porsche wheels on 74 bug

[stubbz]

Hi all I have been offered a set of 7jx15, et 52.3 porsche teledials and I would like to know if these will fit my 1974 drum brake 1303 with the right adapters....
Regards
Stubbz

[Glenn]

Adapters are not a good idea. They can break, replace your drums with 5x130 drums.

[Marc]

I estimate the backspace of those rims to be approximately 6" - they won't fit on the front of a Super without spacers, there's only clearance to the stock coils for ~4¼" (even less on a 1302). Aftermarket smaller-diameter coils would help I'm sure, ask Topline if their "Sport+" ones would do the trick.
Also, I know of no source for Super drums with a 5x130mm (or for that matter, blank) bolt pattern, and the design of the Super drum isn't really very friendly to redrilling it to the Porsche pattern - it'd take significant material out of the large ribs in the casting, which'd weaken them. I suppose you could drill/spotface the drums for press-in studs, then use Porsche factory wheel spacers from a 924...that way the studs holding the spacers on wouldn't be disturbed when changing tires (the 924 spacers are bolt-on, not pass-through).
Better would be to convert the front brakes to disc, for which 5x130 rotors are readily available - but you'd still want to install press-in studs because of the thickness of the spacers required...either long ones for pass-through spacers, or short ones for the Porsche bolt-on spacers. Again, if the Topline coils can accept more backspace you might be able to use lugbolts and no (or thin pass-through) spacers...and as a bonus, fender clearance would be better.
In the rear there may be a little clearance problem too (tire selection enters into this), but it probably won't require more than grinding off some of the upper snubber pad, and maybe thinning a springplate bolt head. If a thin pass-through spacer is needed, there are stock lug bolts from certain Audi 5000s that have the correct head shape and thread which are ~½" longer. My son recently put some Porsche rims on the rear of a `74 with redrilled drums, I'll have to ask him for the specifics of that operation.
When you take into consideration how involved this can get (particularly on the front of a Super) it's easy to see why so many simply use the adapters - they don't weaken the drums and they solve at least some of the excess-backspace problem, and they arguably aren't that much worse than the Porsche bolt-on-spacers (although the latter do have one more bolt). The adapters are pretty funky, with one offset stud that can't be fully tightened into the drum, but I've never personally seen a broken one.

http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... 7&p=406256
http://toplineparts.com/products/products.htm

[Steve C]

Hi

Is your car 2 bolt or 3 bolt front end?

I have 17x7 ET 55 wheels on my sons 2 bolt bug with disc brakes, they are tight fit even with skinny struts.

The wheels you want to use would poke out about 3 mm more.

3 bolt cars have a narrower track than 2 bolt cars disc face to disc face.

Disc brakes will widen your track a small amount as well.

Steve

[Marc]

My son's `74 has 7x16 ET40 rims on the rear (redrilled stock drums/no spacers), all he had to do was trim the snubber pad. Springplate bolt clearance is adequate. Tires fit well inside stock fenders, about like Steve's which makes me question if he's got spacers on the rear or if they're truly ET55.
I'd expect you to need ½" spacers and some Audi 5000 spherical-head lugbolts for the 7x15 ET52.3s to fit.

Phonedials are also available in ET23.3, but those wouldn't fit with stock fenders.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5225691

[stubbz]

Hi many thanks for the reply's guys, I thought the adapter route was the best way to go as they come in different widths etc so helping with the spacering...What everyone else using..
Regards
Stubbz

[Steve C]

Hi

I forgot to mention on the rear of my sons 1303 I fitted 944 rear brakes, this make the 55 ET rear wheels fit nicely.

Steve