Where to find Ford 9"?

[mattausten23]

Originally Posted by 64skylarkls1

I hope others chime in here but I'm afraid you may be putting the cart before the horse. 18 x 12 means you will need to at least mini-tub the car. The order in which this should all be done is: Figure out which brake package you will go with as this can make a difference on wheel size and offset. Then buy the wheels and tires so you have them for mocking up. Next, tub the car and possibly the frame to give the clearance needed to fit the wheels with the desired ride height. Once that is completed, you can measure from wheel to wheel to come up with what rear end width you will need to make it all work without tire rub. Tubbing can also influence your suspension mounting points and configuration.

Bottom line in my opinion is, work with what you have until you plan on doing the whole rear of the car or you will likely end up pruchasing your rear axle twice. "A" has to come before "B" in order for "C" to be possible. The only other option that can really help you plan is to find a car like yours that has the set up that you desire and hopefully the guy will let you copy what he has. That can be a huge time saver. Not many have done Skylarks like mine so I spent countless hours measuring, ordering wheels & tires, measuring and ordering the rear axle. Even without tubbing it it takes a lot of planning to get it right. I am doing my LS six speed swap right now.

Many kuddos to you - in the "texting" generation yet getting into some real American iron!!!!

Thanks! I really got to start doing my hw!haha Thanks for the insight, this is my first car so I'm going to need a lot of it!

[64skylarkls1]

Originally Posted by mattausten23

Thanks! I really got to start doing my hw!haha Thanks for the insight, this is my first car so I'm going to need a lot of it!

Okay, your first car, going to school, working and wanting to build a PT car.... I was in your shoes almost 30 years ago....man...I'm getting old Anyway, along with school, work, a limited budget I also met the gal of my dreams. I was building a street rod and decided to do everything at one time...big mistake. Between the lack of time and lack of money the car didn't see the road for another 6 years.

The most important thing here is to keep the car a driver as much of the time as possible or it will become another disassembled project car on craigslist in four or five years. Keep your alterations small and tangible. I think you could be biting off too much if you decide to tub the car. For a novice, that can easily be hundreds of hours of work by the time you take care of the body, frame and suspension mods that go along with it. If you stay with rims and tires that will fit the stock body and frame, you can buy parts that will simply bolt in. Again, find someone that has the same car with the look and stance you like without tubbing and see what they've done. You can still fit a lot of rubber in there.

Keeping the car a driver keeps the heart pumping and the dream alive. Plan your build then build to your plan but do it in small chunks. Do your research, saving the money for the next stage. Once you have it, buy the parts do the small upgrade and get the car back on the road. Then, plan, save and do the next upgrade.

I hope you are able to stick to it, that's a busy time in life that's for sure!!!

Good luck.

[mattausten23]

Originally Posted by 64skylarkls1

Okay, your first car, going to school, working and wanting to build a PT car.... I was in your shoes almost 30 years ago....man...I'm getting old Anyway, along with school, work, a limited budget I also met the gal of my dreams. I was building a street rod and decided to do everything at one time...big mistake. Between the lack of time and lack of money the car didn't see the road for another 6 years.

The most important thing here is to keep the car a driver as much of the time as possible or it will become another disassembled project car on craigslist in four or five years. Keep your alterations small and tangible. I think you could be biting off too much if you decide to tub the car. For a novice, that can easily be hundreds of hours of work by the time you take care of the body, frame and suspension mods that go along with it. If you stay with rims and tires that will fit the stock body and frame, you can buy parts that will simply bolt in. Again, find someone that has the same car with the look and stance you like without tubbing and see what they've done. You can still fit a lot of rubber in there.

Keeping the car a driver keeps the heart pumping and the dream alive. Plan your build then build to your plan but do it in small chunks. Do your research, saving the money for the next stage. Once you have it, buy the parts do the small upgrade and get the car back on the road. Then, plan, save and do the next upgrade.

I hope you are able to stick to it, that's a busy time in life that's for sure!!!

Good luck.

yeah thats my plan! I'm pretty much just collecting parts right now thats why I kind of want to get started getting the rear end parts together. Thanks a lot for the advise I really appreciate it! Good luck on your build!