EMPI's anyone?

[JoeK]

Hey guys,

I picked up a set of 14" X 5.5" zero offset Empis a few weeks ago and am trying to find some info so I can get them on my car. My first issue is trying to find an O-ring for them. Anybody know where I can find a 13" o-ring?

I ordered some lug nuts today, I'm hoping they're the right ones. I ordered them from Summit, part# sum-753021

I still have to figure out how fat a tire I can fit under there, but at this point I'm looking at 195/65X14. I guess I could ask the question, what's your favorite tire?

I'll assemble the wheels with nylon locking nuts and flat washers, stainless if I can get them, unless otherwise advised.

Thanks for any input,

[Minh]

Are these the VW/Porsche Empis? If so you gonna have a heck of a time getting them on. It is a 4x130mm or 5x130mm lug pattern.

If not then nevermind.

Get a ruler and measure the distance from the inside flat surface to the edge of a rim. Use a 2x4 and lay across the rim. This will let you know how much backspace you have. If it is less than 4 your good.

[oilleak]

I'd find a VW restoration shop and ask that question. A good vintage wheel shop may know too. If you've got no luck that way, you might have to seal them without the o-ring. A good silicon chaulk should do the trick. FWIW, you can find pretty big o-rings at pool supply stores.

[datsun65]

Empi made a special edition of the famous rims for datsuns!

Bob Bondurant ran these on his roadsters.

http://www.datsun.org/fairlady/empi.htm

I also recently purchase a set of these 2 piece rims. You'll find that many shops won't be able to mount the tire on the rim because of the design. Todd Osborne is the resident expert on the empi rims. Because of the 2-piece design, some folks (ie, Todd) run tubes inside his rims.

Joe, I found a shop that is able/willing to fix up the rims....

http://www.wheeltechniques.com/

Maybe we can both hit them up (and get a discount) on fixing up 2 sets of the rims..

Dan

[spl310]

Well, if someone out there is tired of their Empi wheels and wants another vintage wheel for their car, I have Libre wheels. I have a set of 5. I like them, but think that I like the Empi more. If you are the reverse, perhaps we can trade!

Had to throw it out there. No, I don't want to just sell the Libres right now...

[JoeK]

Thanks Sid, but I think I'll keep my Empis for now. I think Datsun Empis and real Libres are about equally hard to find at this point. Empi still makes these wheels, but not for Datsuns, I wonder if the offset is the same though. If so, you could buy a set and have that wheel shop Dan mentioned refit them. They are cheap at about $460 for a fully polished set. Just a crazy thought.

Dan, what do your wheels need? Mine need the lips polished, but the centers are painted and in great shape. I was thinking of trying to polish them myself for starters, but I'd be interested in seeing if they will polish our wheels as a set and maybe get a deal. Let me know.

I've tried getting in touch with Todd Osbourne, but haven't been able to as of yet. He did tell me that his wheels leaked a little and that he was running tubes.

[SLOroadster]

The best tires going right now are the Falken Azenis 195/60/14s. $54 each shipped from Discount Tire. I'm running them on my car and holy cow does it stick through a corner.

Just my $.02

Will

[oilleak]

You can polish the rim (lip) with simichrome and #0000 steel wool. Works pretty well unless you want them to gleam like chrome. then you'll need a buff, white rouge compound, and a lot of patience. Try the steel wool first. Simichrome is a german polishing compound the I've had very good results with.

[JoeK]

Anybody else out there have EMPI's? Or more to the point, do you have lug nuts? And where did you get them?

The lug nuts I ordered turned out to be incorrect. It appears that standard shaft style lug nuts have a 0.68" outside shaft diameter. My rims need a 5/8" (or 0.625") outside shaft diameter. I have been out beating the bushes, but have had no luck so far. At this point, I'm seriously looking at drilling the holes larger or milling some standard lug nuts to the proper size. Another possibility would be to taper the opening in the wheels to take acorn style lug nuts. But I sure would like to find the right lug nuts, so if you've got an old set lying around...

So, how are you keeping those EMPI's on your roadster?

[SLOroadster]

MCGaurd lugnuts might fit. The work on my Libres, infact they are the only ones that fit the libres. The need a short shank (the Libres) but they might work for you.

Will

[spl310]

Joe,

If you have access to a lathe, then turning the lugs is the easy answer. If not, you can have the bolt holes drilled as you suggested, but before doing that, scrutinize the wheel to make sure that you don't make a mess.

Have you checked the "Tuner" lugs? Some of those use goofy seats and may work.

The only guy that I know with Empi wheels had access to a machine shop and he made up some custom stainless lug nuts. I am envious....

I will keep on it to see if I can find you a better solution.

[spl310]

Good news! I have a solution that looks easy!!

Go to wheelcomponents.com and check their lug nuts. You want to look at the ET/AP Step Mag (part number 7502). Get those with some standard Mag Wheel washers and you should be in business!

Another possiblitiy is to go with the ET conical lugs with the conical center washers. The washers may not fit though.

Hope that helps!

[68datster]

Hey all,

Am new (old) to this forum. I was on the Roadsternet for awhile, but couldn't keep up. Great to see this forum and all the dialogue on Roadsters.

I've got a set of EMPIs on my 68 2000 now. I'm short enough lugs to properly mount all.. As indicated in the post below, they are a specialized lug with an 11/16 head (kind of tall and narrow) and a .625 shank, 7/8 thread. I had the wheels refinished in Atlanta years ago. I mounted my own 195/60 14s. Did not use the Orings, but did clean and then generously apply black RTV. Have had no leaks in at least 5 years. Wheels look great and perform exceptionally.

I never really solved the lug problem. I searched evyerwhere on the net and even car shows - Carlisle Fall and Spring last year. I am at the point of either having more lugs made - stainless is a great idea or converting to a conical standard lug using a custom tapered insert.

Anyone have alternatives or a few old lugs laying around?

Thanks for any advice and it's great to be back.

[JoeK]

I finally ended up finding Cragar lug nuts that work out. They are part number 09005-4. Summit lists them as CRR-090054. These are for the early style EMPIs which have the shaft style lug holes, unlike the late style which have a conical lug hole.

Hope that helps,

[66Roadster]

Hey Joe -

I also have the early Empi wheels. Yes, as Sid said I machined my lugs from stainless alan head bolts. I was a job but they are nice. Glad you found some lugs! My wheels have painted centers and rough polished rims. The good part about paint is it is easy to change. They were silver, then silver Hammerite, and now gray. A couple of hours and your wheels look new/different.

I run tubes in my tires (195-60-14) which in not a problem. For a spare all you really need is a wrench, can of fix-a-flat and tube. I have not tried RTV. My wheels where rusty so an o-ring is out. You have to have a perfect surface for those to seal.

For center caps I have Z car caps from MSA (four mounting tabs) that were cut in half, the center placed back in the backside of the bottom part and epoxied back in. This way they don't stick out passed the rim. One day I may machine some nice aluminum caps.

Good luck on your EMPI's!

Phil
SEROC