aftermarket disc brakes & 15" wheels

[SWEET7T]

I'm planning on a future swap to disc on the front of my '70. I will be staying with 6-lug and using an aftermarket kit. I'm also wanting to keep my stock dog-dish hubcaps.

I haven't found my stock steel wheels yet, and have recently read that the 15" wheels will not clear the calipers... The sticky says so

I also read that the 73-87 16" 6-lug will work as the replacement.

So, is all the above information true? I just found me a set of 16"wheels locally and want to make sure this is the route to take or to hunt some 15".

[lolife99]

The 71-87 4x4 steel wheels (made for hubcaps) are 15"
They should work fine for your dog-dish hubcaps.
They should also be cheap!

The 88-98 6-lug wheels are 16".
(I'm pretty sure they don't take a hubcap. Nothing to snap them onto)
They are the correct 6-lug bolt pattern,... but I would be afraid that they are the wrong offset.
(sucked in to far,... or too much backspacing)

[lolife99]

Also,... the only 15" oem 6-lug wheels that won't clear the disc brake caliper,... are the wheels made before the 1971 model year.

[ChevLoRay]

I have ECE (Early Classic) 2.5/4.0 drop. When I did the drop, I had 15x8's all the way around. The same wheels, when reinstalled back on the front, stuck out past the outside edge of the fenders. So, I swapped the 8's for a pair of 7's, up front. Problem solved.

I wanted Wheel Vintiques vette-style rallye wheels, so I ordered a pair of 15x8's up front, with a 4-inch backspace. In the rear, they're 15x10's, with a 5-inch backspace.

What won't work up front, are the original steel wheels for drum brakes. The backside of the wheel won't clear the brake caliper.

If you convert to 5-lug, the '71-88 wheels will work (5 on 5-inch).

[Mike J]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

I have ECE (Early Classic) 2.5/4.0 drop. When I did the drop, I had 15x8's all the way around. The same wheels, when reinstalled back on the front, stuck out past the outside edge of the fenders. So, I swapped the 8's for a pair of 7's, up front. Problem solved.

I wanted Wheel Vintiques vette-style rallye wheels, so I ordered a pair of 15x8's up front, with a 4-inch backspace. In the rear, they're 15x10's, with a 5-inch backspace.

What won't work up front, are the original steel wheels for drum brakes. The backside of the wheel won't clear the brake caliper.

If you convert to 5-lug, the '71-88 wheels will work (5 on 5-inch).

-yep, my 15x7 6-lug 4" backspace corvette rallyes fit just fine over my cpp disc conversion

[SWEET7T]

Originally Posted by lolife99

The 71-87 4x4 steel wheels (made for hubcaps) are 15"
They should work fine for your dog-dish hubcaps.

Just what I needed to hear.

Thank you all!