I am also trying to figure out what rear axle to run in my 53 so that I can clear a set of dished bullitts made for a 05+ Mustang. Staying subscribed!

 

I have a 51 F1 with American Racing Torque Thrust D's. I have and 8.8 rear axle with 17x8 0mm offset and I have about .75" between my rear tire and the bedside. I couldve gone wider and done the small tub or got an custom offset and done a wider rim (same backspacing but reversed offset)

For the fronts, I have a 17x7" 0mm offset (If I remember correctly) which sits flush with my fender.

Some things you have to remember:
The difference between offset and back spacing.
A 7 inch wide wheel is actually 8, 8 inch wide is 9 etc, to account for the lip (where wheel weights are supposed to attach) so that is calculated into the back spacing.

As for the question of whats the biggest tire etc.... that all depends on what size wheel and what offset/backspacing.

A good way to check is to have whatever size wheel you are going to run, jack the truck up from the control arm to load the suspension, turn the wheel and measure how far from the wheel to any surrounding components. That will let you know your max height/width. Look for the frame/fender lip/control arm etc when measuring.