Track width and wheel fitment double check help needed.

[TheBlurLS1]

I need a bit of help before I order my wheels.

Car:
69 Camaro
Ridetech upper/lower strong arms
Ridetech tru-turn kit with spindle
Wilwood big brake kit 140-12271-D (Wilwood states +0.38" wider with kit, I assume per side)

I got everything mentioned above on the car and measured wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface in the front with the suspension hanging. I squared the rotors by measuring the front and rear and adjusted until they were even.

Wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface was 60" even.

Questions:

What is the stock disc brake WMS to WMS measurement in the front? (I've searched, but find conflicting reports)
I plan to run 18x8 front with 5.25" backspace (4.875" standard fitment, plus 0.375" from Wilwood extra width), is this the proper train of thought?
I believe the parts I took off (SSBC 2" drop spindles, disc kit) measured 59.5", but I can't remember. It may have been 57.5". Does this sound reasonable?


The rear wheels will be 18x12 5.5" BS. CCW D110, gloss black lip, satin black face. The plan is to put them under the car (which is now mini-tubbed) and measure WMS to WMS in the rear and order the rear end (Chassisworks G-Link). Tires to be 245/40/18 and 335/30/18 BFG Rival S.



Brake Kit:
http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-12271-D

Suspension/Car Pics:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/10436675_844936128861761_287155714938218-1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/TheBlurLS1/image2_zpsr6ngvize.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/TheBlurLS1/image1_zpsm9ppugo5.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/TheBlurLS1/image3_zpssmglfkwr.jpg


Wheels (not ordered yet):
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/10903752_741321062625531_124621410_n_zps-1.jpg

[astroracer]

Measure the front with the suspension at ride height. Going to full jounce is a good way to go but that's difficult without removing the shocks and springs. Set the car up at ride height and turn the wheels to full lock in both directions. If you clamp a piece of wood cut to the approximate OD of your tire (a 245/40-18 will be about 26 3/4") to the rotor you can use that to measure to the frame rail and outer fender. This will give you a good idea of how much room you have. I don't think that combo will cause any issues though.
For the rear you are doing exactly as you should. Have the wheel/tire combo on hand and measure between them to establish the rearend width.
Mark

[Reactor]

A couple things to think about. I have almost the same setup as you describe. But I have Baer 6 piston brakes on the front. When I installed them on the stock spindles it did not change my track width. At least I could not tell it. I just installed the complete Ride tech system and today installed my 275/35/18 tires. Backspace is 5.9". I have not driven it yet, and I may have to run a spacer about.3" , but I think it will work fine. I just think with your setup you are leaving a lot of tire room under the car. The Ridetech sway bar frees up some space for the wider setup. Just a thought.

[Z06vet]

I agree- go with 9 or 9.5" wheel up front w/275 tire. On a 69 I feel like a 10" will fit as well, but 9.5" is pretty safe. I'm sure ridetech can help you out choosing the best back space.

[TheBlurLS1]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I like the look of the smaller wheels in the front and larger ones in the rear. I ran 255's in the front and 315's on the rear of my last Camaro. Plus, I can sell 18x8's to a lot more people if I ever want to change it up.

I have so many variables going on with the car, that I don't want to risk complications (this is my first build like this). In the future, re-hooping the inside barrel to get an inch or two would only cost me a couple hundred bucks and I could measure the car to make sure they fit exactly before I do it.


Any input on the questions I posed? I would really like to get the wheels on order.

Mainly, what is the stock WMS to WMS measurement in the front?

[TheBlurLS1]

Ok now I'm curious lol. If someone with STOCK brakes were to put an 18x9 wheel in the front, would the recommended backspace be 5.875" (4.875" + 1")?

If the above is true, would this mean I would need a 6.25" backspace with my brakes (+0.38") and an 18x9 wheel?

[Reactor]

I agree with both of your statements. My rims were 18x8 with a 4.9 backspace to start with. I was running a 245/40/18. Stock spindles, and the Baer brakes, which I think, do not move the track wider than stock. The setup never rubbed anywhere. I installed the Ridetech setup and bought 1" wider inners and now have a 18x9 wheel with 5.9" backspace. 275/35/18 tire. Looks like the tire will barely rub the rear of the frame rails at lock. It just barely clears the Ridetech muscle bar. It would be all over a stock style sway bar. There is still a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch clearence between the outer fender. Ridetch recommends no more than 5.5" backspace, so I was not surprised by the frame contact. By adding the spacers, I can find the best clearence and maximize the tire placement. Your 6.25 backspace with a 18x9 wheel and the wider track of the Wilwood brakes should put you about where I am. You may have to use spacers to clearence the frame rail, but your real clearence problem may be a stock style sway bar. I would give the guys at Ridetech a call and pick there brain. Good luck.

[TheBlurLS1]

Thanks for the input!!!! I sent a message to Bret from Ridetech about it with a link to this thread.

I'm pretty sure I did the math correct, the only question I have is the validity of the +0.38" per side from the Wilwood kit. If It's not true, and I go with the 18x9, then I'm going to need a pretty good spacer right off the bat. It would also mean that the 18x8's would be extremely "tucked" without a spacer.


I would simply put the stock brakes on the Ridetech suspension/spindle and measure the difference between them and the Wilwoods, but I don't have stock brakes. The car came with the SSBC spindle/disc kit installed and I don't know the offset/etc. for the kit.

[TheBlurLS1]

Bump!