COMET CENTRAL

I've been kicking aroundbthe idea of tubbing my 63. Then I think maybe just a Crites kit.....i still don't know what I'm doing. Right now I have 225/70/15 on 15x6 wheels and the only way to get them on or off is to jack the car way up, put it on jack stands and let the rear hang. If I put on bigger tires without narrowing the rear, how will I get the tires on or off? It's tight now, between the rear and the quarter lip, I can't imagine a much wider tire. Anybody have experience with this??

rjones35 wrote:the only way to get them on or off is to jack the car way up, put it on jack stands and let the rear hang.

Man, that would be a lot of fun on the side of the road at night. If you jack it up to a normal change-the-tire height and push the bottom of the tire toward the center of the car as you "curl" the top out of the fender opening, is the thickness of the tire/wheel greater than the clearance between the brake drum and fender lip? If so, would going to a 60 series tire reduce the thickness enough to get it out? A 225/60/15 tire would be 1.8" shorter than the 70 series tire, meaning the thickness of the tire/wheel would be 0.9" less. Would that extra inch be enough?
Jim

Yeah that's whats happening. It gets stuck between the lip and the drum. If it was flat already, it would probably work. Shorter tire I think would do it, but I like the way the taller tire fills the opening. I guess I could just pack a couple jackstands, a floor jack, and an air tank or compressor in the trunk.

Lip Ripper wrote:https://tiresize.com/height-chart/

Thanks, I was actually looking for that chart earlier. Maybe a 245/60 on the right wheel would be the way to go.

rjones35 wrote:I've been kicking aroundbthe idea of tubbing my 63. Then I think maybe just a Crites kit.....i still don't know what I'm doing. Right now I have 225/70/15 on 15x6 wheels and the only way to get them on or off is to jack the car way up, put it on jack stands and let the rear hang. If I put on bigger tires without narrowing the rear, how will I get the tires on or off? It's tight now, between the rear and the quarter lip, I can't imagine a much wider tire. Anybody have experience with this??

If you are going to use the factory bumper jack for flats, and tire changes out on the road. Then the rear will hang just like you are changing the tires now. If not maybe a scissor type jack you can put under the rear frame rail/torque box?

More backspacing will help if you could still fit the tire you want.

What size spare do you plan on running? I would think the spare would be smaller than the rear tires, so it can also be used on the front if need be. So if the spare is smaller then if you get a flat on the rear I would think you could change it out on the road. The one (bigger rear tire) coming off would be flat?? Which would make it easier, and the one going on would be smaller?

I bought the crites spring relocation kit for mine but didn't really like how it looked. I ended up moving my frame rails in and getting a narrowed rear housing with axles from Moser. Also had to enlarge the wheel wells and stretch the openings.

Lou

I'm 235 wide on the rear. Can't get the rear tires off without letting the rear hang So I carry the bumper jack in the trunk. No worries.

THIS is NOT on my comet,,,,but on the rear of my 66 f100 PU,,with 8.5 wide whls,I have the same problem with to much whl and tire while trying to change a flat,so I carry a old bumper jack and a small hyd scissor jack in my tool box in the bed of the trk,the scissor lifts just enough to clear the grd under the axle and the bumper jack lifts the body a few inches to clear.,there is not a whole lot of weight on the bumper jack...so nothing is wobbley....works for me !! thanks and good luck........POP

The tires I am putting on are not all that wide, but going air ride I will be able to lift the body up to change tires with just a jack under the axle (Hmm maybe an air jack )

See Ya,
Mike

Ahh, scissor jack, that sounds like something I should have. I've got a spare already that I think will fit easier, it's like a 205/70 I think. If i ever make up my mind and backhalf the car, it wont really matter, because everything will be different.