C4 Corvette IRS in 55-59

[875DVL]

Funny , I have not even thought about a park brake , I live in flat country and was not going to use one , I wish I had old pictures of my mock up as the tires and wheels filled the fenders perfect .Also I thought I might need to cut the bed cause the tires would hit , nope not even close . Not sure about your 58 though . Mine also rides on an s10 frame and already does long burn outs , I will have the fenders back on in 2 weeks and will try to post more pics

['58Patch]

Originally Posted by Houston54

The units with the parking brake in the caliper, like the one I am using, will not accept 15 inchers which can complicate your wheel options. I think that change happened in the 88 model year.

Will you have to make any mods to the fenders to fit them over the tires?

Do you know if they will take 16 inchers?

[875DVL]

I used my 16 " vette wheels for mock up but did not like the inset look , the tires were also way low profile .they have a big inner diameter which makes sense for the park brake to fit proper . I will look tonight when I get home , if you want I can measure the old vette wheels that I still have and measure the 15 s ID.

[Houston54]

The wheels I have on now are 16s from a 3rd gen camaro with 235/55/16 rubber. They are just for setting the suspension up and rolling the chassis around. I plan to run the same size tire/rim on all four corners. The 235 is wide enough for me but will probably go with a 60 or 70 profile to get a taller tire for gearing and filling out the fender openings.

I was hoping to find some smoothies in 17 that are sensibly priced or some Hallibrand copies in 17 but have not found any as yet. Trying not to spend over $200 a wheel but that is not an easy task.

By my measurements I need rims with a 15" inside diameter on the back side to clear the calipers. Back spacing looks to be 4.5 which would work on the front and back.

['58Patch]

Originally Posted by Houston54

The wheels I have on now are 16s from a 3rd gen camaro with 235/55/16 rubber. They are just for setting the suspension up and rolling the chassis around. I plan to run the same size tire/rim on all four corners. The 235 is wide enough for me but will probably go with a 60 or 70 profile to get a taller tire for gearing and filling out the fender openings.

I was hoping to find some smoothies in 17 that are sensibly priced or some Hallibrand copies in 17 but have not found any as yet. Trying not to spend over $200 a wheel but that is not an easy task.

By my measurements I need rims with a 15" inside diameter on the back side to clear the calipers. Back spacing looks to be 4.5 which would work on the front and back.

Originally Posted by 875DVL

I used my 16 " vette wheels for mock up but did not like the inset look , the tires were also way low profile .they have a big inner diameter which makes sense for the park brake to fit proper . I will look tonight when I get home , if you want I can measure the old vette wheels that I still have and measure the 15 s ID.

Thanks Houston, I saw those tire/rim sizes and I like 'em.
875DVL: Thanks yeah, that would be awesome. I think we are going for the same look, I don't want low profile tires either.

I just want something for a comfortable ride that doesn't look like ass. This truck will be my daily driver and I don't want to tub the bed either.

Thanks for the help guys!

[875DVL]

Here it be , I was way wrong , park brakes not on caliper it is on the bottom of rotor ,lever style , and my 15 x 10 has plenty of room to hook park brake up with the rims im using . my old vette wheels are 15 1/2 Inside diameter . and i also included some pictures . cant wait to see more of your build. mine rides awsome with the IRS and IFS .

['58Patch]

Originally Posted by 875DVL

Here it be , I was way wrong , park brakes not on caliper it is on the bottom of rotor ,lever style , and my 15 x 10 has plenty of room to hook park brake up with the rims im using . my old vette wheels are 15 1/2 Inside diameter . and i also included some pictures . cant wait to see more of your build. mine rides awsome with the IRS and IFS .

Awesome! That's exactly what I wanted to hear Are you using the dana 36 or 44?

[875DVL]

its a 44 , geared good for freeway and burnout fun

['58Patch]

For sure

I found this from Flatout Engineering's FAQ's website:

Question: What is the difference between the years of the Corvette suspensions?

Answer: The ‘84-‘87 Corvette suspensions are approximately 1 inch narrower than the ‘88-‘96. ‘84-‘87 front suspensions have 11-inch front brake rotors, so you can use most 15-inch wheels if you choose. ‘88-‘96 front suspensions have 12-inch front rotors so you must use a 16-inch or larger wheel. The Corvette uses a 4 ¾ on 5 bolt circle wheels, the same as Chevrolet passenger cars, so there is a vast selection of wheels available to fit properly.

Question: What is the width of the Corvette suspensions?

Answer: The ‘84-‘87 Front suspension is approximately 59 ½”. The ‘84-‘87 rear is 61 ½”. This is measured from front brake face to brake face (right where the wheel bolts on). The ‘88-‘96 is approx. 1 inch wider, or 60 ½” front and 62 ½” rear. The width of both the ‘84-87 and ‘88-‘96 will fit well under most years of early Ford and Chevy P.U.’s and several Hot Rod and Street Rod applications without narrowing any of the components.

[blu52]

Any new progress on the truck? looks great. I have the flatout kits (front and rear) in the garage, just no time to install. Keep us posted

[jevonniespapi]

Great info. I just picked up (hardly that easy, had to disassemble myself) a front and rear set from an 84. Now time to see how good my fab skills are to put in my 54 pickup!

-Jay

[Houston54]

Originally Posted by blu52

Any new progress on the truck? looks great. I have the flatout kits (front and rear) in the garage, just no time to install. Keep us posted

I have the suspension work completed with the exception of the pinion crossmember and the finish welding of the rear boxing plates.

Currently working on the cab and front end sheet metal.

After getting the big window cab blasted it became obvious the tin worm damage was too severe. I decided to transplant the rear panel into a small window 58 cab I have. I have the new cab blasted and am currently developing the plan of attack for the surgery.

I picked out what I thought were the best front clip pieces between the two trucks and had those blasted also. This revealed some intriguing body filler use by past owners which is being addressed at this time in order to get the pieces into epoxy primer and into storage to make room for the cab work.

Once I have the cab issue resolved I can start working on a fuel tank/lines, battery box, brake booster, brake boosters and drivetrain installation.