flatoz

Hello All,

Was wanting to ask the knowledge base if anyone has put an 8" rim on the rear of a 55 Olds? I'm getting a set of 7 and 8" rims and hoping it will work. the backspace on the rim is 0 as in its centered 4" either side. I have a feeling I'm going to be out and have to put 7" on the rear too. But thought I would ask here for those who might have experienced this with their Olds.

Thanks in advance.

Tedd Thompson

I had 8 inch wheels on my 55 several years ago and they were fine, close fit but fine, They will not work on the fronts without scraping on the turns though. In retrospect the extra inch on the rear was not noticeable with the skirts on coming or going ..... Tedd

flatoz

Thanks Tedd,

I was hoping you'd had some real world experience and would chime in. I purchased some 7 and 8 in wide rims and have been sweating on my decision. They weren't local that I could go check. Anyway here's hoping they'll work out.

okie88

I had some 8" Chevy Rally wheels with 235/75 tires on my 54. They would rub on some corners. The real problem was getting them on and off. You had to jack on the frame and get it real high to clear those low fender openings.

flatoz

Thanks Okie88,

I currently have to do a two Jack thing to get the wheels and tyres off so again I can live with that. As long as they fit.

I did wonder on the rubbing going around corners, as it seems like it will be a tight fit. I think really i should have got 7" rims all round.

But it's done now. Just have to wait for them to arrive this week and sort out tyres.

flatoz

Also was that a 235 75 15 tyre on the rally wheels?

okie88

Yes, they were 15". When I first got the car it had overload shocks on it. I lowered it a little by taking those extra springs off, so there may have been other factors affecting the lean.

flatoz

Quick update.

The rims arrived start of the week. I took a 7" out and tried it on the back and decided the 8" wont work as it will be too close and probably rub.

If it was a weekend car it wouldn't be an issue, but as my every day car I'd prefer the piece of mind that the tyres not going to scrub everytime I've got the family on board and go into a roundabout .

So I've returned the 8" rims and waiting on the 7" to arrive. I will say, the was plenty of room near the spring hanger so with a different back space it could work. Say a 4.5" or 5" backspace. But the wheels i got only come in one back space.

flatoz

Thought I would post up the end result. while I much preferred the WWW tyres and stock wheels with full caps, this will now be the look. these are 17x7 all round. Tyres are about 1/3 the cost, which while not the reason for doing it, does help when its your daily car so you're buying tyres a bit more often then when its a weekend warrior.