On my 2000 1500 4wd, i've decided to clean it up and fix some of the nagging little things that bother me, including the stance. Since my truck is my daily driver, and not modding it has allowed me to put the money into "actual" project cars, of which I have too many, this is supposed to be a super low budget type of deal. The game plan was to keep the stock steel wheels, paint them dark gray & lose the center caps. I also wanted to space them out a bit since it's always been my feeling that like all GM products of this generation, the truck is overbodied to the point of looking like an elephant on rollerskates.

So I looked online, and found a couple of "too good a deal to pass up" deals on CL. I bought a pair of 2" spacers from one guy, and a full set of 1" spacers with 1/4" spacer plates from another. The 2" and 1.5" are both billet types with new studs pressed in, while the 1/4" are just plates.

Well, my calculations were a bit off, and right off the bat, i realized that the 2" ones for the rear wheels were much too big for the look I'm going for. So my next thought is to run the 1" spacers with the 1/4" plates out back, and possibly just run the 1/4" plates up front. (The front track on these trucks is an inch wider per side if anyone was wondering, which is why i dont really need to much spacing out front)

The issue in which i need some input is that the lugs seem to be too long and pass through the 1" spacers and stick out, so that i won't be able to mount the wheel flush to the face. i can stick the 1/4" plate behind it, and that might get me to a decent enough depth to mount a wheel to it, but i start to worry that i'm not running enough thread connection...
On top of that, the depth of the counter bore is not very deep (i'll have to break out the calipers and take the actual depth,) but the typical 1" acorn nut is too long and again I run into the issue of not being able to keep that face flush so i can mount the wheel.

Have any of you run into these issues? I've looked for spacer specific lugs and lug nuts but haven't really found much...perhaps i'm looking in the wrong places..

I never thought this would be that complicated!

Thanks
-Chris

 

Chris, I'd put the spacers back on Craigslist and buy a set of steel wheels that FIT your truck!

#1) If I had a 4WD, and I was worried about having enough threads holding the wheels on,..........?

#2) If something breaks and you lose a wheel, you're going to damage something and hopefully you don't hurt anyone else.

#3) By setting the wheels outboard on the stock spindles/axles, it will add stress to the wheel bearings and you will risk a failure.

#4) I'll stop...

The solution is to find a set of 15 or 16 x 8" steel wheels, that fit your truck, and bolt them on to the hubs.

Maybe I'm off base with my response. I just shared with you my thoughts, as I read your post.

Some may disagree with me and I want you to look cool, but, in my opinion, there is a safer way!

Rick