# Front tire rub after front-end rebuild



## LouCabra (Jul 20, 2015)

HELP!

The car: 68 convertible lemans cloned to GTO look
Wheels & Tires: 17 inch AmericanRacing wheels with 235/55R17 (installed by PO)

So after three months I finally got my car off the jack stands last night. I started out wanting to swap my manual drum brakes with power disc and bought the kit from InlineTube.com. I figured while I'm at it I should go ahead and redo all the steering linkages, and if I do that I might as well replace the upper and lower control arm bushings and ball joints. And since it handled like boat (probably because its a Lemans), I should put a beefier front sway bar in, and while I'm at it it needs a power steering pump rebuild and a rebuild for the steer box with quick ratio gearing. All the steering linkages and bushings are MOOG. PowerSteering.com rebuilt the pump and gear box. The sway bar is from Belltech. By the way the new 1-1/4 inch sway bar looks nothing like the 3-dimentionally bent stock sway bar that was in it. The Bell tech is basically a big U and flat (if that makes any sense).

So all of that is on the car now and I put the the tires back on and put it on the ground. Before I did final tightening on the sway bar links and the control arms I wanted to back it up and drive it back and forth in the drive way a little to get the power steering pump worked out and try the brakes. As I was backing out I cut the wheel to the right and heard a noise. sounded like a crunch or a bang or something. It sounded bad. I immediately stopped to check it out. It was the front tire banging into and scraping by the front lower fender. Keep in mid that the wheels and tire are not new and I previously did not have this problem. I don't know how much clearance it used to have, but now it looks like the front tires are mounted at least a half inch too forward and its binds with the fender.

So my question is: Is there a way to adjust the front geometry so the tires are backed off to the rear? I just can't think of why the wheels moved so far forward!

HELP!

Oh, and once I get this figured out, then I need to figure out why I don't seem to have power to my new power brakes and why I have almost no pedal movement before the brakes engage. ARGGHH!:banged:

Much thanks for any and all advice!


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

If I am not mistaken, I believe I have read here on the forums that the disc brake set-up will move the wheel outward towards the fender edge. Just a thought. :thumbsup:

Maybe a pic or 2 might help us.


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## LouCabra (Jul 20, 2015)

PontiacJim said:


> If I am not mistaken, I believe I have read here on the forums that the disc brake set-up will move the wheel outward towards the fender edge. Just a thought. :thumbsup:
> 
> Maybe a pic or 2 might help us.


Ugh! I think I read every post on disc brake conversions before starting, but I never picked up on that. The photos are a larger view of the front left fender with tires and then a close up of the left and right tires against the fenders. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this short of going back to drum breaks or dumping another $1000+ on new wheels and tires! I thought I was going to be lucky because I wasn't going to have to worry about the caliper size on smaller wheels!


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## uscfan1976 (Sep 4, 2018)

I have a 1965 GTO that I did the exact same thing to. I converted the front drum to front disc and rebuilt the front end (Sway bar, upper and lower control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rods, springs and shocks). I also changed the 14x6 wheels out to 15x8 Cragars. My issue was the wheels catching when I turned. They would catch the lower front corner of the fenders. Once I had the front end rebuilt and properly aligned that corrected the issue plus the car sits an inch higher too and looks so much better. 

I guess my question is how wide are your wheels? When I called AMES Performance and spoke to them they told me that 8" wide it the maximum with allowed without major modifications.


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## LouCabra (Jul 20, 2015)

uscfan1976 said:


> I have a 1965 GTO that I did the exact same thing to. I converted the front drum to front disc and rebuilt the front end (Sway bar, upper and lower control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rods, springs and shocks). I also changed the 14x6 wheels out to 15x8 Cragars. My issue was the wheels catching when I turned. They would catch the lower front corner of the fenders. Once I had the front end rebuilt and properly aligned that corrected the issue plus the car sits an inch higher too and looks so much better.
> 
> I guess my question is how wide are your wheels? When I called AMES Performance and spoke to them they told me that 8" wide it the maximum with allowed without major modifications.


Thats a good question. I'll have to measure them up. I do like the 17 inch wheels because it raises the car some. Never gone for the lowered look. So you said that your tires would catch the lower front corner of the fenders (which is what is happening to me) after you rebuilt the front end, but the alignment cleared it up? So its possible I could trailer my car to the alignment shop and they could "align the problem away"? Also I haven't done the final torquing on the control arms and sway bar since, from what I have read here, that needs to be done a ride height. However, I don't see that pulling the tires to the rear as much as it would need.


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## uscfan1976 (Sep 4, 2018)

I would try the alignment first. Also did you buy new springs? If you have the original springs there is a good chance that they are worn and sagging. If they are original get new ones before the alignment is done. You can get the specs from Ames Performance and give them to your alignment tech as well. Keep in mind all my replacement parts were stock I did not got all out just a stock rebuild. Good luck.


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## LouCabra (Jul 20, 2015)

uscfan1976 said:


> I would try the alignment first. Also did you buy new springs? If you have the original springs there is a good chance that they are worn and sagging. If they are original get new ones before the alignment is done. You can get the specs from Ames Performance and give them to your alignment tech as well. Keep in mind all my replacement parts were stock I did not got all out just a stock rebuild. Good luck.


Thanks USCFan and PontiacJim. I really don't know why I didn't go with new springs to begin with,. I wish I had. Now I have to look forward to dealing with the spring compressor again. Jeez, I hate that thing!

Would still like to hear from anyone else that has any pointers (thats my plea for not using the spring compressor again!):crying::crying::crying:


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

Like said tire width is pushing the limits, if you notice the front fender edge curls back in a little at the bottom, that is usually where it will catch on a backout and full wheel cut as that point rides right about at the widest part of the tire diameter. the new springs will lift the body a little, but probably not enough to clear it. should be able to get away with two new tires with a thinner profile and less width.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Lou,

That can be corrected enough to get the car to the alignment shop, it looks like you have too much positive caster, try removing some of the spacers on the rear of the control arm (caster), you can also add spacers to the front (camber) to move the tire back.


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