Hi All. So got the front end rebuilt. Job went well. Lower control arm pins came out easily. Now that front end is done I started on the disc brake conversion. I'm using the Wildwood setup and as per all the posts my stock dog dish rims do not clear the calipers. I have a set of Cragars for the car but would still like to be able to use the dog dish caps for the sleeper look. Question is has anyone used spacers. I have researched Scott Drake Spacers and found that there are some about .030 thick. The contact patch on the caliper is so minimal I'm thinking a spacer may do the trick. Open to any and all thoughts or opinions. Thanks Greg
My dog dish hubcaps cleared the stock studs, I added longer studs and the hubcaps did not clear the longer ones, maybe your studs are not original? You can buy 14" Ford rims that clear the calipers, I am using one for a stock type spare and it clears the calipers. You may need pretty thick spacers for the stock rims to clear the Wilwood calipers....
Are you using 14 or 15" steel wheels? On my 59, I installed the Wilwood front disc brake kit, with 11" rotors and aluminum 4 piston calipers, and I am running 15" Wheel Vintiques Series 62 steel wheels (15x6" front, 15x8" rear). These wheels work with the factory small "dog dish" hubcaps, and clear the calipers with no spacers required.
Thanks for the reply. I was trying to use stock 14 inch rims. Where do you find the rims you have mentioned. Thanks Greg
Ford made a variety of cars in the early '70s with front disc brakes and 14" wheels. Granadas, Torinos, LTDs, etc. I bought mine a while back, it is a 14 x 6.5 off an LTD from eBay. We have no old car junk yards around here...
Quote from: Gregs57 on 2023-04-19 06:05Thanks for the reply. I was trying to use stock 14 inch rims. Where do you find the rims you have mentioned. Thanks Greg
I ordered my wheels new from Summit Racing. They look just like factory wheels, other than they have a larger center hole. As Lynn mentioned, there were a lot of factory Fords made with 14" wheels and disc brakes, starting in the mid 60s, but really became more popular in the late 60s thru the 70s. Most 69/70 Mustangs and Cougars, many Fairlanes/Torinos, Montegos, Mavericks, Comets, Granadas, etc had 14" wheels and disc brakes, although they would likely be a bit wider, and have a slightly different center for clearance. I went with the 15"s because the selection of 14" tires is getting pretty small, especially if you want to be able to buy tires without needing to pay more $$$ thru a specialty tire company. I Have BF Goodrich TA Radials on my 59, which were easy to find.
Good point, and that's likely to be more of a problem in the future.
Thanks for the feed back. I'm thinking of going the stock 15" wheel route. To be more specific can anyone tell me which years will accept the dog dish caps. I dusted off my 30 year old Cragars and they look great on the Meteor. I still would like the sleeper look. Greg
I used Wheel Vintiques Series 62 15" wheels. They are very nice, relatively inexpensive and the 15 x 7 wheels fit on all corners. I have dog dish hubcaps on mine. The hub caps will fit on any 14" Ford rim that is not a "styled wheel".
https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/wheel-vintiques-62-series-ford-chevy-style-o-e-primered-wheels/part-type/wheels?N=wheel-bolt-pattern-application%3A5-x-4-1-2-in&SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Ascending&fr=part-type
I also use the series 62 15x7 from Summit. The stamping isn't quite as crisp as original but overall a pretty good product. On the front I have oem 15x5 55-56 Ford. They clear my stock late 60's Fairlane callipers.Your almost better off buying new than trying to find a nice clean set that aren't bent or curb rashed.