15 inch wheel conversion
- Thread starter lanesmith
- Start date
Power Surge
Founding Member
Nothing to "convert", there are plenty of 15" rims out there for our cars.
The only thing to keep in mind, is you don't want too tall or wide a tire, that may cause rub.
I suggest reading through the sticky post at the top of this forum and read what wheel combos have worked best for others.
The only thing to keep in mind, is you don't want too tall or wide a tire, that may cause rub.
I suggest reading through the sticky post at the top of this forum and read what wheel combos have worked best for others.
jeffnoel
Founding Member
78CobraII
Moderator
The sticky thread above is a great starting place. Also the link.
But the short version is yes. But there are lots of possibilities. Do you want to change to 5-lug? Its not that hard, and allows much greater flexibility in wheel selection.
For any 15" wheel (4-lug or 5-lug) you really want a 0 offset wheel with 3.75" backspacing and 7" width. A 50 series tire with 225mm width matches the stock MII tire diameter. Anything larger requires careful matching of parts (can you say "trail-and-error"?). So you could possibly use a 12mm offset (Fox offset) wheel in 7" width and 3.75"-4" backspacing, but would have to run 3/8" spacers. (These are a controversial topic here.
) Fox offset front wheels also require spacers.
5-lug conversion:
-"Street-rod"/Granada 11" discs with adapter for Wilwood/mid-size GM or early Fox calipers. This is pretty much bolt-on other than locating brake hoses.
-Rear axles can be swapped from several sources used, but best bet is probably to contact Currie and order MII/8" axles. The MII bearing retainer is specific to our axle so make sure you get that. You will need early Ranger 5-lug drums to stay with the stock MII rears. There are wider drum brakes available on earlier 8" rears (Mustang, Maverick, Granada). Use the wider drum with matching internals along with the MII backing plate. Larger diameter drums (i.e. GT350) are a possibility, but require customized backing plates.
You can also swap in an entire 8" rear end from '65/'66 Mustang, Maverick, or early Granada. The have wider brakes. The perches are about 1/4" farther outboard. If you don't mind some mismatching, you can ignore it, or you can widen the perches or move them.
For larger brakes with 4-lugs:
-Fronts require custom hubs and rotors from Baer or Wilwood.
-I don't know of larger stock pattern rear drums for the 4-lug 8". Rear discs are available in 4-lug from several sources, but not specifically for the MII. It would not be too difficult to assemble them from a combination of parts. Several MII owners have done so.
A link to a brake upgrade page I was working on but did not finish. Still some good info tho':
http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~bmclean/pages/m2_faq.htm
A more complete set of instructions for 4 wheel discs:
http://www.mustangii.org/tech/tipsntricks/4wheeldisk/
You could also use a Fox Mustang 8.8" rear axle by adding perches. Its less than an inch wider than the MII rear. The T-Bird 8.8" is about 2 inches wider, so is not a good choice, though the rear discs would probably fit the Mustang 8.8 rear. The wider Fox rear would be a good choice with Fox offset wheels as you would not need spacers, but might need to modify the fender lips.
4-lug wheel selection is pretty much limited to a small number of off-the-shelf wheels, old Fox offset wheels or custom-made wheels. Here are some links:
http://www.americaneaglewheel.com/wheels_detail.asp?id=19&cat=Series+028
http://www.primewheel.com/Primecatalog/pdetail.asp?model=261
http://www.minilite.co.uk/
http://www.superlite-wheels.com/index.html
Centerline Custom-made wheels (4 and 5 lug):
http://www.centerlinewheels.com/customs/customs1.php
Geeze...I was just going to write a sentence or two...
But the short version is yes. But there are lots of possibilities. Do you want to change to 5-lug? Its not that hard, and allows much greater flexibility in wheel selection.
For any 15" wheel (4-lug or 5-lug) you really want a 0 offset wheel with 3.75" backspacing and 7" width. A 50 series tire with 225mm width matches the stock MII tire diameter. Anything larger requires careful matching of parts (can you say "trail-and-error"?). So you could possibly use a 12mm offset (Fox offset) wheel in 7" width and 3.75"-4" backspacing, but would have to run 3/8" spacers. (These are a controversial topic here.
) Fox offset front wheels also require spacers.5-lug conversion:
-"Street-rod"/Granada 11" discs with adapter for Wilwood/mid-size GM or early Fox calipers. This is pretty much bolt-on other than locating brake hoses.
-Rear axles can be swapped from several sources used, but best bet is probably to contact Currie and order MII/8" axles. The MII bearing retainer is specific to our axle so make sure you get that. You will need early Ranger 5-lug drums to stay with the stock MII rears. There are wider drum brakes available on earlier 8" rears (Mustang, Maverick, Granada). Use the wider drum with matching internals along with the MII backing plate. Larger diameter drums (i.e. GT350) are a possibility, but require customized backing plates.
You can also swap in an entire 8" rear end from '65/'66 Mustang, Maverick, or early Granada. The have wider brakes. The perches are about 1/4" farther outboard. If you don't mind some mismatching, you can ignore it, or you can widen the perches or move them.
For larger brakes with 4-lugs:
-Fronts require custom hubs and rotors from Baer or Wilwood.
-I don't know of larger stock pattern rear drums for the 4-lug 8". Rear discs are available in 4-lug from several sources, but not specifically for the MII. It would not be too difficult to assemble them from a combination of parts. Several MII owners have done so.
A link to a brake upgrade page I was working on but did not finish. Still some good info tho':
http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~bmclean/pages/m2_faq.htm
A more complete set of instructions for 4 wheel discs:
http://www.mustangii.org/tech/tipsntricks/4wheeldisk/
You could also use a Fox Mustang 8.8" rear axle by adding perches. Its less than an inch wider than the MII rear. The T-Bird 8.8" is about 2 inches wider, so is not a good choice, though the rear discs would probably fit the Mustang 8.8 rear. The wider Fox rear would be a good choice with Fox offset wheels as you would not need spacers, but might need to modify the fender lips.
4-lug wheel selection is pretty much limited to a small number of off-the-shelf wheels, old Fox offset wheels or custom-made wheels. Here are some links:
http://www.americaneaglewheel.com/wheels_detail.asp?id=19&cat=Series+028
http://www.primewheel.com/Primecatalog/pdetail.asp?model=261
http://www.minilite.co.uk/
http://www.superlite-wheels.com/index.html
Centerline Custom-made wheels (4 and 5 lug):
http://www.centerlinewheels.com/customs/customs1.php
Geeze...I was just going to write a sentence or two...
Good post, Bernie. Clear presentation of a lot of material without being cluttered. 
Jeffnoel, I wondered if the 2 Marines killed this week were your contemporaries? Not sure how old you are or how big Clovis is, thought there was a good chance you may have known them.
My condolences to the families of ALL our servicepeople that have given all for their country.
Jeffnoel, I wondered if the 2 Marines killed this week were your contemporaries? Not sure how old you are or how big Clovis is, thought there was a good chance you may have known them.
My condolences to the families of ALL our servicepeople that have given all for their country.
76_Cobra_II
Member
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