140 bricks

After putting the Sirius wheels and new tires on the 142, it became clear that something unexpected was going on that confused me at first: these new wheels had the same size tires as the Virgos on the 145, and the car was not even lowered as much as the wagon, but tire-to-fender clearance was very limited; so bad in fact, the tires were hitting the fender wells on big bumps---we are talking less than half an inch in the FRONT and BACK of the arch, not to mention the top. The right angle of turn + a bump = impact. Some measurements showed that the fenders on the 142 actually have significantly smaller fender arches. Crazy. I guess there were some subtle changes in the bodies of 140s between 1968 and 1972. Being that the tires on the 145 were completely worn out anyway, I decided to put the Sirius wheels with the new tires (the same size as the old ones) on the 145, and slap the Virgos on the 142, with some new, smaller tires; (because I really want to slam the 142---as low as I can get it and still maintain some level of drivability). A set of 195/55/15 seem to fit just right, and though I may possibly still be at risk of hitting the top of the arch at full lock over a big bump, I think I should be okay in most circumstances. Before the Sirius 10-spoke rims went on the wagon however, I tried out the old wobbly steelies in black to see what black rims would do for the car. HOT! So out came the rattle-can in gloss black for the alloys, and the result was very satisfying! An order of new Polyurethane suspension bushings for Faye Valentine has finally been placed, and I have new sport springs as well. Next project: bushings, springs and a new, super-low stance!

Steelies



Black 10-spoke Sirius