Stock 14" Rallye Wheel Question

[TimR70RT]

HI,

I have stock 14"x 5.5" Rallye Wheels, supposedly off a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner, Part #3580058. Will they fit a 1970 Dodge Charger?

How is it best to prepare these wheels for powder coating?  Simple sanding?  Paint them argent silver?

Thanks,
Tim

[Bronzedodge]

Welcome to the forum.  Yes, they will fit - both being B bodies.  I would ask your powdercoater, but bead blasting/sandblasting would be best to get rid of ant rust.

[Alaskan_TA]

Part #3580058

That part number is for 1972 E & B body wheels, but they will fit a '70.

[70 sublime]

Does the Charger have drum or disc bakes on the front ?
14 " might not fit disc brakes ?

[Nacho-RT74]

It should fit disc brakes without problem being 14". Except if A body pre 72 at lug holes.

[TimR70RT]

Thanks for your answers. My Charger has drum brakes all around at all four wheels.  What do you guys think of 14 x 5.5" on the front and 15 x 7" on the rear?  With trim rings and center caps do they look similar enough to look decent?  Does 15's on the back look good? Right now it just regular steel wheels on all four. What part numbers should i be looking for?  Do the newer 15 x 7" part number3699461 fit?

[Nacho-RT74]

I have 15x7 Rallyes all around. That's the max width where the trim will make its work on the rim, completing the full circle reflection of the wheel cutouts. I'm pro same wheels and tires on all 4 corners

[TimR70RT]

Thanks Nacho.  so 7 inches the max width that would fit my Charger? 

[Kern Dog]

Heck no!

The small 14 inch rallye wheels are a nice looking wheel but look terrible in a large wheelwell like these Chargers have.
Not everyone likes large diameter wheels but I have an 18x9 wheel in the front and an 18x10 in the back. Both ends clear the suspension. With careful measuring, you might even fit a 12 inch wide rear wheel and a 10 inch front but that is in a perfect scenario.

[TimR70RT]

yeah those look good.. I wouldnt go any bigger than yours though.. What brand and size of wheels are those?  Did you consider a wheel like the stock Rallye, only bigger aftermarket?

[Kern Dog]

Those are from "Intro Wheel" in Southern CA.
I like the look of the stock Rallye wheels, I REALLY like the 17 inch aluminum versions !  They were not being made in 2003 when I bought the ones that I have.
No matter though...I bought what I liked and am still happy with them. I have never seen another Charger with the exact same wheels.
The main problem with stock wheels is that they were made way too narrow. The swollen fenders and quarter panels of the 68-70 Charger BEG for larger than stock wheels.

[XH29N0G]

The picture is an old one.  245 15 60 on 15 x 7 rear 215 78 14 on 14 x 5.5 front

If I find others, I will post.   

[XH29N0G]

slightly more recent 15 x 8 275 60 rear 15 x7 245 60 front.  I now run 255 50 on 15 x 7 rear

[TimR70RT]

Thanks XH29N0G..great helpful photos. i keep looking for a like button .. that is exactly the setup i think i will start with.. i can later go with larger if i have the money..  my set up would be Rallye wheels at all four corners.. two 3580058 - 14" x 5.5 at the front, two 3699641 - 15" x 6.5  on the back.. do you know what part numbers those wheels on the green charger are?  I realize those part numbers are not year correct but i also feel it is silly to purchase only 1970 wheels when you can hardly see the part number on the bare wheel.

[Nacho-RT74]

Thanks Nacho.  so 7 inches the max width that would fit my Charger? 

Not saying that, just the max width the RALLYE wheel will look NICE with its trim

[Nacho-RT74]

slightly more recent 15 x 8 275 60 rear 15 x7 245 60 front.  I now run 255 50 on 15 x 7 rear

And there is visible how the 8" Rallye width doesn't look good. The trim looks odd and the reflection effect is lost

I have 15x7 255/60 but all way around. To me the best wheel/tire combo and balanced clasic look. I don't think 3rd gen changes a lot on this against 2nd gen.

For bigger diameter, I wouldn't go bigger than 17. I like to still see rubbers on wheels and keep 27 to 27.5" full diameter. But that's me.

[XH29N0G]

I switched to 15 x7 all around because I preferred their look (like what Nacho said). I can find other pictures, too, but that one shows all that needs to be seen.  The other thing was the 275 was a big tire for matching the front, but lots of people like them.  The kind I had also didn't stay planted, so I went with a stickier, but smaller tire and it worked well.

The 15 x 7 I use are wheel vintiques.  The 15 x 8 was specialty.  The 14 x 5.5 are original 1970's  four came with the car and my dad purchased another three (he bought the car new) for the spare and for snow tires. I am not at home so I cannot pull the numbers off those rims in any timeframe that will help.  

I think the one thing I noticed when the car was parked, looking from the side, was that I could tell the difference in rim/sidewall thickness, but I also think that was probably something I noticed because I knew of it.  If you are sold on date correct 14 x 5.5 rallyes, those can be found.  At some point I will part with the ones I have, but they are old and need a lot of work.

I like the look of KD's car and might do that some day, but for now, I also like the look I have because it reminds me of the car from growing up.

[TimR70RT]

Sounds good.  Will any chrome lug nuts work on these Rallye wheels? Are there better lug nuts that are recommended? What about tires?  For now, I will have 14" x 5.5" Rallye's on the front and 15" X 6.5" on the back.  Are polyglass recommended or do radials work fine?  Size?  Are 60s recommended for all four sides? XH29NOG when you had "245 15 60 on 15 x 7 rear 215 78 14 on 14 x 5.5 front", were those tires radials?  White letters?  What did the 14" and 15" Rallye's come with from the factory? What about tire brand? Are any brands and sizes particularly recommended for these wheels/our cars?

[Nacho-RT74]

Is not posible to say if 60 is better or not, because is a relative number to the tire width, not an absolute number. Is the % of the width which makes the height.

Having said that a 60 on 255 is higher than 60 on 235 no matter if both are 60.

[XH29N0G]

I don't think the rims are any different for bias ply or radial, but it is an interesting question.  I have run radials since the early 1980's with those rims. 

I used chrome acorn-style lugs (reverse thread on drivers side), and repop lugs exist. That is what they came with.  There is a bevel on them too. 

I chose my tire sizes based on the total diameter of the tire + rim combo and the recommendation for the rim width.  I do not know whether all 4 same size is the absolute best for the engineering of these cars, but that is not what I am running. 

The 14 x 5.5 were stock rims.  The 15 x7 and 15 x8 were repop rims made by wheel vintiques (which some people have had issues with) and specialty (which some people say are better).  Both have worked for me.

I used Michelin X and BFG Radial TA.  I now have MT ET Street on the back, but only because I had to go to a stickier compound to keep the tirme from spinning after I had the engine rebuilt.  The radial T/A are a common choice general choice. I will probably consider Cooper and M/T options too, next time I shop for tires which will be in the not too distant future because mine are now getting older and apparently they can fail even when they have plenty of tread.