Grinding Calipers to Fit Wheels : **How To**

I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY OF DAMAGE THAT YOU DO TO YOUR OWN VEHICLE. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH DOING THIS MODIFICATION, BUY WHEELS THAT FIT. IF YOU DAMAGE YOUR CALIPER IT IS NOT MY PROBLEM


ok, so ive been looking around and there isnt a deffinate how to on this, so i fugured i would make one while i was doing it.

mods, sticky possibly?

ok. there are a few different tools you can use to do this. a file (which takes forever), a dremmel (very precise, this is also what i used), or a pneumatic grinder (i didnt like the idea of taking a grinder to my caliper lol)

I only had to grind down about 1/16 of an inch so its not like you are cutting half of the caliper or anything

start by breaking loose all of the lugnuts on one of the front wheels.
then using the bottle jack that came with your truck and lift one of the front wheels off the ground

completely remove all of the lugnuts and the wheel from the caliper and hub assembly.


then take your new wheel and place it on the hub assembly while pressing it flat against the hub. while pressing, rotate the wheel so that it "marks" where the wheel is hitting the caliper.

then take off the wheel and using your dremel or tool of choice, grind on the caliper where it is hitting.


the exposed are where it says "R1" is where mine grinds

this is what it should look like when you start grinding (all of the darker area on the caliper vein)

just grind a little bit, then place the wheel back on to "mark" it again to see if it is hitting, if it is, just grind down a little more. grind it just enough to where the wheel barely clears without rubbing. be very careful to not grind off too much. if you go too deep, you run the risk of damaging your caliper.

here is the final result of my caliper. every wheel will most likely be rubbing in about the same area as mine did, but there is always an exception.

after this you should be good to go!

 

bizzump

 

sweet. looks good. how much room do you have now? my new wheels only give me about 1/16" and im not sure if i should be concerned.

I probably would have got some steel procomps but didnt want to do any grinding. plus i really like the wheels i ended up getting.

 

i have about enough room to fit a strand of hair in between the caliper and wheel. its not going to hurt anything, the caliper slightly moves inwards when you press the brake, away from the wheel

 

sounds good. i wasnt sure if that gap would ever decrease under stress or while offroading or anything. or if debri would get caught in there. probably wont in either of these case though.

 

Nice!

 

this needs to be a sticky.......chris.....i know you are lurking in the shadows....

 

What's safer, this or wheel spacers?

 

probably this. wheel spacers either mean buying extended thread lug nuts to hold better, or extended studs. both are fairly expensive when you need to buy 24 of them

 

Why would you need either? Wheel spacers like Spidertrax or All-Pro have their own studs.

 

Good writeup! I grinded mine the same way about 2 years ago and still going strong.

 

true, but if you have a wheel with 4" backspacing like i do, they will stick out past the fender already, add a 1.25" wheel spacer on top of that, and you will stick past the fender almost 3"

i was talkin about the 1/4" spacers, the small thin ones

 

Here is mine, same wheel with the 1.5" AP wheel spacers but I might take them off in the near future and grind down the caliper....

 

nice wheels. any pics of them completely installed?

 

unfortunantly not till this weekend

 

chris 4x4, sticky?

 

hey you.....














SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good writeup Dan.

 

thanks keith

 

This would be a null issue if the person buys the proper wheels.