summit drag-thrust fitment on a 83 malibu wagon

[81msw79]

I recently picked up a second Malibu wagon. car is a 83 wagon with a 7.5 rear and all stock suspension. will be installing a gn rear shortly.

I found a set of rims on summitracing.com that I like. the 15x8 is offered in 2 sizes.
15 x 8 with 4.5" b.s.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-5 ... /overview/
15 x 8 with 5.5" b.s
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-5 ... /overview/

which will fit best without a lot of modding. I know I will need to roll lips

plan to run a 255/60/15 . car will be lowered between 1"-2".

was also thinking of running the 15x4 in front which has 1.75" b.s.
what width 55 or 60 series tire can I go with?

thank you for any advice

 

[565bbchevy]

I would go with the 4.5 backspace the 5.5 will likely cause rubbing issues on the frame and far as front tires I have 15 x 4 rims with a 215/70 Mastercraft tires the shorter series tires require a wider rim on the front because of lack of sidewall so I wouldn't go less than the 60 series.

 

[81msw79]

how close to the frame rail will the rear be. I crawled under my 81 wagon today which has a 15x8 factory corvette rally wheel with a 275-60-15 and the rim is pretty close. that has a 4" backspace. will I need a spacer with the 4.5" b.s. ?

 

[81msw79]

as for the front I was hoping to fit a 205/ or 215/60 without much worry

 

[565bbchevy]

how close to the frame rail will the rear be. I crawled under my 81 wagon today which has a 15x8 factory corvette rally wheel with a 275-60-15 and the rim is pretty close. that has a 4" backspace. will I need a spacer with the 4.5" b.s. ?

It's possible you might still need a 1/4"-1/2" spacer to give you adequate clearance but the 255/60 is a smaller tire with probably less section width.
The 4" backspace you have now is usually close to ideal for most gbodies.

 

[81msw79]

ok sounds good. does my front combo sound ok without rubbing issues?

 

[565bbchevy]

ok sounds good. does my front combo sound ok without rubbing issues?

There shouldn't be any issues with a 15 x 4 on the front. For my front tires I went to a local tire store that let me pay for one tire and I keep trying tires on until I decided which one looked best ( I took each one home and tried them on my car) and I went with the Mastercrafts since they had the plainest sidewall and were one of the closest shaped tires that would somewhat resemble my old M/T frontrunners.