Tires on a 40 ford coupe

[coupedupnow]

guys ....almost finished my all stock forty (stock front and rear) ....it has the stock 16 inch wheels on it . i would like to give it a dropped appearance in the front and make the wheel well look a little fuller in the rear. i was thinking 15 inch f-100 wheels or should i stay with the 16's and just do wider in the rear and shorter in the front

if you have something you are looking to sell let me know ....5 5.50 pattern
any suggestions ?


thanks

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Well, here is my personal opinion - if you want to "fill the wheel well" and not have too much open space above the tires as you look at the side of the car, you should first either remove some front spring top leaves (4-5) to reduce your height and/or get a reversed eye front main spring. You may also need to remove some top leaves in the back as well but we are getting ahead of ourselves. Then see where the 16s get you - I'm guessing you are running 600s all the way around and I think 750s (16s) might be the ticket out back, perhaps 550s (16s) up front but I think you need to play with ride height first before buying tires. Diamondback and Coker have pretty good tire dimensions in their catalogs once you get the suspension dialed in to make a size determination.

Jumping to 15s will lower your ride height but leave more air above the tire as you look at your side profile. There is also the amount of positive and/or negative offset on the 15" rims - me personally, for a stocker such as yours, I would get the desired ride height using 16" rims and tires. The discussions here have indicated to skip the tubes and run the larger tubeless tire valve stems that Napa and other auto parts stores have.

[19Fordy]

The first photo is of my 40 with completely "stock size" tires (Lester 600:16) and stock suspension front and rear, except for the installation of a Posie reversed eye spring in the front. With only the spring installed the front end dropped 1 inch. If you look closely you can see there is a very slight "rake". I am sure the front end would have settled a little more had I left the spring in the car for 6 months or so. However, I removed it the next weekend to install a dropped axle.

The second photo is the same car with a Magnum 4 inch dropped axle and steering arms plus the Posie reversed eye spring ,plus 5:60 x 15 inch Coker tires. The dropped axle really only drops the front end 2 more inches, not 4. The rear is completely stock as in the first photo except the tires are 7:60x15. Because the frnt tire is 3 inches smaller dia. than the rear the rake is severe. Were all tires the same size the rake would be less radical.Right now the chin pan is only 4 in. off the ground. Changing a flat tire requires two jacks and is no longer as easy as when the car was stock.

You may want to consider just using only the Posie revesed eye spring OR keeping the stock spring, but with 1 or 2 leaves removed.That would probably be best to start with and also cheaper$. Click on photos to enlarge.

If you decide to keep the stock 16 inch tires and wheels and install the Posie reversed eye sprin along with the Magnum 4 in. dropped axle and steering arms your front end will drop 3 in. Make sure you buy the Magnum axle that is 3/4 in. narrower than stock for fender/tire clearance.

[Vic Piano]

You car looks super either way, I am partial to the Big-N-Little’s though...

[OldDad]

Thanks for that post with the photos showing the effects of your mods, 19Fordy. We all like different stances, and I'm personally partial to your first one. I run 600-16 front and 650-16 rear, and I think that reversed-eye front spring would give me just what I'm looking for. I like black walls too, but we certainly agree on the proper color for a '40 coupe!

[19Fordy]

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The Posie reversed eye spring I used is Part # 2040 ( 39 inch spring.)

[coupedupnow]

car looks awesome ! I am looking for the stance just like picture one ....thanks guys!!!

[coupedupnow]

where did you buy them ???? thanks! Part # 2040 ( 39 inch spring.)

[19Fordy]

My May 2000 invoice shows I bought Part #2040 Front Spring 2in. wide from POSIES INC., Hummelstown, PA. 717-566-3340. I also bought new 2 in. wide front shackles from Posies. Call them and be sure to explain what you are trying to do and verify that this spring will fit using the stock 1940 Ford axle. I say this because I used the same spring with my 4 inch dropped Magnum axle which is 3/4 in. narrower than stock. Before calling make a list of the questions you want to ask so as to get all the info. you can. I say this because I always foget to ask soemthing.

Below is an old Fordbarn message I saved from 2001 that is very helpful and offers another solution. Click on it to enlarge.

Hope this helps. Jim

[bart78]

19fordy your coupe is awesome.

[white64]

Breathing life into an old thread:

I put 7.50x16s on the back of my coupe, before I had the fenders on... Once I put the fenders on I totally love the way they look, and the rake it gives the car is killer.... but there's one teenie weenie issue! I can't take them off! They won't fit through the wheel opening on the fender!

Can't drop the axle down far enough either, the axle has tube shocks and a sway bar limiting its movement. Changing these tires, once the car is complete, will be a MAJOR task!

Maybe I can try the 7.00x16s off my 31 (w/35 wires).... any one ever put '35 wire wheels on a '40?

[TJ]

Originally Posted by white64

Breathing life into an old thread:

I put 7.50x16s on the back of my coupe, before I had the fenders on... Once I put the fenders on I totally love the way they look, and the rake it gives the car is killer.... but there's one teenie weenie issue! I can't take them off! They won't fit through the wheel opening on the fender!

Can't drop the axle down far enough either, the axle has tube shocks and a sway bar limiting its movement. Changing these tires, once the car is complete, will be a MAJOR task!

Maybe I can try the 7.00x16s off my 31 (w/35 wires).... any one ever put '35 wire wheels on a '40?

The 700X16's on the back should be O.K., but 35 wires on a 40 would look out of place. An older wheel on a newer a car never looks right to me.

[FlatheadTed]

Carry a scissor jack and jack the axle down ,Ted

[Fred A]

Originally Posted by white64

Maybe I can try the 7.00x16s off my 31 (w/35 wires).... any one ever put '35 wire wheels on a '40?

Years ago I took a liking to the 4 1/2" bent Kelseys, even putting them on a '40 coupe with 700-16s(rear). Not a problem taking off the wheel, but chose to use 1935 drums to support the wheel right. Really looked good to me and to many who previously doubted. Also confused some guys that barely knew what they were looking at and the explanation went right over their heads.
Lots of mention about "STANCE". Usually describling a car acting like a stinkbug sniffing the ground, probably with front tires rated below any intelligent load rating. As to what I really think...
Good Luck And Have Fun Anyway: Fred A

[19Fordy]

Originally Posted by white64

Breathing life into an old thread:

I put 7.50x16s on the back of my coupe, before I had the fenders on... Once I put the fenders on I totally love the way they look, and the rake it gives the car is killer.... but there's one teenie weenie issue! I can't take them off! They won't fit through the wheel opening on the fender!

Can't drop the axle down far enough either, the axle has tube shocks and a sway bar limiting its movement. Changing these tires, once the car is complete, will be a MAJOR task!

Maybe I can try the 7.00x16s off my 31 (w/35 wires).... any one ever put '35 wire wheels on a '40?

This is a very late reply, sorry. You need to use 2 jacks. First jack goes under the frame and raise the body up. Second jack then goes under the exle to raise it up. The tires will then slide in at an angle

[funrunr]

Here is another magnum 4” drop axle up front with a Magnum mono leaf rear spring (I don’t care for mono spring, the ride it gives, bouncy) 6.00x16 tires.

[PeterC]

My 39 has a 4" dropped Cragar front Axle with a 2" lowered rear - big small tires - I will need to check the tire sizes.

[tubman]

That looks perfect. I love the way the tires are centered in the fender openings. Good job!

[PeterC]

Originally Posted by FlatheadTed

Carry a scissor jack and jack the axle down ,Ted

Interesting regarding wheel removal when using a larger tire and lowering the car - For both my 35 3 Window and my 39 Coupe - two floor jacks are needed - one when you raise the axle so the tire is off the ground and one to raise the chassis /body so the tire can clear the fender lip for removal.


See the 35 as an example - when you jack the axle the tire raises even further up in the fender well - hence the chassis needs to be lifted as well - same in the 39. Just a point when you think about different combos of wheel/tire and lowering options.