I have been updating my Polara thread regularly with all the work I’ve done the past couple weeks, but I wanted to post my new wheels and tires in this thread as well to get some feedback on stance and rear suspension height.
I’ve been digging hardcore on Craigslist, OfferUp, eBay, and all over the web looking for wheels to replace my 15” steelies with Chev wire caps on them. My tires were almost new, but the wheels just didn’t fill up the wells enough and intrinsically they didn’t do the car any favors. Pretty much everywhere I was seeing at least $115 ea. per wheel and would still need tires. I wanted to go bigger (up to 19), but the cost was just too high for my budget. I just bought the car, yanked the motor apart, and put it back together, as well as needing things like exhaust and 4 bbl swap parts.

Anyways so yesterday on Craigslist I typed in 5x4.5 and this set of wheels showed up, listed at $575, about 2 hours and a ferry ride away. I sent the seller a text and left a voicemail saying I was extremely interested and would come out same day. He got back to me, we set a time, and I crossed my fingers. I even thought the price might have been a typo and should be $1575.

So I went out deep into the sticks and bought the wheels, for $500

They are American Racing AR 135’s
The fronts are 17x8, 5x4.5, 4.5 inch backspacing, and et0 offset. Tires are 95% 225/45/17 directional front
Rears are 18x8, 5x4.5, 4.5 backspacing and also et 0 255/40/18 95% tread.
Great deal.
I’m going to bolt them up in a couple hours, the car is at the exhaust shop getting a dual system put in.
Here are some pics! I’ll add more later after the install.
The car now with original wheels

The car the wheels came off of...

Wheel resting in front of car

The wheels themselves

 

Thanks! Yeah as soon as I saw them I jumped on them. They seemed like a lot of goods for the cost.

Me too.... and they’re discontinued so I feel like they have some intrinsic value.

They do look pretty good! I need a 2-3” spacer for the front I thought they’d have more poke.

Here they are. More pics later my phone is at 1% I need to charge it.

 

Polara 71 you’re the man. Honestly I think the car might not be my flavor 100%. I’m 32 and want more of a hotrod. Maybe I should pass it to someone who really loves the c body. I enjoy it but maybe someone else might really appreciate it. The wheels are ok.... but not what I would purchase new. They look better, but not right. Aside from some front end tram lining the car drives way better. It’s a boat. I’m headed out to take some more pictures and get a meal. More to come...

 

After a couple hours out driving, running around getting into the throttle and having a good time, I’m totally rejuvenated.
This morning I had to get up way early to drop the car off 45 mins north of me to get exhaust done, then haul all the way an hour east to pick up two friends who needed to get to the airport a couple hours south during rush hour traffic. Then back to my place to swap cars, catch a ride back up to exhaust shop to grab car, another hour to get to my local discount tire, just to realize I forgot the lugs all the way back at the exhaust shop back north during now evening traffic. I was just wiped out. Discount wouldn’t mount the rears because they were outside of the 8 year age allowed within their policy. So I drove back to my shop to mount the rears. Just a long day and I was stressed and wiped out. Stupid construction on Bothell Everett Hwy that made the one lane trip each way a 1 mph hot mess.

BUT... a nap later... a good meal (Wedndys Cheeseburgers and Frostys) and a couple beers and I am a new man. Car drives SO much better with modern wheels and tread. The old white walls were tired, separated, and the crazy Chevrolet wire wheel hubcaps weighed LITERALLY 8-10 pounds each. Also a couple of the caps were really messed up and internally flopped around making a nasty noise and causing major vibration at ALL speeds and during cornering.

The new wheels are great! They need spacers, at least 2-3” up front, and maybe 1-2” out back. The car tends to tramline at low speeds on roads with major ruts. Other than that though, the car is way way more stable, fun to drive, no more vibration at all at any speeds. Looks great, and with the new dual exhaust it really came to life.


Still has leak at manifold, but I’ll replace mani gaskets and downpipe donuts Monday. This is going on Monday as well.

Here are some photos of the car... I like it, aside from needing a little more offset. These C bodies really make Wheels look small.... 18’s on the rear and they look like 16’s.

Have a great evening and Sunday. More to come tomorrow and def Monday!

 

Look what I found.... couldn’t have done better myself as an explanation

 

Yeah I definitely am keeping these wheels on for now, simply because the WSW that were on there were from 86’ and I’m pretty sure one at least was separated. Also when the guy at discount tire took a cap off he literally came to get me to show me how heavy the caps were, no joke I always doubted in movies when guys would frisbee a hubcap at their enemy and KO him, but after holding one of those wire caps I was like . So aside from a little tramlining on bad roads , I’m going to leave those on until I find something more appropriate or better. The good news is the new wheels were a lot of kit for the money, Maybe I can trade up or sell at higher value once I find something.

And thanks BLIMP... gotta stay positive.... otherwise what the hell are we doing? I do this whole car thing because I love it. I’m a petrosexual. Gear head through and through. What’s the point unless it’s enjoyed.... for better or worse.

Would you feel better about the wheels if I just went to larger tires? Maybe 255/55/18 rear and 235/55(60)/17 front? That was my first thought was not enough poke and sidewall for a C body.
Thanks