8 lug long bed drop - a few questions

[Not An SS]

I decided a while ago to drop my 91 RCLB C2500. I was working on a 78 Malibu project, but the body turned out to be too far gone to invest time and money in to. Since I already have a (slow as ****) 454 big block powered truck, I figured I'd work with that.
So far, I bought the rear 7inch drop/flip kit from DJM. I've not gotten to install yet, but getting ready to in the next 2 weeks or so.
I'm waiting to see what the ass end comes down to before I buy the front drop, I'm assuming a 5 inch will be what I need.
My biggest issue seems to be the wheel/tire combo. I was looking to end up with a sort of staggered/hot rod/pro-street stance. Having 8 lugs is definitely a challenge when it comes to wheels and tires.

So, questions:
Would it be more time consuming (and way more expensive) to convert to 5 lug so I can use commonly available rims and tires?

Stick with 8 lug, and go to 17/18/20 inch wheel and tire combos?

Ive seen a few rims that are available in 16 and 17 inch sizes, with offsets like 1 and 12, in say, a 9 inch wide wheel. My understanding is that the 1 offset is pretty much smack in the middle, not sure if 12 is giving me the wider lip I'm looking for or not?

Staying 16 or 17 also not a huge selection of tires available.

Another option would be to widen stock rear rallyes and go with the wide white look, maybe with old school cheaters on the back.. but again- 16 inch not easy to find.


Would appreciate any thoughts, ideas, suggestions etc.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[98nightmare]

Well, being it's already a 2500, why not just swap to a six lug from a 2500? Wheels for the six lugs are becoming a dime a dozen since its a still a very common lug pattern.

 

[Not An SS]

Well, being it's already a 2500, why not just swap to a six lug from a 2500? Wheels for the six lugs are becoming a dime a dozen since its a still a very common lug pattern.

That could work.. I'll do a search on the swap, but do you know what all would be involved or what exactly I would need to get from say the yard or RockAuto?

 

[98nightmare]

Not 100% sure if the A arms are the same or not, but I'd imagine just rear end and front spindles? But then your putting in a lot of time to save on wheels, which is cool if you like changing wheels a lot. But if you want a specific style wheel and are pretty set on the style, I'd just save up and buy them in the eight lug. You could also just look into a hub centric lug adaptor for whatever pattern you desire. I say hub centric because they don't shift, and are dead on with the lug pattern being centered correctly. The cheaper style adaptors rely on just the lug nuts to center the adaptor. Hub centrics use the axle/ spindle bore like your factory wheels do. This would be the cheapest way to go and you wouldn't be stuck with it.

 

[Not An SS]

Not 100% sure if the A arms are the same or not, but I'd imagine just rear end and front spindles? But then your putting in a lot of time to save on wheels, which is cool if you like changing wheels a lot. But if you want a specific style wheel and are pretty set on the style, I'd just save up and buy them in the eight lug. You could also just look into a hub centric lug adaptor for whatever pattern you desire. I say hub centric because they don't shift, and are dead on with the lug pattern being centered correctly. The cheaper style adaptors rely on just the lug nuts to center the adaptor. Hub centrics use the axle/ spindle bore like your factory wheels do. This would be the cheapest way to go and you wouldn't be stuck with it.

Yeah, its seems easier to settle on wheels, not a lot of choices in "drag style" like Centerline or welds, or anything hot roddish. Most 8 lug wheels are pretty much for lifted trucks, the offsets are extreme.
Ultimately I would like to have the widest wheel I could get, about 29 or 30" diameter to just about an inch inside the wheel well in the rear and the front fender just at the edge of the tire.
That may not be possible with the 8 lug setup.

Sent from my Big Ass Phone v4.0

 

[98nightmare]

There's a thread on here for the six lug conversion. There should be some very useful info in it that could help

 

[Dahead76]

Convert it to a dually and put semi wheels on it, lol!

 

[Not An SS]

There's a thread on here for the six lug conversion. There should be some very useful info in it that could help

Lol, my ability to search on forums absolutely sucks! I'm still trying to find it [emoji33] lol

Sent from my Big Ass Phone v4.0

 

[Not An SS]

Convert it to a dually and put semi wheels on it, lol!

Also a very cool look.. just saw a dropped dually in my travels today. [emoji106]

Sent from my Big Ass Phone v4.0