Factory 14" wheel spacing ??

[rangertom]

I have an 84 cutlass supreme brougham that came from the factory with 14" wheels with the wire hubcaps, today i put on a set of 14" SSII wheels i found at the local yard but it seems the fronts are grinding against the upper control arms behind the wheel ? i assumed 14" factory wheels from olds were all the same with spacing but it appears i was wrong. should they fit without rubbing ? do i need wheel spacers and if so should i get 4 even though the backs aren't rubbing?

 

[rangertom]

UPDATE : i got a pair of wheel spacers from O'Reilly and everything is good now. No more rubbing andthe car looks much better with the SSII wheels rather than the wire hubcaps. 😀

 

[martin.ca]

Were they off a early 1970s A-body Olds? They had a bigger backspacing it seems.

http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofwhl.htm#Wheels

* 1966-69 SS Is: 14x6, all chrome, with 4.5" backspacing.
* 1968 - 69 SS IIs and IIIs: 14x6, bolt on cap, narrow trim rings, with 4.5" backspacing. NOTES:
* 1970 - 72 SS Is: 1971 was the only year for the all chrome 14x7 SS I. All other 14x7s used trim ring with 4.5" backspacing.
* 1970 - 72 SS IIS and IIIs: 14x7, bolt on cap, with 4.5" backspacing. NOTES:
* 1973 - 74 SS IIs and IIIs: bolt on cap, 14x7, 15x7, with 4.5" backspacing. NOTES: 15x7 a bit hard to find.
* 1975 - 1977 SS IIs and IIIs: snap on cap, 15x7, with 4.5" backspacing. NOTES:
* 1978 - 1988 SS IIs and IIIs: snap on cap 14x5, with 3.5" backspacing. NOTES: The lesser backspacing is for clearing the outer tie rod ends on the later (1978-88) A and G bodies. 15x7 SS IIs with 4.5" backspacing fit the later A & G cars since the greater diameter places the rim edge far enough away from the tie rod end.
* Generally speaking, in the 1980's, the SS III was the chrome wheel, while SS II's were painted lower body color.
* In the 1970's, the SS II was argent, with the SS III being painted lower body color.
* All 14" wheels can share the same trim ring. All 15" wheels can share the same trim ring.
* All SS wheels, regardless of application year, will clear the 1968 - 72 A-body cars.

 

[DoubleV]

If those 14" Rally's were from a G-Body Cutlass, then they should fit fine with no rubbing. There are some problems associated with running wheel spacers so many don't like to run them.

 

[rangertom]

I assume they were from a Gbody cutlass, they were by a cutlass in the pick n pull yard but they were definetly rubbing the upper control arm 🙁 there is a ground off spot on the end of the control arm and it was making a terrible noise when i went to drive it. I assumed they would fit fine but that was definetly not the case. Does anyone know if a smaller control arm was used with the SSII wheels?

 

[81Regal]

All G body cutlasses used the same control arm. Possible they were originally off an earlier A body like mentioned earlier or I believe the SSII wheels were used on B bodys and Toronados also.

 

[alphamale]

I have 14x7 SSII wheels on my cutlass and I had the same issue after mounting them. It was rubbing the weights put on to balance the wheel. I switched to stick on weights which helped but on tight turns I can hear it rubbing. Eventually I will be putting on tubular A arms which should help. I ground down the lip of the A arm initially which helped but not a cure. I had already purchased these wheels before I read there was an issue with this. I actually have a set of 15x7s I picked up for cheap I am considering having powder coated, but between the wheels and tires I have over 700 dollars in the wheels I'm running. So more than likely ill deal with a little rub. At least until I can afford the outrageously priced tubular A arms.