Are those centerline wheels by chance? Did they come with the center caps?

 

They are American Racing Torq Thrust II's. I plan to tweak the tire size a little bit when I replace these. I wanted to put 18's on the back, so that was one of the compromises. I need to go bigger in diameter on the rear tires as well to get the diameter into the recommended size for the gear ratios of the transmission. Yes, GM Performance actually listed what diameter range the rear tires should be to maximize the performance of this drivetrain. This size rear tire is just outside the lower diameter (need to be 26" to 30" dia.). The front tires have the sidewalls a little stretched out to fit the rim width. So I will try to get a little wider front tire, and hopefully go an inch or two smaller on the diameter. I really wanted a narrower rim in the front, more for a Pro Street look. But that was another compromise I made. The seller said he had the center caps, but they are lost in his garage and he couldn't locate them. So he knocked $100 off his asking price. I haven't priced out new ones yet, so I am hoping they are less than that. I am very happy to eliminate the stress of worrying where I was going to find wheels to fit this Frankenstein of a project!

 

The front rims ended up having to much back spacing (6.5"), and when moving the steering close to full lock the rims interfered with the upper a-arms. It seemed like I could clearance the a-arm flanges a little bit without compromising the strength of the arm, but it got to be too much. So, I ordered two new front rims with the correct backspacing. I went with 17 x 7 rims, giving a better look with the narrower tire/wheel. I will be putting the two front wheels up for sale.

 

The passenger side engine mount is tacked together, and ready to move to the weld table. The driver's side will be a little more involved. I have to put my engineer's hat on for that side.

 

I received the new tires. I just need the new front rims to show up, and they will get mounted and balanced. Both are 17" diameter, the fronts are 225/45R17, and the rears are 275/50R17. The size difference will add to the rake. I can't wait to see what the truck looks like sitting on all four new wheels!

 

I mocked up the steering to check clearance with the exhaust. No problems here...



My wife gave me a hand, and we test fitted the Dakota bench that came with the donor. I was going to go buckets, but she really likes this bench seat. Co-dog for the win. If I want her to put up with riding in it, some concessions must be made. No extra cutting for the 6L80E trans. I just need to design and make a new cover/console.

 

Great to see the steering & trans are looking good on the mockup. That bench seat does fit that space nicely too. Are you going to use the Stude seat frame or just fab up some mounts without? The Stude seat frame does have sliders for forward & back adjustment if you can use the slider practically with that cab. I used it in another one I built in the 80's, but if you can get a couple more inches of legroom without the Stude frame, it might be beneficial. The good news is that my wife could drive it with the seat all the way back so we left it there all the time. I'm going buckets & column shift this time with a console, but my wife has made numerous test fits as the project moves (creeps) forward.

 

I do not have the Studebaker bench. I kept the Dakota bench when I disassembled the donor truck, because I new I needed one. I hears a 2000 - 2002 Ford Ranger seat fits well, too. The Dakota bench has front and back adjustment. I just need to make some mounting brackets. The steering column I ordered from Ididit is a no frills column. All it has is a turn signal lever. No shift, no tilt, no ignition key, no telescope. I hope it will arrive this June (16 to 18 week lead time!).

 

Well I think that Dakota bench is a looks like a dandy for that truck. By fabbing the bench mounting you'll be able to play with the seat height & the column mount to put your steering wheel in where it works for you. It's really coming along great!

 

Yeah, the Dakota bench is fitting pretty good. Now that I have the wheels and tires sorted out, I have a mobile guy coming to my property to mount and balance everything. I also completed my search for a radiator/fan shroud combination that would work with a 1952 core support. Sorry, but that was not fun to go through. It made my brain hurt. I finally came up with a combo that should fit, but there is some bracketry that needs to be fabricated to make it work. I am waiting for some material to show up so I can finish the driver's side engine mount. Things are still moving, more on the truck than with this knee. By the way, walking with a cane is really not much fun.