Fun with +0mm offset Bullitt wheels

I've vacillated back and forth long enough on wheels for my '68 - I finally decided to make the plunge and buy one and test fit it. I wanted Bullitts, but didn't want to deal with the potential safety issues with spacers, so I bought a Verde Wheel Replicas Bullitt from www.customwheelsmarket.com, 17x8" w/ 4.50" backspacing, +0mm offset. This seems to be a widely used wheel size on 67s and 68s. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to fit terribly well.

http://www.my68gt.com/gallery/bullitts

The rears seem like I need a good bit more backspace than 4.50", and also appears like I could use a wider wheel, especially if I BFH'd the bump stop flap.

The fronts - I'd feel like a ricer with my wheels sticking out that much. However, it looks like I've only got about .5" clearance between the tip of the rim and the edge of the UCA - the only picture is at a bad angle and makes it look like the UCA is below the rim, it's not.
I'm probably going TCP - eventually - which seems like it would give more clearance on the UCA, but that's the future.

I've measured the wheel, it is the correct size.

I could see the rears being off if somebody slapped a different width 9" in, but the fronts?!

Am I on crack, is my car on crack, or is there something else to this?

19stang66 - you have these same wheels, iirc, did you have any issues?!

I'm willing to spend more on different wheels, I've considered the PSE or Edelbrock 454s, but if they're the same size as these ...

thanks!
 
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A guy on Mustang Forums basically just asked me the same question. haha weird. Anyways, I had no issues at all, I agree that mine could use a little more backspacing but I don't mind them the way they are. I can't believe the fronts stick out that much. Whats your suspension setup for up front? Can't the 67 and up cars use the modern wheels with their backspacing? I bought these wheels so I wouldn't have to deal with spacers.

Edit: dumb question, but what is iirc short for?
 
19stang66 said:
A guy on Mustang Forums basically just asked me the same question. haha weird. Anyways, I had no issues at all, I agree that mine could use a little more backspacing but I don't mind them the way they are. I can't believe the fronts stick out that much. Whats your suspension setup for up front? Can't the 67 and up cars use the modern wheels with their backspacing? I bought these wheels so I wouldn't have to deal with spacers.

Edit: dumb question, but what is iirc short for?

No, most of the fitment charts show 4.5/4.75" backspacing for 67,68.

iirc= If I Recall Correctly :)
 
I am not sure of the backspacing on the particular late model wheel that i have but it is a 17 wheel from a 94 GT, the 17x8 3 spoke style, it's actually a 6 spoke but gives the apperance of a 3 spoke. any ways, it has a 255/40 on it and on the back it fits like it was made for my car, it is probably tucked and inch in my fender well, so with a little less backspacing i could see a wider tire that would still tuck under the fender. on the inside it has about a quarter inch form the inner fender on the front, but looks as though it would be fine. i have drove it like this, its just on there because i am painting the crager wheels thats on it and i had this wheel laying around, so i put it on...haventtried to fit it on the front yet, but i will pretty soon...

btw, i have a 68 coupe...
 
A couple comments...

First, I understand your concern about using spacers, but I'm not sure you need to be. I too was concerned (I am running '03 Mach 1 17" wheels) but after a bit of research I felt better aobut it. See, spacer adapters like we're talking about are common in lots of types of racing... circle track, SCCA, auto-x, rally, etc. As long as the spacers aren't excessively wide (more than 1.5" probably) and they're high quality (i.e. billet, not cast), then they should be safe enough for most cars (depending on how the car is driven and how often).

Second, I know you said you measured those wheels, but did you double check the actual backspacing measurements? Theoretically, a 0 offset wheel that is 8" wide should have 4" backspacing. Also, the dish on those wheels don't seem deep enough to be 0 offset. If you have checked, then never mind... the pics probably just don't properly represent the wheels.

Third, about the upper arm to wheel spacing... 0.5" is adequate spacing between the upper arm and the wheel. Depending on where the closest point on the arm is, you may be able to grind a bit off the upper arm. I had a similar problem and only had 0.25" of distance between my upper arm and the 15" wheel I was using, so I ground off the outer lip at the end of the control arm (at the ball joint) to gain an additional 0.25". This worked fine and I never had any problems with interference.

One last thing... be careful of taking all your measurements without having the full weight of the car on the ground (whether the arm is supported by a block or jack or whatever. Also, be aware that Mustang front suspensions are well known for not re-settling down after being jacked up until after the car is back on the ground and rolled a few feet. This is especially true if the car has recently had a suspension rebuild (extra especially if urethane bushings were used). Typically the spring saddles don't settle immediately. This causes the camber to be off, with the upper part of the wheel/tire pointed out more.

Hope this helps... good luck.
 
I've read a lot of the back-and-forth on spacers on corner carvers and kinda decided I'd go for the peace of mind of never worrying about it. :)

The wheels are 0 offset with 4.50" of backspacing. The difference is the wheel is larger than the rim width - 9" vs. 8", so on an 8" rim, the center is 4.5" from the back of the wheel with 0 offset. The dish isn't deep, the hub mounting surface is extremely thick - almost 3 inches.

I did verify the measurements, which is why I'm posting here wondering if anyone else is running this size and did they run into the same issues - perhaps jacking the car up is throwing off perception more than I can imagine, and if I slapped tires on these and put them on, everything would be fine. These are nice looking wheels, and cheap at $124 each shipped, but there's a 25% restocking fee so I'm leary of buying all four, tires, and attempting to get them to fit.

My suspension is bone stock with the exception of KYBs, composite leafs, and the Shelby drop.

Thanks for the input!
 
ok i looked at your wheel fitment pictures and decided to try to draw where the tire would be on there.....it looks like it would look more correct when the tire is on so i dont know....i just did this in 2 sec so its not precise but its like an idea i suppose....
 

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here is another shot....i dono if it makes a difference....but i think it changes the look a lot with a tire on it and makes it look pretty decent if not pretty good.
 

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My 68 has 18x8 front wheels with 5.42" back spacing plus a 1/4" spacer for a total backspace of approx 5.16". They fit ok without the spacer except the wheel lip rubbed the UCA's (GW) near full lock. On the back I run 18x9 with 5.94" backspacing and no spacers.
 
Found these pics and info in BIG-MAC's garage.

Chassis rotisserie restored & fully seam welded
Full global west suspension front & rear
GW weld in subframe connectors
1" Stam adjustable sway bar
Koni shocks
.030 over 289
12.5-1 compression
Crower solid roller
Edelbrock RPM heads
JBA shorty headers
Victor Jr. intake
Demon 750 carb
Griffin radiator
Black FR500 wheels
18x8 front (narrowed 18x9 +36)
18x9 rear (+24)
275/40-18 rear G-force KD's
245/40-18 front G-force KD's
Toploader 4 speed
Baer Track 13" front discs
Baer 12" rear discs
9" 3.89 rear w/31 spline axles
GM polo green bc/cc Glasurit paint

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Thanks...in those pics the car still has 18x10's and 295/35's on the back. This rubbed so I went smaller instead of raising the car up.

You can also try here for late model replica wheels www.mustangtuning.com

The wheel backspacing you described is a 9" wheel that will not fit the front as 8" is all that will fit (maybe 7" for a 65/66). The wheel in the pic below was an 18x9 +36 that I had narrowed 1" by www.weldcraftwheels.com. This makes the backspacing 5.41" and with a 1/4" spacer the total is 5.16". Without the spacer the rim rubs the upper control arms at full lock.
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