67 c10 rear wheel spacer thickness

[J-Rod67]

I know the answer is on here somewhere, but I am having trouble finding it. My question is what thickness wheel spacer is needed to make the rear wheels even with the front wheels on a 67 c10? The front has been converted to disc brakes with 71-72 spindles. Just having trouble locating the answer on here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[NC67Chev]

Provided you still have the original narrow rear end, I think you would need 1.5" spacers.
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[short-t]

I used 3/4" spacers on my 68 after converting to disk brakes.
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[NC67Chev]

It really depends on exactly what you're wanting to accomplish. These trucks come from the factory with the rear end 1.5" narrower track width than the front. Adding disc brakes makes the front another 1.5" wider. So for you, adding disc brakes will make the front a total of 3" wider than the back.

If you want the rear track width to be the same as the front, you will need to add 1.5" spacers.

If you want the truck to look like it rolled off the assembly line with disc brakes, you could either 1. Add 3/4" spacers as mentioned above or 2. Change to a wider rear end.
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[cdowns]

no spacers required if you know math and how to measure a rim

[NC67Chev]

Originally Posted by cdowns

no spacers required if you know math and how to measure a rim

Good point. I think this is probably what most folks do.
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[short-t]

Originally Posted by NC67Chev

Good point. I think this is probably what most folks do.
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Not if they want to use the wheels they already have..

My truck after front disk brakes installed and no spacer in the back;



After adding 3/4" spacers;

[SS Tim]

Of course you could just buy longer axles with a c-clip eliminator kit making the axle stronger and better able to handle the loads of huge wheels with little tires.

[NC67Chev]

Originally Posted by short-t

Not if they want to use the wheels they already have..

My truck after front disk brakes installed and no spacer in the back;

I'm not debating that at all. It seems like a lot of people like the big and little look. I personally do not, which is why I'll be going with a wider rear end when I add discs to the front.

[Tillik]

If you upgrade the rear axle to Disk Brakes, will it space out or you still need to address it? I have a complete 71 front end to upgrade my truck someday, might as well start planning for all that. I will need new wheels anyway, going from 6 to 5 lug.

Edit: Your Truck is sick btw. Very nice. Love that stance.

[TBONE1964]

If you are looking for opinions, mine is I would not put wheel spacers on a lawn mower., If you want to fix the problem correctly, get the correct back spacing for the wheel or try a wider tire.

The other option is to have a rear end built to the correct width for your existing tire and wheel combination.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

If you are looking for opinions, mine is I would not put wheel spacers on a lawn mower., If you want to fix the problem correctly, get the correct back spacing for the wheel or try a wider tire.

The other option is to have a rear end built to the correct width for your existing tire and wheel combination.

I agree.
And it depends on what width wheels you choose.

[ksbrktracer]

Originally Posted by lolife99

I agree.
And it depends on what width wheels you choose.

I agree too. One problem you will run into is finding a cast wheel that will have the correct backspacing. Or you can have a set built with the right spacing. ( My first choice if Im staying with the narrow rear axle)

[BruthaMan]

1.5" spacers are what I used for the rear axle, with stock rally wheels.

On my '78 build, I upgraded the rear axle to disc brakes. Fronts were factory disc, but upgraded to polished GM calipers, slotted/drilled rotors and 2" drop spindles.

Fronts stuck out farther than the rears (stock 15x8 rally wheels). Ordered a set of 1.5" spacers for the rear and it brought the rears to the same as the fronts.

[J-Rod67]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions. I understand there are differing opinions about using wheel spacers. The look I am trying to acheive is having the same track width front and rear. I already have my wheels. They are american racing torq thrust st chrome 20 x 8.5 with 5.5" BS. The center bore is too small for the rear, but this was not a concern to me since I planned on using spacers in the rear. I plan on going with a hub centric steel spacer from wheeladapter.com. So I will need 1.5" spacers to to get the track widths even correct?

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

If you are looking for opinions, mine is I would not put wheel spacers on a lawn mower., If you want to fix the problem correctly, get the correct back spacing for the wheel or try a wider tire.

I'm not quite sure I understand your statement there, especially since they are used in OEM applications. Heck, even when I serviced and regreased the wheel bearings on my lawnmower it uses misalignment bushings...also known as spacers.

GM, Ford, and Dodge all three use what amounts to bolt on spacers in their current and past dually applications for the correct offset up front, and if you think about it, drums and disk brake rotors that slip on over the studs are nothing more than a slip on spacer sandwiched between the hub and the wheel.

[SS Tim]

Since you knew that you needed to space out you rear wheels to fit as desired the real answer is just as it was prior to your first post.

Put the truck on four jack stands with the suspension loaded and measure the WMS dimension front and rear to determine the difference and viability of commercial offerings in your application.

Finally take into consideration the front of the truck specs at 79.10" without trim and the rear is 78.90" as the max body widths.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by GCncsuHD

...GM, Ford, and Dodge all three use what amounts to bolt on spacers in their current and past dually applications for the correct offset up front, and if you think about it, drums and disk brake rotors that slip on over the studs are nothing more than a slip on spacer sandwiched between the hub and the wheel.

THe dually adapters are in a sense spacers but more importantly they are generally rivited together and even the bolt on hubs use pretty HD studs.

Remember a drum or captured rotor are designed in spacers that are taken into consideration when the studs were sized and specd.

The important differentiation is that a simple spacer that moves a wheel outboard and off the centering hub is puttng all the loads on the studs. Any spacer must have a means of centering the wheel to reduce stud loads. So a bolt on spacer that uses stock studs, centers the wheel and has its own set of studs is going to be about as good as it gets. For me it would be a custom 10 hole spacer with centering hub indexed off the redrilled axle hub. Then one set of stud holes would be counterbored, lug nutting the spacer to the axle. Then a second set of much longer studs extending through the axle and the spacer would retain the wheel.

Finally anytime you have spacers they need to be removed for many brake services or inspections.

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

THe dually adapters are in a sense spacers but more importantly they are generally rivited together and even the bolt on hubs use pretty HD studs.
To be honest I have never seen a set riveted together, but that doesn't really make a difference, they are typically bolted to the hub as mentioned, in the same way a spacer is bolted to the hub.
Remember a drum or captured rotor are designed in spacers that are taken into consideration when the studs were sized and specd.
We are in agreement there, if anyone is using slip on spacers stud length and strength certainly must be taken into consideration, but the same could be said for aluminum wheels that use a mounting thickness double that of the steel wheel it may have originally been designed around.
The important differentiation is that a simple spacer that moves a wheel outboard and off the centering hub is puttng all the loads on the studs. Any spacer must have a means of centering the wheel to reduce stud loads. So a bolt on spacer that uses stock studs, centers the wheel and has its own set of studs is going to be about as good as it gets. For me it would be a custom 10 hole spacer with centering hub indexed off the redrilled axle hub. Then one set of stud holes would be counterbored, lug nutting the spacer to the axle. Then a second set of much longer studs extending through the axle and the spacer would retain the wheel.
You are incorrect in assuming that it would alter the loads on the studs in any way. The studs do not support the weight of the vehicle, and no leverage is seen by the studs in any way. Just as it is a very common misconception about "hub centric wheels" that the hub outer diameter supports the weight of the vehicle by the inner diameter of the hub bore ont he wheel. The vehicle is completely supported by the friction created by the clamping force between the hub face and the wheel mounting surface due to the tension of the studs.

The spacer moving the wheel outboard, is no different than someone spec'ing wheels of a similar offset. A 5" backspaced wheel with 1.5" spacers and a similar width wheel with 3.5" backspacing would both yield the exact same backspacing, and thus the same leverage on the hub. Any additional tension applied to the studs as a result of that leverage would be negligible in relation to the tension already applied to the torqued lugs.


Finally anytime you have spacers they need to be removed for many brake services or inspections.

You are correct, most shops will not touch spacers due to liability, but this liability is not inherent to the spacer themselves, but rather the need to monitor the torque on the lugs that bolt the spacer to the hub. It is common practice to retorque the lugs after 50-100mi, but we all know most customers will not do this, thus the shop does not want that liability on themselves.

The two keys with spacers are 1. Make sure they are of quality material and quality studs are used and 2. Make sure they are properly torqued.

They got a bad rap, mostly because of the market being flooded with cheap cast spacers that would crush behind the wheel when overtorqued, allowing them to loosen up, or worse yet completely fail.