I've come across a couple of sets of 15x6 with a 5 on 4.5 lug pattern Minilite wheels. My first thought was how nice they would be for my PV, but it turns out they have a 4.5 inch back spacing which means they won't work on the PV or on an Amazon. The fellow who owns them claims they came off 1800s of undetermined vintage. Could that be possible, and if so, what would they be worth? They look in good shape and would clean up with a bit of wire brushing or mild media blasting.
Bob S.

15x6 would work well on an 1800. The backspacing is crucial, however. They should have a 3/4" POSITIVE backspace in order to avoid clearance problems. New Minilites in that size range run around $200 each.

I agree, but let's be clear on terminology so we're all talking about the same thing (at least I think this is how it works). You mean 3/4" positive OFFSET -- the center of the wheel is 3/4" inboard of the mounting surface.

A 6" wheel with zero offset has a backspacing of 3". At a positive 3/4" offset, the backspacing would be 3-3/4".

A 6" wheel with a backspacing of 4-1/2" has an offset of positive 1-1/2" -- sort of a lot from a handling standpoint, even if clearance were not an issue.

Hmmm...the 5.5" Lagunas (minilite copies) I used to run were 4.75" inboard, they rubbed the sway bar at full lock but were just fine otherwise.

Shayne, another question: the mounting holes on these things look awfully large to me, maybe 3/4 inch -- I didn't measure, and I'll have to go back to take a closer look. Did Minilites use some sort of special lug nut?
Bob S.

Yes and no... the lug nuts are different, but not 'special'

The lug nuts you need fit inside them holes precisely which centers the wheels rather than the tapered original lug nuts.

The ones you need should be easy to find at any auto parts store.
--
-Matt '70 145s, '65 1800s, '66 122s wagon, others inc. '53 XK120 FHC

Shayne,

How'd you like the Lagunas and what size tires did you use?

I liked the look from the side, but since most of the "meat" was under the car, the wide look I wanted (front and back view) wasn't there. I went back to my widened (6") steelies with original hubcaps. I used 205/60/15's.
Maybe there are some pics floating around the web, and I might could post a pic if I ever logged in to the BB, can't remember the password that was assigned to me, something like kajagugu...
The inside cover of the 2nd (VB) ipd catalog shows one of the last photos taken of my wagon while it was wearing the Laguners.