If 11" wide rear wheels can fit on a standard Pantera non-flaired body, can 13" wide wheels fit under a GTS flaired body? Can 10" wheels fit in front?
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Not usually; American GTS fender flairs are cosmetic only, so the stock steel fender edges are directly underneath the fiberglas pop-rivited flairs. Unless someone has access to a Sawzal, LOTS of patience and bodywork experience, a GTS has no more tire clearance than a std Pantera. In fact, the entire U.S GTS package is cosmetic. This is not true of privately-imported Euro Panteras, which may have the required mods as-stock as well as many other changes from U.S- std.
quote:
Originally posted by jack deryke:
Not usually; American GTS fender flairs are cosmetic only, so the stock steel fender edges are directly underneath the fiberglas pop-rivited flairs. Unless someone has access to a Sawzal, LOTS of patience and bodywork experience, a GTS has no more tire clearance than a std Pantera. In fact, the entire U.S GTS package is cosmetic. This is not true of privately-imported Euro Panteras, which may have the required mods as-stock as well as many other changes from U.S- std.
I'm still confused. I currently have a 71 with GT-5 fiberglass flairs which extend the wheel openings by about 5" beyond stock. This allows the 13" wide wheels to be housed within
the GT-5 flairs. The original wheel openings are still there underneath unaltered. This seems to work fine. I'm getting what is supposed to be an original 72 Euro GTS with the little flairs and 10" Campis. My rationale is that the pop-riveted GTS flair extends the stock wheel opening by 2" and an 11" wheel will fit under a stock body, hence, a 13" wheel ought to fit.
The only way to be 100% certain is to try it and see what happens... I'd make sure that I could return the 13" rims if they don't fit! There is a certain amount of variation car-to-car, particularly if there has been some customization over the past 30 years... What fits on one car will not *necessarily* fit on another car.
You say you will be getting a Euro-GTS, so in theory the wheel wells are modified and the flares riveted on so a wider wheel will fit. In retrospect, I'm not surprised to hear that a 13" will fit on a non-flared car (which is what your GT5 is if the wheel well is not modified underneath your fender flare). I know of at least one person who is driving with 345/35/15's on his 10" campys on a stock body... Not the best solution, but it works for one person.
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Charlie McCall
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/gt5s_1985
You say you will be getting a Euro-GTS, so in theory the wheel wells are modified and the flares riveted on so a wider wheel will fit. In retrospect, I'm not surprised to hear that a 13" will fit on a non-flared car (which is what your GT5 is if the wheel well is not modified underneath your fender flare). I know of at least one person who is driving with 345/35/15's on his 10" campys on a stock body... Not the best solution, but it works for one person.
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Charlie McCall
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/gt5s_1985
I have a fiberglass flare kit on my 1974 pantera, which has been converted to the 1985 gts look.
I'm running 345/35/15 in the rear.. hence 13.5" wide tires and they are fine with no real modifications. The orginal fenders are still underneath them.
And I believe 245's in the front.
I'm running 345/35/15 in the rear.. hence 13.5" wide tires and they are fine with no real modifications. The orginal fenders are still underneath them.
And I believe 245's in the front.