Unique Cars Australia – September 2019

116 TradeUniqueCars.com.au

TIPSOFTHETRADEWITH

MICK^ MCCRUDDEN

GARAGE GURUS

NICE RIMS, BUT WILL THEY FIT?

adage “measure twice and

cut once”. W hen you’re

getting a wheel either made

or specially imported, you

want to be very sure that

what you end up with will

actually fit.

What you’re looking for

is a few things, such as the

clearance from the hub

into the car (backspace),

and from the hub out to

the guards, both of which

will also be inf luenced by

the dish on the front of the

wheel. Keep in mind you’re

also looking for clearance

that allows for suspension

and steering movement.

Dragway for example

offers an online chart that

you can use as a guide

to get your head around

what’s required. W heel Pros

Australia offers a selection

based on car make and

model. In either case, it’s

going to be worthwhile

having a chat – particularly

if you’re looking at a one-off

set up on a restomod. The

fact is the good ones have a

fair bit of experience behind

them and will be able to

offer advice on which way

to go to achieve the effect

you’re aiming for.

Now something a lot

of people forget in all the

excitement is that there are

a few other components you

should be looking at while

you’re on the case. Shiny

new wheels and tyres mean

you could well be placing

new and even greater

loads on components such

as wheel bearings and

suspension bushes. So don’t

forget to give them a going-

over while you’re at it.

Note: Mick runs Glenlyon

Motors in Brunswick, Vic.

Tel (03) 9380 5082.

ARE YOU thinking of
changing your wheels? W hat
you consider a good quality
unit sometimes doesn’t
work out once you put it on
the car, and it can spoil the
whole project. It’s critical
that you take a little bit of
time, look around, get some
ideas, plagiarise and pick a
wheel that’s going to work
with what you have in mind.
The other thing people
make a mistake on, truly
because most of them don’t
understand, is a thing called
backspacing or offset. You
can pick the correct-looking
wheel, but if you get the
spacing wrong it’s rubbing
on the guard, steering or
suspension components and
that’s not good.
W hile there are a huge
number of options from
overseas sources, there is
also a really good choice
from Australian makers, and
they will often explain how
to set yourself up to measure
what you need. A really
good example is Ian Splatt,
Michelle’s dad, at Dragway
in Queensland.
You might also want to
look at some of the better
established retailers such
as W heel Pros, also in
Queensland. Between
them, they have a wealth of
information.
W hen you go to measure,
it really is one of those
situations that fits the old