire 17326DR2 Hoosier DOT Drag Radial Tires | Summit Racing

 

[Kern Dog]

Thank you, I did see that. The near lack of tread has me spooked a bit. I can't imagine that tire would do well if I got caught in rain.
Another thing....I want all 4 tires to have the same tread pattern. The meager tire selection in the 16" rim diameter will limit me.
I've had these wheels for almost 10 years, trying to find a use for them. The huge backspacing of the rear wheels has always made them a non starter.
I bought the van axle specifically to work with these wheels. I could sell the 3rd member and probably come out ahead. At this point, I'm stepping back to think about what options I have.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Yeah, IMO 16" is a dead option...

 

[ckessel]

16's are in the soon to be Dodo class like 14's.

 

[BigMopar440]

For cars, maybe.

 

[Kern Dog]

I love the look of these road race cars...

One can dream, right?

 

[OneWheelPeel]

I’ve been bouncing around the same idea for years now, but for my old corvette. Fixed headlight conversion and some other changes, that era of racing just had cooler looking cars that were real cars, or at least started life that way.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

E-T LT-III Cast

 

[ckessel]

My 70 Challenger's ride height was about the same as Sam's car. All Sublime green, T/A hood included. Gotta love that look. Means business!

 

[Kern Dog]

Is a 10" wide rim too wide for a 255 series tire?

It looks like they think a 9" rim is the limit.

 

[Rennkafer]

Is a 10" wide rim too wide for a 255 series tire?

No, for handling having the wheel just slightly wider than tread width is generally the best, as it supports the sidewall. I'd be more concerned using what's basically a drag radial on a car I wanted to handle well, the design parameters are somewhat in opposition to each other.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

I have a 275 on a 10” wheel, and it looks like that’s probably the smallest you can go imo

 

[Rennkafer]

A set of these would look great... I'm planning to run a set of four 17x9.5's myself with 275/40's all around.

https://transamraceengineering.com/collections/superlite/products/spl1795155
Superlite 17x8 5x114.3 4.5" Backspacing 73mm Centre Bore SPL178145

 

[Auggie56]

Are there any publications on replacing framerails? This thread is helping a lot. I need the left replaced, which I'm doing.

Thanks

 

[eldubb440]

Are there any publications on replacing framerails? This thread is helping a lot. I need the left replaced, which I'm doing.

Thanks

leave the k frame bolted to the other rail....... bolt the new rail to the k frame........ using the hood/door/fender gaps, and a little common sense will get you there

and you prob want to remove the torsion bar from that side, maybe

 

[Kern Dog]

For all the crap that people have said about panel gaps being bad in these cars, I’ve found Mark’s words to be more on point than what others have said. He makes it seem easy… essentially what I interpret from him is Bolt the fenders and doors on, the hood too. If the panels are gapped right, the structure HAS TO BE in the right place.
I did this very thing and it worked out.
Without any precise jigs, no lasers, no micrometers, no string lines or anything high tech. I used jack stands, floor jacks, wood shims, self tapping screws to hold the structure together and paint stir sticks to use as a gauge for the panel gaps.
Awhile after the structural work, I got the car running and took it out on the road. It had no professional alignment but it tracked straight. Later I did align it myself using some tools I got to do alignments and it was already really close to my target numbers.
Yes, the car aligned as if it had never been wrecked. It tracks straight. The front tires don’t squeal, the car does not crab-walk. It feels solid and stable.
I was sure that I’d need to take the car to a frame shop to tweak it. Mark gave me the push that I needed to do it myself. Thanks El Dubb 440!

 

[eldubb440]

For all the crap that people have said about panel gaps being bad in these cars,

I have come across two OEM fenders that were a problem; but overall, original Mopar metal fits....... I suppose there were lazy workers on the assembly line who would leave something out of adjustment; but for the most part an original body fits together nicely.

 

[ckessel]

At the shop I managed the techs showed me that even after frame pulls on vehicles, getting the targets at +/- 3mm, you still needed to hang your bolt on components to the vehicle to verify they all lined up. Many times they needed to pull on the upper structures some to get it all groovy. Same goes when replacing big or many panels as Eldubb shows. Get all the players in on the act. Even glass and trim if affected.