Wheel spacers or offset wheels, advice needed.

[kopfjaegger]

Hi all, it's been a while since I last posted but I haven't really been able to get at a computer. I recently acquired tires and was presented with a problem that I hope I'll be able to get a solution from someone here.

This is for my '69 K20. I bought a set of Interco Trxus tires in 35x12.5 r15 from a gentleman here locally. They are in great shape and came with the Pro Comp Series 83 wheels. They look really great and the price was extremely reasonable. The wheels also matched what is on my truck so that was an added plus because it meant that I could use one of my other tires as a spare or swap them out in an emergency.

Here is the problem; the tires fit and look great. I get a slight rubbing on the trailing edge of my passenger front on right turns but a slight fender trim or body lift will fix that. No worries since that is the only clearance problem due to tire size. My dilemma lies with the wheels. Two come with an offset, and two do not. I assumed that since they are the same model wheels as my original wheels, they would fit, but when I put them in, the non-offset wheels actually contact the calipers. The offset wheels fit front or rear, no difference. When I switched the front (non offset) tires to the rear to run the truck, it looks a little goofy with the front tires sticking out more than the rear. It drives great and feels awesome, but just looks a little off because of that.

Now my question; it's pretty clear that I have to get the fron and rear to match up and I guess my options are to either get spacers to install the non-offset wheels in the front (I doubt this is a good idea), or purchase offset wheels to match the ones I have. This is no big deal since I can sell the other two. (I have already had people ask).

This leads me to my question; in the latter case, would it be a bad idea to offset the wheels in the long run? I have heard that an offset at the wheels would put stress on the axle and other parts. This truck is not used for serious off roading, just once in a while. From what I see, I've identified the rear axle as a GM corporate 14 bolt although I'm no expert so somebody check me on that. I'm still in the learning phase so the more someone can tell me about this the better. I hear that this axle will handle the stress. I don't know what the front is yet, I couldn't find the type of axle it is because it was hard to see it in the dark yesterday.

If anyone can give me input I would really appreciate. I want to get this out of the way so I can get started on replacing the worn bushings and suspension stuff. I also need to identify the front axle so I can get the right parts. Eventually, I also want to convert the rear brakes to disc, so I guess getting the matching wheels might be the way to go.

Thanks guys

j

ps - this pos didn't upload the pics, but here is a link to photobucket pics. I hope this works.

http://s802.photobucket.com/albums/y...ire%20Problem/