• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

240 C4 Vette Wheels on a 240? (Short vid inside)

NOCARGREG

New member
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Location
Daytona Beach, FL
The car is an 84 Volvo 245 with a mild 5.0 V8. Here is a quick auto-x video someone shot from last weekend. http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x110/jstein77/?action=view&current=0221101323-01.flv

Ive searched a bit but have a couple questions on the offsets etc. This is the only real direct thread regarding it. http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=156027&highlight=corvette+wheels I know my options as far as aftermarket and stock wheels go. I already have 16X7 Momo wheels running 225/45/16 tires.

It might not make a whole lot of sense but I want to run C4 Corvette "Sawblade" wheels on my wagon. I know I need an adapter for the 5x108 to the Chevy 5x4.75 (5.120.65), but i'm sure it could be made. I need to figure if what size the adapters need to be. The Corvette rims have a 56mm offset and are 17X8.5 up front and 17X9.5 rear. The other option would be sourcing four 8.5 front wheels.

Question is can be made to work and what size adapters will I need to run. I understand that some fender modifications may be necessary and I may need to streach the rear tires to fit. I was hoping to run 225s up front and 245s rear. This will not be my auto-x setup but just for looks running street rubber. I understand 245gti makes custom adapters?

Thanks for the help and inputs.

-Greg
 
ET10 front, ET0-5 rear will work with those widths and tire sizes. The rear fender lips will need to be trimmed/rolled flat to have a chance of clearing the tire, and the ride height will need to be high to keep the fender off the tire. If you want to cut and pull the rear quarters about an inch, you can get the tire under the fender lip and it will have plenty of clearance.

I run 275/45/16 on 9.5" rear with the quarters pulled 1.5" (measured just above the rear mudflap). Drill the spot welds along the fender lip and split the outer panel from the inner. Cut along the bottom of the quarter where it's spot welded to the spare tire well. Brace the panel out, make a radial cut in the inner panel so it will move out with the outer panel, brace the inner panel to support the quarter, cut off the entire fender lip from the INNER panel and leave the fender lip intact on the outer panel. Fold the outer lip over the inner panel and spot weld the lip to the inner panel. Cut sections of sheet metal to patch in the gaps created by pulling the panel.

I have a pair of 51mm adapters that will work for those rear wheels you want to use. PM me if you're interested and I can give you more details.

117845353.jpg


111688583.jpg


http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?p=2912842
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?p=2798140
 
Excellent information. I understand what you are talking about pulling the rear fenders. Any pictures of it during the process or complete? Any modifications to the front needed aside from rolling?

I understand that you are running 16X9.5 (rear early C4 rims) all around? If this works out I may have to pick up two sets and run the 9.5 with R-Comps and 8.5 with 245 street tires if the adapters would allow for that.

Ill send you a PM on the adapters
 
Excellent information. I understand what you are talking about pulling the rear fenders. Any pictures of it during the process or complete? Any modifications to the front needed aside from rolling?

I understand that you are running 16X9.5 (rear early C4 rims) all around? If this works out I may have to pick up two sets and run the 9.5 with R-Comps and 8.5 with 245 street tires if the adapters would allow for that.

Ill send you a PM on the adapters
Some aftermath pics. I still haven't closed up the gaps after a couple years...maybe this spring now that I have a welder of my own.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/bodywork&page=4
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/bodywork&page=5

volvo scissor jack works well on our rusty test subject:
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600823

on the first one I did, I split all these spot welds. way too much work, just cut.
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600832

cutoff wheel made quick work of the seperation on the other side.
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600826

looking back towards the mudflap showing the radial cut in the inner panel needed to allow that panel to move out. holes visible in the outer lip where the spot welds were drilled. outer lip has been folded flat over the inner panel and spot welded. there's a little bit of distortion to the fender lip from hammering, but the welding is not done to the painted outer panel, so you can do this w/o respraying the panel if you're careful and don't mind minor imperfections and paint cracking at the edge of the fender lip.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600828
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600829

9.5" ET0 rear wheel/tire clearance on another 242:
http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/92600835

to fit 8.5" ET10 front with a 225/45/17, just roll the fender lips flat. the front fenders should have support bars at the front and back, so if you need to you can remove those, hammer the ends flat, and then rebend them to gain a little length and push the fender out slightly.

to fit the 9.5" on the front, I hammered the fender lip out instead of in and formed it into a continuous curve, then paved the dimpled/hammered arch with bondo. it's presentable and people have told me I did a good job, but I just took free fenders off a friend's wreck and tried out an idea. I run the front wheels at -13mm offset, but I can probably fit them at -5 or less so I will be buying thinner adapters for the front, thus I can offer up my 51mm adapters.

I'm satisfied, but I want the front fenders to have a lip/arch that appears stock, but is wider (to match the style of the rear), so I'm going to cut and splice lips to get what I want. For now, it looks like this with the race tires:

114056399.jpg
 
I ordered my adapters through Adapt-It USA, and just received my tracking number, so I haven't seen them in person. It was $214 to get two 1.3" adapters and two 2.25" adapters shipped to my door.
 
What bolt pattern are you adapting to?

I am thinking of corvette rims for a couple reasons.
1) I like the style since it looks stockish but makes people do a double take.
2)They are cheap, wide and available all over.
 
vette wheels are great it's just too bad so many of them were very high offset. i have a set of 17x9.5 sawblades but theyre et56. if i could find either a pair of the 17x8.5 et56 fronts or the optional (ZR1) 17x11 et36 rear, we'd be in business.
 
Since adapters are needed anyhow i dont think the offset is that big of a problem since you end up having more room. I am still relatively new when it comes to backspacing, offset and whatnot. That said if anyone has a good link explaining how to measure it I would appreaciate it.
 
I ordered my adapters through Adapt-It USA, and just received my tracking number, so I haven't seen them in person. It was $214 to get two 1.3" adapters and two 2.25" adapters shipped to my door.
Flat on the front or with a lip to center the wheel? What size is the centerbore of the adapter?

vette wheels are great it's just too bad so many of them were very high offset. i have a set of 17x9.5 sawblades but theyre et56. if i could find either a pair of the 17x8.5 et56 fronts or the optional (ZR1) 17x11 et36 rear, we'd be in business.
You're already in business. Finishing your car would put you out of business. You should do it this century.
 
Whats behind the dimple above the wheel arch? This looks a little odd from this angle. Is there another attachment back there? Has the stretch put a wrinkle in the panel? I want to pull my rears out, but wouldnt want that wrinkle.

97611249.pviPLsvn.P1030107_painted.jpg
 
Whats behind the dimple above the wheel arch? This looks a little odd from this angle. Is there another attachment back there? Has the stretch put a wrinkle in the panel? I want to pull my rears out, but wouldnt want that wrinkle.

97611249.pviPLsvn.P1030107_painted.jpg

That's prior guardrail damage. That panel was a mess (and still is, but it looks better now). I noticed that slight indentation and chose to do nothing about it because I was really tired of grinding off paint, paving with bondo, and then sanding to feather out the filler. It had nothing to do with pulling the panel to fit the wide tires.

There was a previous parking lot hit & run that left a dent above the trim line (near the antenna on the quarter) and it cracked the bondo around the taillight that was there from previous owners. Then I hit the guardrail and broke some more bondo out of the panel, so I had to grind it out and replace the filler. Fun stuff.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/bodywork

92589069.jpg
 
Picked up a set of sawblades today for $150 but they need tires. Currently they have 255/40/17 on the front and 285/40/17 on the rear.

I am thinking of running (245 or 255)/(40 or 45)/17's depending on what is cheapest.

Best deal I have found on adapaters is at Adapt it USA. I have heard good things but am worried about quality and the lack of the adapters being hubcentric (although they said they can do it)

I have also talked with Dale at Avalance Performance. Quality is likely better and he knows Volvos. Also the benefit of being hubcentric but quite a bit more money.
 
did you find a set of 17x9.5/17x11?

you want them to make the outside mounting lip corvette sized (72.56?) and the inside mounting recess 65.1mm to fit on your hubs. I am leery of running adapters too thick, but if the materials are of sufficient quality, I suppose it isn't a big deal. That was why I said what I said about COrvette wheels having such high offset and it being a not so good thing
 
No these are the 17X8.5 front and 9.5 rears. The style I wanted don't come in the ZR1 larger sizes. I definitely want the adapters to be hub centric. Towerymt has been running autox's for three years with similar adapters so I should be good to go. I wont be running R-Compounds anyhow.
 
Well, i'd be interested to see which sizes you end up running. I am waffling between selling the 9.5" sawblades or looking for 8.5s in front or running 9.5s all round or.....

you get the idea. i like to waffle. good luck with the fitting
 
Back
Top