RIMS! What fits What?!! -Wish the hell I knew what I was doing...

[Not Right]

Dear enlightened people... A frustrated moron wants to know.... Okay, here's the thing. This is the C Body Forum and I am going to mention a couple of B Bodies. Please forgive me for this, but you guys know your stuff... better than any other group. Also, please forgive me for including a couple of B Bodies in my C Body Collection.... I am weak. I've got a nice '73 Coronet and a Parts Car '73 Satellite. Both are 4DR Sedans. The Satellite is up on blocks, no wheels. The time has come to move it around. I've got to find some kind, any kind of wheel that will fit it, then put some trash tires on those wheels. As you know, most of us can't just drop by our local auto repair shop or even the local salvage yards and pick up a set of 14" X 5.5, 5 on 4 1/2 wheels with 2-13/16ths perfect circle center hole. That's what I need, or larger. (Both cars, Frt Dsk, Rr Drm). I've brought home a late '80's ford ranger wheel but the center hole is too small, then a late '70's chevy -also too small. I remember hearing people say, "you can put a ford on a Mopar, but you can't put a Mopar on a ford" -or vice versa. Is this true? If I can put a ford on a Mopar, is it going to be a specific range of years or model(s) that I am looking for? Is there any thing else that may fit....even a vw or a yugo; I'm not proud, I'm desperate. All else fails, I'll have to make the 220 mile r-t trek to my regional Mopar cemetery. If you need to poke at me, go right ahead, have your fun....so long as you also leave me with an idea or two! Thanks guys. See Ya! -Not Right

 

[The Goose]

Dear enlightened people... A frustrated moron wants to know.... Okay, here's the thing. This is the C Body Forum and I am going to mention a couple of B Bodies. Please forgive me for this, but you guys know your stuff... better than any other group. Also, please forgive me for including a couple of B Bodies in my C Body Collection.... I am weak. I've got a nice '73 Coronet and a Parts Car '73 Satellite. Both are 4DR Sedans. The Satellite is up on blocks, no wheels. The time has come to move it around. I've got to find some kind, any kind of wheel that will fit it, then put some trash tires on those wheels. As you know, most of us can't just drop by our local auto repair shop or even the local salvage yards and pick up a set of 14" X 5.5, 5 on 4 1/2 wheels with 2-13/16ths perfect circle center hole. That's what I need, or larger. (Both cars, Frt Dsk, Rr Drm). I've brought home a late '80's ford ranger wheel but the center hole is too small, then a late '70's chevy -also too small. I remember hearing people say, "you can put a ford on a Mopar, but you can't put a Mopar on a ford" -or vice versa. Is this true? If I can put a ford on a Mopar, is it going to be a specific range of years or model(s) that I am looking for? Is there any thing else that may fit....even a vw or a yugo; I'm not proud, I'm desperate. All else fails, I'll have to make the 220 mile r-t trek to my regional Mopar cemetery. If you need to poke at me, go right ahead, have your fun....so long as you also leave me with an idea or two! Thanks guys. See Ya! -Not Right

Pretty sure anything steel in a big Jeep wheel will fit grand Cherokee liberty etc. go on Richard erhenberg’s site from mopar action magazine. This guys done more cross breeding new to old than anybody. Good luck and ebooger is the man on this stuff.

 

[Not Right]

Okay, thanks....I'll try to track that down. I appreciate your advice.

 

[The Goose]

Okay, thanks....I'll try to track that down. I appreciate your advice.

10-4.

 

[CBODY67]

The common item between Ford and Mopar wheels is the bolt circle and number of wheel studs. You'll need to look for Mopars which still have FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS, not an assembled bearing hub, which means the wheel's surface where the lug nuts tighten against is much closer to the outside edge of the wheel rim. The earlier "wheel bearing" cars have that part of the rim much more centered between the edges of the wheel. So that's going to mean, mostly, a 1981 and prior Chrysler Corp car. The later rwd Fifth Avenues (and siblings on that platform) would still be "wheel bearing" cars, too. This also means the disc brake rotor and the front hub are one piece, too. No detachable brake rotors as the wheel bearing hub remains on the vehicle.

As noted above, the center "register" hole diameter in the middle of the wheel is important, too.Just as wheel stud diameter is. Get a 3.5x5" note card and make a measuring template for the distance between the stud holes and also note the center register inside diameter on it, too. That should ensure you get a Mopar-spec wheel. IF you happen to find a Chrysler wheel in a pile of loose wheels, on the inside center recessed part of the wheel rim, the wheel size should be stamped in that area. Could have a Pentastar stamping, too, as there should be near the valve stem area, too? That ID plus your template and the more-centered backspacing of the stock wheel should help get home with something that will work.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[traintech55]

I have a set of 15 x 5 Chrysler wheels for sale dirt cheap. Send me a PM and lets see what we can work out. Bill

 

[detmatt]

And if the set Bill has doesn’t work out I have a nice set of the 14 x 5.5 with the 2 13/16” center that are also really cheap. Unfortunately shipping theses days isn’t cheap.

 

[Carmine]

If it's a parts car you're just looking to roll it around, take a die grinder to the center hole of the Ford rims and open it up as needed.

 

[commando1]

If it's a parts car you're just looking to roll it around, take a die grinder to the center hole of the Ford rims and open it up as needed.

I thought it was the other way around.

 

[Carmine]

I thought it was the other way around.

I put 16" Furd cop rims on an M-body and needed to open that center hole with a die grinder. Drove it in a "spirited" manner for years without issue.

 

[Big_John]

I thought it was the other way around.

I think it is too... But we may be talking about different vintage wheels.

Anyway... Some of the A12 guys use Crown Vic cop car spare wheels as an almost dead on replacement for the expensive "H" wheels, I'd be tempted to try Crown Vic wheels.

But, as Carmine said, some work with a die grinder would solve the problem of the center hole... That would make those Ranger wheels work if need be.. Of course I once saw a guy use a cutting torch to do that job in a much quicker and dirtier fashion. I'm not going to recommend that for anything other than a "roll around" application though.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Carmine is correct. I just tried to put one of the '80's/90's Crown Vic aluminum wheels on a Chrysler the other day, and it wouldn't go over the hub. I've been able to get the Ford magnum 500's to go on by carefully tightening the lug nuts to draw it on the hub, but then needed to give it a whack with a good size mallet to get it back off.

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

I put 16" Furd cop rims on an M-body and needed to open that center hole with a die grinder. Drove it in a "spirited" manner for years without issue.

I concur, Fords have the smaller center register.

I have a set of turbine-style wheels from a 1988-89 Lincoln LSC and they won't fit over the Mopar hubs either.

 

[commando1]

OK. Early Fords are smaller.
Later Fords are larger.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

A caliper hone would probably be the best way to open up the hole on the aluminum wheels. There's probably some other machine shop type tool that would do it faster. A reamer that size would be quite expensive.

 

[commando1]

A caliper hone would probably be the best way to open up the hole on the aluminum wheels. There's probably some other machine shop type tool that would do it faster. A reamer that size would be quite expensive.

View attachment 227654

Nice wheels. What are those off of?

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Nice wheels. What are those off of?

'88-'89 Lincoln MK VII LSC, like Mike just mentioned. I grabbed that pic off of Dry Dock years ago. Thought they looked pretty cool.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

'88-'89 Lincoln MK VII LSC, like Mike just mentioned. I grabbed that pic off of Dry Dock years ago. Thought they looked pretty cool.

Me too, which is why I bought myself a set. Eventually they'll wind-up on my Windsor.... If they still make 16" tires in an appropriate size by the time I get around to it. I recall Leaburn recommended 235/65R16.

I'm pretty sure the guy who put those LSC wheels on his car said he used a die grinder to open up the center registers. I think I'd prefer a bit more precision. I know someone with a lathe in his garage who said he could do it for me.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Must be a real man's lathe. It would be tough to get a big wheel rim chucked into one of those Chinese hobby lathes.