15x9 Rallyes

[kielbasa]

Had my 10" rallyes (rear) narrowed to 9" for aesthetic reasons......backspacing now is 4 1/2" to keep the rubber centered in the wheelwell.
I wish these came in RWL, but at least they have more of a square look than a typical radial.
Rear tires are 28x12 MT S/R's.....fronts are 26x10 on the original 7" rallyes.

[Mopar Mitch]

Nice setup!  Do you autocross or do hi-speed road course lapping sessions anywhere?

[kielbasa]

since I live only 25 minutes from road america, one would think i would do some autocross, etc, but this car will only be a street cruiser with emphasis on donuts, power slides and burnouts. Maybe if I would get the chance, I will run it at RA.
I am running the original leaf springs, 1.06 torsion bars, 1.25" hotchkis front sway bar,original rear sway bar, firm feel upper control arms, bilstein shocks, firm feel pitman arm support, welded/gussetted k member, 16:1 manual steering, poly bushings. I didn't have the heart to cut into my aar by putting in frame ties or anything like that. Just bolt on stuff.

[Road_Runner]

VERY NICE!!  Before you resized the rims what was the backspace and how close were the tires to the springs?  Also, I have similar suspension upgrades to put on mine but based on what I've read here I'm concerned with going to stiffer springs, sway bars, etc. without at least tying the front & back frames together.  Have you noticed any issues when you're driving the AAR hard?

Later, Jim

[kielbasa]

There was approx 3/4 to 1 inch clearance when the rims were at 10" width. That was with 5 inches of backspacing.
Backspacing was reduced to 4 1/2 inches to retain clearance to springs once the rim was narrowed since the tire would still center itself on the rim. Fortunately my dad pointed that out to me before the rims were welded back together - and he's not even a car guy!! Otherwise there would have been only 1/4" clearance if the backspacing remained at 5 inches.
I'm still at 3/4 ~1 inch clearance to the springs.
I can't comment on driving the car hard with the new suspension, since it's not a driver yet. Still have to finish engine, trunk mount battery, ignition, etc., efi fuel tank and necessary stuff. All I can say is that this is one expensive hobby.
And I'm only making this a 20/20 car!

[Road_Runner]

The only hobby I've seen that costs more is flying, and its ridiculously expensive especially if you own a plane and aren't an A&E qualified mechanic.  I'm sure you'll be OK for a while without any extra bracing, but the reason I'm definitely going to at least be tying the front & back together is that my 73 has zero squeeks & rattles, none.  I attribute that to the fact it really was a little 'old' ladies car until a year before I bought it.  It's a bone stock 318 car, no sway bars, no high HP, nothing to put extra twist in the body, etc.  I remember riding in a friend's Challenger RT back in the late 70's and the thing sounded like it had extra nuts & bolts bouncing around in the car just driving down the road.  It had been beat on hard and showed it.  So I don't want to overtax a 40 year old unibody when I put on all the heavier duty springs & sway bars.  The AAR is a beautiful car, congrats!

Later, Jim

[Jamiez]

The only hobby I've seen that costs more is flying, and its ridiculously expensive especially if you own a plane and aren't an A&E qualified mechanic. 

Obviously you've never owned a boat

[moparman82]

Looks great!  Would love to see more of that wagon behind it too!

[Road_Runner]

Obviously you've never owned a boat

You're right and I know they can be silly expensive to maintain & feed gas to.  Growing up we partied with a relative's 455 Olds powered jet boat.  I can remember him filling up 3-4 times in one day of hauling a$$ around the lake.  Still, owning a plane with all the federally mandated checks that sometime require major dissassembly to check wing spars, etc. make owning a plane a true Rich Man's hobby.  I've seen owners spend more on a required annual than they spent purchasing the whole plane.  My brother is an A&E mechanic which is the only reason he can afford his Cessna and I still spend less on my cars than he has his plane.

Later, Jim