I am beginging a build up of a 72 240 my dad has been an avid z enthusiast since the 70's he has finnally pulled me into the z circle. I am trying to decide on wheel applications and it has turned out to be a nightmirror I see all these custom z's on the internet ,where are you guys getting all there custom rims??? Is there are spacer trick ???? please help

 

keep your eyes on ebay, for one thing. nissan made a good number of attractive mag wheels that bolt directly onto the car as they came from the 280ZX.. i believe any four lug nissan of the 60s-early 80s had the same bolt pattern..

also heard that wheels that bolt onto a fox body (eighties-early nineties) mustang are a direct bolt on, but i have heard people say they were a little different too.. but i know there are alot of wheels out there that fit it. you can buy some at motorsport auto www.zcarparts.com or go to www.zcar.com and watch the classified section. sometimes you can get 280ZX mags at the junkyard too. i think the first gen Zs look great with a set of slot mags on them myself, and i STILL dont think i like anything MORE than that...

 

There are company's that sell adapters to use Honda wheels on your Z. I got mine from Modern Motorsports and I installed 17x7 rims with 40mm offset and 225/45-17 wheels on my 73.

Since this picture I've removed the drums and installed discs.

 

i like the disclaimer on the end of that... my first thought was ugh, those wheels look like crap, then i realized i was just seeing too much drum behind em.. i thought, hey, he needs rear discs... then read the comment. and laughed.

i HATE seeing people with flashy wheels on their hyundai, showing off their puny rear drums.. if you have skimpy wheels, you better have pretty brakes or the effect is ruined entirely.

 

I have heard the downside to spacers is they cannot take the abuse of road racing or Autocross. I enjoy a spirited drive thru a mountain or canyon. This makes me shy away from spacers.
If I am misinformed please let me know cause i really want to go to a 16x7 wheel.
I want to go with a 16 inch cause the auto manufacturers do not recommend going more than 2 inches over stock. If you goover you can cause severe suspension damage.
Just a thought.

 

There have been a lot of discussions about this on other Z sites. The consensus seems to be that the spacer shouldn't make any difference (technically it's and adapter not a spacer - a spacer would require longer lugs and would be weaker than an adapter). The offset remains roughly the same as stock. you're pushing the wheel out, but you're adding more wheel thickness to the inside. The only other issue is making sure the spacer lugs don't loosen up. You can either periodically remove your wheels to check the torque on your spacers and/or use a little locktite.