going out on a limb

[DadsCuda]

I have an original set of  rallye 14s with a full size spare and most of the trim pieces and center caps.  They are yours if you want to pay for shipping or come get them. the tires are trash but they were holding air until the valve cores dry rotted. let me know if your interested and I will post some pics for you.

wow! that is super generous! a trip to VA is definitely not in the cards for me, and i can only imagine shipping, however...do you have them because you went with a larger size? I'm just curious bc from what i'm reading in my searches regarding converting from front drums to discs, 14" rims may make for a tricky swap. would you fill me in on your current front brake/rim set up? seems a conversion to disc will cause an issue with the rotor size (most kits including rotors that are too large for the 14" rims). i'd love to see pics!
thanks!

[Bullitt-]

It's not necessarily the 14" rim in itself is an issue, my '73 factory disk brake car came with 14" wheels, it's the design of the earlier wheels was different & may not work.
Also the early A-body uses a smaller bolt pattern(i believe 4") than most other mopars & later model A-bodies which are 4.5"   

[EbodyMod]

  I swapped out because I went up to wilwood 13 8nch brakes and won't even come close to fitting. I may be driving home in feb up to maine, if you still want them at that I can drop them on my way by.

[Chryco Psycho]

OK the big consideration no one has mentioned  here is that 14 tires are virtually impossible to find which is why everyone is moving to larger rims with low profile tires  this is also a factor with disc brakes , there are very few disc brake systems that will fit inside a 14" wheel so before you spend a lot of time or $$ makes sure everything is going to work . With a 15" rim you can use a factory cordoba 11" disc system ,  personally brakes and better tires are more important than the original look of 14" rims 

[TelisSE440]

Go with 15'' rims and  forget about 14' ones. You can do a lot more with the 15''s, like add disc brakes etc, plus they look nicer than a small width 14'' rim.

[DadsCuda]

ok...so let me ask this, and really show my inexperience: switching to 15" rims means replacing all axle parts, right? that is, besides the braking system, i'd be replacing the sway bar, tie rods, control arms...all those bits and pieces? or just the brake assembly and rims?
i have a new set of 14" tires, but since i've been holding on to them longer than i imagined, and going with a 15" upgrade seems like it may be easier in the long run, i'm willing to take the $300 hit (or try to sell for a little $ recoup).
but now i'm just considering the cost of changing all my 14" set up for a 15" set up.

[70chall440]

No, switching to 15" or anything for that matter will not require a change of the sway bars, axles, or anything else.

[HP2]

When you say original 14" wheels, do you know if these are drum brake wheels or disc brake wheels? I ask because some of the earlier to mid 60s era original wheels do not fit over disc brake calipers.

Also, do you know the bolt pattern of your original wheels? if you are upgrading to discs in the future, it will be very, very difficult if not impossible to get 4" bolt pattern disc brakes to match your 4" bolt pattern wheels.

For disc diameter, its not a big deal to fit 14" rims. Mopar's 10.87 rotors were OEM with many 14" wheels and they are still easy to get parts for, but, if they won't match you wheels for  bolt pattern or caliper clearance, it won't matter.

[DadsCuda]

When you say original 14" wheels, do you know if these are drum brake wheels or disc brake wheels? I ask because some of the earlier to mid 60s era original wheels do not fit over disc brake calipers.

Also, do you know the bolt pattern of your original wheels? if you are upgrading to discs in the future, it will be very, very difficult if not impossible to get 4" bolt pattern disc brakes to match your 4" bolt pattern wheels.

For disc diameter, its not a big deal to fit 14" rims. Mopar's 10.97 rotors were OEM with many 14" wheels and they are still easy to get parts for, but, if they won't match you wheels for  bolt pattern or caliper clearance, it won't matter.

the car has drum (10", i believe) all around. the bolt pattern is the dreaded 5x4 (the main reason i thought it may save me some trouble to switch to 15, to be sure the rotors would fit the bolt pattern). i have found a drum to disc kit that 'should' work but i am concerned with the rotors fitting...
i'm just not sure i have it in my budget to switch out all of the brakes and such AND need to change the axles, as well.

[brads70]

What year is your car again?  If it's 1970 or newer the bolt pattern is the same between 14" and 15" . If you are buying new rims I'd suggest these 17" rims
 https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22magnum%22-wheels

or
https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22mopar-rallye%22-wheels

as even in 15" tire sizing is disappearing and non existent in 14"  .

[Chryco Psycho]

What year is your car again?  If it's 1970 or newer the bolt pattern is the same between 14" and 15" . If you are buying new rims I'd suggest these 17" rims
 https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22magnum%22-wheels

or
https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22mopar-rallye%22-wheels

as even in 15" tire sizing is disappearing and non existent in 14"  .

 Not on an A body ,  the last year for 4" was 72 , 73 went to 4.5" bolt pattern but lost the 8 3/4 iff the same year , which creates a huge problem , the front disc swap from 73 up is a bolt on spindles rotors & calipers ,, but you now have 4.5" bolt pattern , you do not want to know the cost of finding 70-72 4" disc brake parts  !! So now you have 4.5" front pattern   with good brakes & the wheels are easy to find in 15 , 17 , 18 " but now you have the issue with the rear diff , 8 3/4 with 4" bolt pattern , they never made a diff the same width with 4.5" & they would all be gone long ago so now you need custom axles or get the flanges redrilled so you have 4.5' all the way around .
 This has always been a big pain in the arse with A bodys

[brads70]

Not on an A body ,  the last year for 4" was 72 , 73 went to 4.5" bolt pattern but lost the 8 3/4 iff the same year , which creates a huge problem , the front disc swap from 73 up is a bolt on spindles rotors & calipers ,, but you now have 4.5" bolt pattern , you do not want to know the cost of finding 70-72 4" disc brake parts  !! So now you have 4.5" front pattern   with good brakes & the wheels are easy to find in 15 , 17 , 18 " but now you have the issue with the rear diff , 8 3/4 with 4" bolt pattern , they never made a diff the same width with 4.5" & they would all be gone long ago so now you need custom axles or get the flanges redrilled so you have 4.5' all the way around .
 This has always been a big pain in the arse with A bodys

Oh I agree , that's why I asked what year it was,but if it's a Cuda 70 and newer it will have 4 1/2" bolt pattern right. If its a pre 70 Cuda then that could be an issue. I assumed it was either a Cuda or Challenger and not a 70 or newer A-body on this site. 

[DadsCuda]

What year is your car again?  If it's 1970 or newer the bolt pattern is the same between 14" and 15" . If you are buying new rims I'd suggest these 17" rims
 https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22magnum%22-wheels

or
https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/speed.shop/performance/reproduction-parts/cast-aluminum-%22mopar-rallye%22-wheels

as even in 15" tire sizing is disappearing and non existent in 14"  .

it's a '67...so basically: i'm in a pickle. seems like going bigger on the rims would be better but way out of the budget. sticking with the 14s is possible, but will cause issue down the road when stuff needs to be replaced again. and since this is simply a project car for me and it is not going to be a daily driver, perhaps sticking with the original idea of a basic restore is my best option and then after i have some fun, someone else may want to do the hard work of upgrading, in the future.
does that sound about right?

[brads70]

    You can always upgrade as funds allow. Most of us do it that way. 

[EbodyMod]

 :wavingflag:It basically comes down to three things. 1. What do you plan on doing with the car? just a weekend cruise you will  be ok on original stuff. 2. how much dinero do you want to spend.  if you go all out you are looking at a couple of grand easily to upgrade brakes and tires depending on what you choose. 3. how much research are you willing to do to ensure everything will work together.  5X4.5 lug pattern wheels are dime a dozen even used on craigslist, but caliper/rim clearance can be a pain. I measured, remeasured and still goofed it up once and had rims that would not fit at first.