Pro-Street Advice Please

[texassquarebodies]

I am in the process of rebuilding a 1982 short bed that my Dad and I built when I was in high school--early 90's. It has not been on the road since 99'. I have it running now, close to driveable. Always wanted to tub it.

I need some advice on doin the old school pro street thing. I'm talking 15" wheels here boys-no 20's for me. I want to run a 15x14 rally in the rear with a 29x18 Sportsman S/R radial tires. I don't want the tire to poke much past the rim much.

Should I get my tires and wheels first and then have my rear narrowed?
What back spacing do I need on the wheels?? How much do I narrow my rearend??? I'm putting the leafs on the inside of the frame rails. Do I just swap sides??

Any help would be great appreciative.

[Pro Performance]

I am not too familiar with pro-streeting, but I definitely recommend getting the wheel & tires first, then cutting the rearend to fit. If you do it this way, you can place them exactly where you want them to go, check for clearance, then cut the rear.

[tinydb84]

Sorry no help here but I was always interested in moving the leaf springs inboard. Tag for following.

[andrewmp6]

With wheels that big a 4 link is the only way to go if you want it to have traction.

[texassquarebodies]

Not going 4 link. I'm not gonna have a high hp motor in it. Maybe 350hp. Its gonna be a cruiser. I like going fast, but that costs more money than I have

[tubbedII]

Originally Posted by Pro Performance

I am not too familiar with pro-streeting, but I definitely recommend getting the wheel & tires first, then cutting the rearend to fit. If you do it this way, you can place them exactly where you want them to go, check for clearance, then cut the rear.

Ditto! This is the way I did it with my Nova. Since you're not going with a high HP, there was a post recently about having the axels cut down and resplined here on the board by a vendor.

[PBFAB.COM]

If you're seriously considering having the housing narrowed up, or an aftermarket one built, then you'll want to have the wheel offset figured out ahead of time. That way you can provide that information/measurement to the rear end shop / manufacture when they go to build the housing.

In the case of axles, so axles can be shortened and resplined as long as they are thicker where the current splines end now. In most cases they are, however there are axles out there that tapper down after the splined section.

Depending on the projected look of the truck you might need to revamp some of the suspension components to provide additional tire clearance. You can move the leaf springs inboard, install a 4 link inboard or outboard, and even change up the rear frame rail section as well. The options are out there.

Here's a link to a build similar to yours that was done in the past, and you could do something similar however using less complicated components such as a bolt-on 4 link and coil over package.

http://www.cachassisworks.com/Storie...AC-009_WEB.pdf

We can provide you with advice as well as suspension components if you decide to alter the rear of the truck.

Good luck with the build and I'm sure it'll be nice to get it back on the road again.


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[texassquarebodies]

Thanks for the input guys. Its always good to hear several opinions on things you have never done before. I have in my head how I want it, but want to do it only once. I still need some pics or input on my rear tire/wheel combo.

I want 15x14 truck rallys and 29x18 s/r sportmans. Anyone have pics of that setup??

[PBFAB.COM]

That would look good and I'm sure you can locate or have someone build you some wide ralleys these days. Maybe someone like Stockton Wheel Co.

Nothing wrong with a set of M/T Sportsmans or Sportman Pro tires stuffed under a squarebody.

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[Pro Performance]

Nope, nothing wrong with that at all!

Stockton wheel is a good choice, and Vaughn Machine is another option.
Vaughn Machine

[robnolimit]

Also try Wheel Vintiques. Best to know the wheel/tire combo first. Also, consider mounting the springs under the frame. The wider spring stance will ride better, a lot better. Check into the rear spring kits used by street rod guys for 40 fords, 39 chevys and the like. Speedway has some universal kits for pretty cheap. The springs are a little shorter, flat arc, and have 'car like' shackles for a better ride. For axle width, start with chassis width, + 6" (3" per side for tire bulge and air space) + 2 times the wheel backspace. If you use this, you can contact the wheel company, confirm backspace, and start on the rear end and suspension without having the wheel and tires.