Disc brakes conversions / wheel combinations

[35chevcoupe]

I know this topic has been talked about quite a bit,  but its still a little confusing for people like me who's lug nuts aren,t always tight . 
I,m dissembling the frame to get it sand blasted and have determined that the front disc brakes are from a 70 - 72 chevelle . So what I,m reading on here is that the stock 65 rally wheels won,t fit ! Am I correct on this ? does anyone know for sure ?
I did pick up a set of 14X7 plain steel wheels and they fit just fine .   I plan to run them most of the time but  I may want to occasionally run the factory chrome wheels .
Any expertise advice on this combo ?
Also , I thought I read somewhere that the disc brake spindles may be offset a little bit ?

[dsags]

John,

Believe the later wheels with less backspacing will fit over the disc brakes.

Dan

[35chevcoupe]

John,

Believe the later wheels with less backspacing will fit over the disc brakes.

Dan

Dan , 
So in other words they changed the style or off set on them at some point to clear disc brakes .
  Hmmm torn on which way to go with this .

[cwmcobra]

Hi John,

I added disc brakes to my restoration, but plan to run 15" wheels, so wasn't much concerned about the 14" stock wheels fitting.  Sometime next week I'll take the spare stock wheel out of my red car and see if it fits with my disc brakes.  I guess we can't be sure that our disc brake setups are really similar, but it will give an indication.  I'll post the result.

Have a great, cold weekend.  At least it is in Michigan!

Chuck

[35chevcoupe]

Chuck ,  Cold it is !!!!
You probably wouldn,t have to try a stock wheel unless you are curious to see if it fits . The 14X7  that I bought were for the 1st gen camaro,s chevelle,s , Copo cars with the dog dish hubcaps . so I kinda knew they were going to fit the disc brake set up that is currently on my car , I was just kind of hoping a set of stock chrome wheels for a 65 would fit also but it does,t sound like they will . unless I go with the later chrome wheels .
Any up dates on your car ?  I,m well into mine right now , getting things cleaned up .

[elagache]

Dear John, Dan, Chuck, and mid-60s Buick cobblers, . . . .

I've never played around with swapping GM stuff from one year to another so I'm mostly useless on this topic.

I,m dissembling the frame to get it sand blasted and have determined that the front disc brakes are from a 70 - 72 chevelle . So what I,m reading on here is that the stock 65 rally wheels won,t fit ! Am I correct on this ? does anyone know for sure ?
I did pick up a set of 14X7 plain steel wheels and they fit just fine .   I plan to run them most of the time but  I may want to occasionally run the factory chrome wheels .
Any expertise advice on this combo ?

Do you know anything about the backspacing that was provided on the 70-72 Chevelle wheels?  That might help you figure out what would fit.  Do you want to use factory chrome wheels or are you open to reproduction Buick Rally wheels?  I'm sure you could find a reproduction that would fit.  This usual point also applies.  Which tires were you thinking about using in this case?

Sorry not much help but something for you to think about while you try to avoid freezing!

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. Lucky me I won't freeze, just drown! . . .

[cwmcobra]

Chuck ,  Cold it is !!!!
You probably wouldn,t have to try a stock wheel unless you are curious to see if it fits . The 14X7  that I bought were for the 1st gen camaro,s chevelle,s , Copo cars with the dog dish hubcaps . so I kinda knew they were going to fit the disc brake set up that is currently on my car , I was just kind of hoping a set of stock chrome wheels for a 65 would fit also but it does,t sound like they will . unless I go with the later chrome wheels .
Any up dates on your car ?  I,m well into mine right now , getting things cleaned up .

John,

I am curious if the stock wheels will fit.  They are the correct 65 14" chrome rally wheels.  Won't take much to check them out, except finding the time this weekend.  But I'll get to it soon.

My car is kind of in limbo.  I've been busy collecting parts, getting fasteners plated, etc.  Have an extended vacation coming up soon, so not much will get done until I return.  I did get the gas tank installed and the emblems on the rear quarters.  :-)

One big milestone....all the body and paint work is done.  I'll be picking up the hood and fenders next week.  I'll update my restoration thread when I have progress to report (and show).

Chhchhcheers! (shivering)

Chuck

[WkillGS]

....I am curious if the stock wheels will fit.  They are the correct 65 14" chrome rally wheels.
 

Not likely, the ID of the rim was made larger on 67-up to make room for the calipers.
I've heard of guys doing minor grinding on disk brackets for clearance to fit 14" wheels, but don't know what wheels they tried.

Scarebird.com makes brackets to use later GM disks/calipers for the stock drum spindles that supposedly will allow use of 65 14" wheels.
You could install those parts on the disk spindles too, you just need a spacer where the large bolt attaches.

[GS66]

I should upgrade my Buick's to discs too someday.

[option B9]

  Hi everyone.   I debated either 14" or 15" for a few months, then after doing the research that included asking others that already did the conversion. I decided not to go with the  14" calipers and move up to 15" calipers The piston is much larger and the 15" wheels will give me a much better ride. I'm using Wheel Vintiques 15x6 Smoothie with 70 series tire in front and a 15x6 Smoothie with a 60 series tire in the back, and baby moons to cover the centers.. I plan to paint the Smoothies the same Flame Red as the exterior. The smoothies are $62 each + $20 for the moons. Its a lot less expensive than the repro Rally rims.  After the GS gets painted and I put it back together and its on the road I may go for the !5" repro Buick Rally wheels, but for now I need to keep the cost of this restoration under control, I ordered the Disc brake conversion kit from Summit Racing (with help) it was very easy to install, the only difficult thing was to bend the brake lines.. I do recommend buying the replacement spindles and NOT drilling out your stock spindles, the extra cost is worth it !!!
                                                                                        Tony
                                                                                 Frozen in NYC !!

[WkillGS]

According to the Scarebird site, their kit for 14" wheels uses a 10.5" diameter rotor.
The kit for 15" wheels uses a 11-3/4" rotor and Corvette calipers.

In comparison, the typical 69-72 A-body uses a 11" rotor.

Bottom line, if you want to use the '65 wheels, you give up a little performance compared to the 69-72 discs....

[bbbbuick]

When I did my SSBC disc conversion I switched to 15x7" factory buick rally from later model Skylark, the stock 65 wheels do not clear the caliper of the bigger 11" rotor. The benefits of the larger rotor and caliper made the decision for me as from what I could tell the smaller ones weren't going to be much of an improvement over the GS drums, except for the upgraded booster safety factor, and when I measured the template provided the stock 14's still may not have cleared. The later model 15's gave the needed clearance but the offset is slightly different though not an issue at all, unless you're running a very low suspension in front. Got them through Terry at AKH wheels in WA state, collects and flips old muscle car wheels. They did come with old wheel patina, but they still look great. The repro rallys from vintiques get some negative reviews as to the the accuracy and roundness of the weld of the new rings to the old centers.