What do you guys do for spare tires if your front end ( Mustang II, Volare, etc.) bolt pattern is different than your stock Ford pattern?
Thanks, Matt

 

Matt,
I had my rear axles and drums re-drilled to match the front.
Dave

 

I used a 9" Ford car rearend and a Volare front suspension. The bolt patterns are the same but the Volare hub is too thick for a stock Ford wheel. I took a stock wheel (15x5) and the Volare hubs a general machine shop. They shaved about 1/8" off the Volare hub and said there was plenty of metal left. Charged me $80 which I thought was a little steap but probably cheaper that anything else you can have done at a machine shop. But, when I painted the hubs and wheels this week, they were too tight again. I just had to file a little off the the wheel hub and do a little paint touch up.

I also have a 9" truck rearend. It's has a bigger, thicker axle with the large bolt pattern. But I thought it would be too hard to accurately redrill the lug studs to the car pattern and too expensive. Then I would still have the problem of the thick Volare hubs to shave.

I also talked to a wheel shop in Orange county, Ca that would custom make "stock" wheels for $55 plus shipping (I think) . But then you would have to use a big hub wheel for a rear spare too.

 

You could try to locate one of the old unilug wheels that had oval recesses for slugs with different bolt patterns available for them, carry two space saver spares, or carry a can of fix-a-flat and a AAA card. You can also get axles made for 9" rears with about any bolt pattern you can imagine.

 

Chris Travers,( He is the guy Ed oe is shotgunning with on the super tour) told me that there is a company out there making a space saver spare with multiple bolt patterns. I don,t remember the company if he told me the name, but it sounded like a good plan.

 

I forgot to mention that he is a member of pickups limited of o.c. and also CTW.

 

BB, can you please try to track this guy down and find out more, this would be the answer to my and a lot of other's prayers!

 

I have a 9 inch truck rear and a jag front end with the jag/chevy bolt pattern. I also happen to have a ford to chevy wheel adapter that I would not normally run but plan to use with a spare that is jag/chevy. It is one way to go. My other option is to redrill the ford 9 inch rear axles to jag/chevy. I can't change the front jag hub bolt spacing.

 

I think that the space saver spare with a multi-hole pattern has been around for awhile. When I was working as a mechanic throughout the 80's it seemed like alot of the GM space savers had a multi hole pattern. I never paid much attention to what they fit but I'll bet a trip to the wrecking yard might turn something up.
I doubt you would be able to find a space saver with the large 5 on 5 1/2 pattern though.

Bobby

 

If you have a 5/4.5, 5/4.75 bolt pattern combo, dual pattern wheels are easy. Earlywheels.com, Wheel Vintiques, American racing all make 10 hole dual pattern steel wheels in a rally style, using a standard tapered lug nut. Since I decided to go with an explorer rear end and jag front, I'll be buying 5 of these later this summer. If you have one of the above bolt patterns and a 5/5.5 rear end, I don't know anyone who makes that dual pattern as the pilot hole for the 5/5.5 is too large to leave sufficient room for the passenger pattern.

 

AX, When I get a chance to talk to Chris I,ll see if he has a more info.

 

After reading the above posts it is starting to come back to me! I don,t think Chris had any specifics, he just knew that there were multi pattern mini spares out there and just mentioned it a a possible solution. My bolt patterns are 5 on 4.5 front and 5 on 5.0 rear. so maybe I,ll be able to find something.

 

Thanks for all the input. I just got a deal on a Jag front end so it is going to have the 4.75 compared to the 5.5 I have on the rear. Then it struck me, what am I going to do for a spare? Now I have some ideas.
Thanks, Matt

 

I have a multi pattern mini in my 46 coupe. Ford 4 1/2 and Chevy 4 3/4. Found it at a swap meet a few years ago. I have never used it in the probably 7 years it has been in the trunk. I do keep top quality tires on it and a can of Fix A Flat also. I do not have a spare on my 53F100. It has been so many years since i had a flat I don't worry about it much. That pretty much insures one this weekend I guess. Joe

 

A frend of mine puts about 25K a year on a 34 Roadster, no spare, just a can of Fix A Flat. Uses the room for spare gen. starter drives, dizzies, etc.
Oh, these are country wide miles, with a Hopped Flathead and He's around 70 years old.