Wanted- 13" wheels for Fiat 850 spider....

Fiat4Fun

Fiat4Fun

True Classic
I keep looking at the wheels on Matt's website.....

www.midwest-bayless.com

Alloy Wheels SET 4x Cromodora CD-30 13x5.5 (Fiat 124, X1/9, 850, 128, 131, Lancia) - NEW

Alloy Wheels SET 4x Cromodora CD-30 13x5.5 (Fiat 124, X1/9, 850, 128, 131, Lancia) - NEW
www.midwest-bayless.com www.midwest-bayless.com

I have a set of the CD16 "cross iron" that are extremely faded, and can't decide if I should get a set of wheels, or have the old ones reconditioned.
But thought I would see if anyone had something cool available. I would love some "Daytona" wheels, but have not seen any.
Looking for 13" wheels

Any advice or information is appreciated......
Thanks
 
Roosevelt wheels would be period correct and are great looking. However unicorns are easier to find.
 
Just beware of old magnesium rims. If the exterior coating has been damaged or deteriorated, the metal is porous and can cause corrosion that can be difficult and costly to repair. A few small areas is okay, but if you see white powder all over, pass on them. Here's one on ebay for example that I'd pass on (hope it's not someone on this forum!). If looking for CD30s, if it were me, I'd opt for replica aluminum ones. There's a set of new ones on ebay for $600.

I'd prefer CD3s on an 850 over CD 30s. There's other brands of course that would look nice.

The 850 racers had a factory optional Cromodora CD27 rim that had what looked like gear teeth around the perimeter. I think they were available on a couple of other models too. They look great IMO. I had a set on a 600 once and sold them on the car. Very very hard to find now and it was pre-internet when I sold them and didn't know better. Sure would love to have them now...

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For a newbie, what are the parameters for wheels for an 850 Spider. Do lower profile tires allow fo 14" diameter? What width is still workable? Thanks.
 
As I understand it, the early Roosevelts had valve stems set to point at the hub; the set he pictures has stems that point out from the rims, so they would seem to be the later versions.
 
Jefco said:
As I understand it, the early Roosevelts had valve stems set to point at the hub; the set he pictures has stems that point out from the rims, so they would seem to be the later versions.
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I think you are correct. IIRC, you could also tell by the width of the "spokes".
 
My first X (a '74, in 1979) came with them; I thought they looked quite good, like a scaled-down Torq-thrust muscle car wheel.
 
Roosevelt wheels crack where the spokes attach to the rim. I lost a customer when he broke one and flipped his car. After that I have seen LOTS of broken Roosevelt wheels. Ever since I have suggested them ONLY for static display.
Myredracer is also correct about the old magnesium rims. They get brittle with age, and will also break. If you want alloy wheels buy aluminum. Heavier, but they flex, instead of crack.
 
Dave Bassett said:
For a newbie, what are the parameters for wheels for an 850 Spider. Do lower profile tires allow fo 14" diameter? What width is still workable? Thanks.
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The ones on my '67 Spider are 15" x 7" with 195/50 series tires. The rear clear the body by about 1/4" and don't touch full swing. Remember swing axles tuck in as soon as they start to move. The fronts I have just found at full lock scrub on the inner fender at full lock. The car's lowered front and back.
 

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Frank L. Di Gioia said:
The ones on my '67 Spider are 15" x 7" with 195/50 series tires. The rear clear the body by about 1/4" and don't touch full swing. Remember swing axles tuck in as soon as they start to move. The fronts I have just found at full lock scrub on the inner fender at full lock. The car's lowered front and back.
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Cool car! So 14X7 with 60 series tires should be just fine, right?
 
Frank L. Di Gioia said:
The ones on my '67 Spider are 15" x 7" with 195/50 series tires. The rear clear the body by about 1/4" and don't touch full swing. Remember swing axles tuck in as soon as they start to move. The fronts I have just found at full lock scrub on the inner fender at full lock. The car's lowered front and back.
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Again thank you for responding. I am very interested in how you went about lowering your car. My guess is that you cut the coil springs n the read, on installing shorter ones, and using shorter shocks to limit travel. The front, I have no clue, aftermarket spindles?
 
Dave,
It's more about the correct offset than the rim diameter or tire size. Mine are pushing it and were pure luck to fit so well. My car is a former H-Production SCCA racer that sat in the desert for 10-12 years. It took 2 years of TLC to get it up and running. It came with reversed front leaf and extra leaf(s) installed up front. Koni adjustable shocks front and rear. Best method (with a certified welder) is to weld extension tabs to the front spindles. This means the leaf bolt now has an extra mounting hole about 1 1/2" lower to the ground. Another is to replace the sheet metal channel that the leaf bolts to. In the rear it has thicker coils probably sourced at a wrecking yard. Downward travel is limited by a metal CHAIN welded to the A-arm. CRUDE but it's so stiff I don't think it's ever been in play! YEARS ago when parts were common I set up a 1967 as follows: Abarth 1300/124 front reverse eye leaf w/Carrera shocks (from Greg Schmidt off SCCA National 2 time champion) and thicker REAR sway bar mounted at front. Rear coils were also Abarth 1300/124 with Carrera shocks. Adco thicker sway bar in rear. They're in Florida still and don't responded to inquires. The Carrera shocks were short and limited rear suspension travel downward. Wheels were 13" x 6" wide and had P-7 Pirelli tires. Rare item is what's called a "camber compensator" which actively helps keep the rear wheels from "tucking under" after repeated left/right turns. Trial fit any rim/tire comcinations or look for a set that already work on a car. My rims are SSR MK2 which are a copy of a period French Gotti wheel. The front/rear offsets are different. They came from an older Honda Accord and required "wobbl bolts" and aluminum centering rings. Pure luck to fit.
 
Thank you Frank. I really appreciate your knowledge and generosity. So I have read about about the Abarth lower A Arm/coilover set up. It seems appealing in a gee whiz way but it's obvious to me that the shock mounts cannot possibly be up to carrying the weight of the, albeit light, front end. A much more robust mounts on a backing plate is the least that would do the job. Even better would be a brace between said backing plates. I say this because in my previous BMW E30, a much sturdier and heavy car, adding a shock tower to shock tower brace was immediately effective in making the body feel MUCH stronger. This set up would allow calibration of the ride height. Do you know if it offers real world performance advantages? It would be pricey!
 
Dave Bassett said:
Thank you Frank. I really appreciate your knowledge and generosity. So I have read about about the Abarth lower A Arm/coilover set up. It seems appealing in a gee whiz way
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Hi Dave,
The 1300/124 front end is NOT the coilover type you are thinking of. It's from and 850 that had a Fiat 124 pushrod motor in place of the 850 motor. The front was an 850 with the eye leaf reversed and stiffer. They were easily available at one time and POSSIBLY the same as the Fiat 850 based OT1000. I think this leaf is currently available but not certain. Check "Mr. Fiat." Resident Fiat 850 Guru Jeff Stich can provide more details and pics of just about anything 850.
 
dnudelman said:
Here Dave, since your car is a movie star, why not drop a little loose change?
850 front suspension kit
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That is the setup I was trying to describe. Pricey but available for less. The two main questions I have are whether they offer meaningful performance advantages on the street and what do the tops of those coilovers attach to. I cannot see how the shock mounts would be up to the task.
 
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