Im in the middle of building an 81 elcamino. doing entire car new from engine trans and also interior . doing my own body work but as much as dont have a paint booth will farm that out. My question is about upgrading to a 17" wheel instead of the 14" that are there now. havnt seen much in writing about what can be done without changing other parts to make fit. any help would be appreciated:feedback:

you will need to be more specific on your wheel choice. there are variables like offset and wheel width that affect your car more than how tall a wheel you want. there are several examples of cars on here that have 17s that required no other mods and run just fine.

http://www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp?item=Wheel-Tire%20size%20comparer&showRim1=1&showTire1=1&sw1=275&ar1=40&bd1=17&rd1=17&rw1=9.0&et1=0&showRim2=1&showTire2=1&sw2=245&ar2=45&bd2=17&rd2=17&rw2=8.0&et2=-10&text1=&text2

you will need to be more specific on your wheel choice. there are variables like offset and wheel width that affect your car more than how tall a wheel you want. there are several examples of cars on here that have 17s that required no other mods and run just fine.
x2

runnin 265 17" on the rear of mine and 245 17 on the front, no clearance issues at all. I do need to paint the calipers and drums tho:dontknow: http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac309/JohnBer_album/383assembly074.jpg

john,
does that thing have an engine?:poke:

Looks a little nose up. :texas:

does now http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac309/JohnBer_album/383assembly084.jpg

Im in the middle of building an 81 elcamino. doing entire car new from engine trans and also interior . doing my own body work but as much as dont have a paint booth will farm that out. My question is about upgrading to a 17" wheel instead of the 14" that are there now. havnt seen much in writing about what can be done without changing other parts to make fit. any help would be appreciated:feedback:
Well I run 18x8.5 in the back and 17x8 in the front. It does the job quiet nicely and there is no issues with rubbing. I run chip foose nitrous rims. Now it comes down to rims you want, offset, tire size ect.. More info you give the better we can help you with.

Something else to consider....do you have vehicle inspections there? In WV, if you go bigger than 2 in more than came on vehicle from factory, you have to get a modified vehicle inspection sticker (annual safety inspection). Those are a gigantic PITA!!!, and few places here will do them.
In ILL, as long as the tread depth is good, they don't care, but check your local regs.

:dontknow:

I do like it where i am at ....no vehichle inspections at all. Smog or safety, sure it is coming tho