Hello I have been performing a restomod on my 62’ step side and have upgraded to disk brakes front and rear. I did a mild 2” drop spindle on the front and a 2” block drop in the rear. My question is with all the different size wheels I would like to know how tall and wide I could go without any rubbing issues? I would like to use a 18” or 20” wheel, but unsure of what offset or tire size would be needed. Any advise would be appreciated as wheels are not cheap and impossible to return. Thanks in advance!
Backspacing is a key detail when choosing tire and wheel packages. My 1965 stepside is pictured with stock suspension. I can’t go to a wider rear tire unless I increase the wheel backspacing. If I recall, my front wheels are 7” wide and rear wheels are 8.5” wide and both have 3.75” of backspacing.
I’d go about it like this. Measure the horizontal distance from the face of your rear drum to a plumb line dropped from the inner wheel well. Find a wheel you like and subtract the backspacing from the wheel width. That way you can tell if it will tuck inside the wheel well. Don’t cut it too close. I own a pair of 10” wide wheels that I can’t use because the backspacing is only 3.75” and they would hit the wheel well with any suspension travel. If they had 5” of backspacing I think they’d work.
