Fitting 9 and 11 inch Lindsey wheels

[mattn]

multi-part question here:

I am having trouble fitting new 9 and 11 by 17 inch Linsey wheels to my 1972 911T with steel 9 and 11 inch flares. I had the flares put on the car back in 2002 and it has been riding on 9 and 11 by 15 inch BBS wheels (with spacers) since then. No suspension mods that would affect the fit of the wheels.

The shop that mounted wheels and tires told me all four wheels stuck out too far and would definitely not work. And, yes, they said they took off the spacers. Anyone else have this problem? Mike Lindsey has been patient with me as I try to figure this out, but it is tough to do this over email. I won't mention the shop's name since there is always the chance that they are correct and I have messed up.

i am attaching a couple pictures of the rear wheel mounted. (This is back at home and I did not purchase tires in case the shop was right.) Only one is particularly valuable since the angles in the other pictures might be deceiving. The one photo shows a level between the top of the wheel and the center top of the fender. Don't know if you can see the bubble but the level is straight up and down. However, the car is jacked up to the one side and the axle and wheel are hanging. I am tempted to think the wheel would rotate up and in just a bit inside the fender. Not an ideal way to do this, I know.

I m not ready to give up on this but I think the next step will be to bring to the car to good shop and try again. Last question - any recommendations for a good shop for modified cars in the Alexandria, VA area?

Matt






Just previewed the post. No idea why the photo i sideways.

[clutch-monkey]

looks like a touch more camber and you'd be fine possibly? not ideal no, but if you want to offload them...
what offset are they that they stick out of 11" flares?

[quattrorunner]

Looks great to me.

[Elombard]

Looks Ok to me (no expert).

Did you tell lindsey it was a 72 with 11 inch flares? How is the front fitment? I guess if the flares where installed too short that could be an issue. Are you going to dial in a bit of negative camber?

[mattn]

Good point on the camber. Wasn't brought up by the shop and I didn't think of it at the time. I think I may need a shop with more experience with modified cars....

The offset of the wheels (mounting surface to rim) is 5.75 inches, which Mike Lindsey said was appropriate for these flares and this car. Yes, I gave him the details of the car, of course that assumes the flares were originally installed correctly....

[jsmithcds]

I want to buy the same wheels but have the same exact concerns….. I have weld on flares as well. I am looking for a local that has some to try first. No luck so far. Good luck getting them to fit. They will look awesome on that ride.

J

[PcarPhil]

I think they'll work. What size torsion bars and tires will you be running? You may need some negative camber and fender rolling to pull it off.

Check with the guys on dorkiphus.net for NoVA shop suggestions.

I ran 255/40 and 275/40 tires on 9&11x17 Lindsey/trudesign wheels for awhile. 295's and 315's may work too with the proper combo of stiff tb's, camber, and fender rolling.

[RarlyL8]

You answered your own question with the level. If anything they are too far inboard, which is a good thing. Find out why the shop thinks they won't work then decide if you need to ditch that shop.

[PcarPhil]

Matt,

Did you ever get the wheels and tires properly fitted to your car?

Just curious... I was doing some wheel research and came across this post.

If yes post some pics!

[mattn]

Yes, I did. I think they look great. Not 100% perfect fit - have a slight rub up front over bumps. May have to roll the fenders but need to decide whether to try to do that myself or not. Either way, they on!
Matt

[Canada Kev]

Rolling fenders is pretty straightforward. There is a possibility that the paint might crack on the bend, though. I just used a wooden bat to carefully, and incrementally work the lip over a bit more when I put 225s on the front end of my narrow body. You shouldn't have to roll the whole opening, just what's rubbing and a bit more to make the roll gradual.

[mattn]

Recently talked with someone who described doing it with PVC pipe and a heat gun to soften the metal. Makes me nervous. But it is something I will have to do.

[Canada Kev]

The heat gun is to soften the paint so it's less likely to chip. You don't need a ton of heat. Too much could damage it. If it's so hot that you couldn't hang on to it with bare hands, its too hot.

I used a children's wooden bat. It's thinner so it worked better in my not very much clearance fender wells. I prefer the bat vs. PVC pipe because it tapers so will generally have a diameter that is perfect for whatever spot between tire and fender that you're in, as it changes from one spot to another. Plus, it's soft so is less likely to damage the paint.

Your car looks pretty sweet, BTW.

[mattn]

Good points. Thanks.
Matt