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Older Replica - Tire Rubbing

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12-27-2015 12:09 PM - permalink

EM-0785

First question after my Introduction Forum post. Apologize for any improper protocol. Photos in my profile album “Tire Rub (Suspension Issue)”.

Bought 1985 EM 460. Project #1, tire/suspension orientation. Front fiberglass rubbing away at upper rear fenders. At rest, front tires much closer to rear of fender. Seems odd geometry.

1) Upper A-arms installed wrong? ERA thread had offset arms causing that. Mine are MII arms w/non-adj shocks.

2) No front sway bar. Excess body roll? Bar & mount points for this car? Cobra Valley R/T bar thread looks nice.

3) Tires: Newer 60R15 BFG TA 245 fr & 255 rear. Read 235 is front limit to avoid rub? Wheel offset or lack of issue? Wheels: Center Line 055703545-Auto Drag 05-Series Street 15x7, Bolt: 5x4-1/2, Rear Spacing: 3-5/16. Start by getting front 235 or less (to 195 for 7”)? Seems more needed for geometry?

4) Higher rated front springs? Any suspension adj points to help?

(1 of 2 – more in 1st reply due to character limit)

12-27-2015 12:10 PM - permalink

EM-0785

(2 of 2)

5) Rear Jag IRS with body very low. Leveraging front on variable surfaces? Want to raise rear body 1-2”, may pull front rear fenders up. Done simply w/taller shocks/springs? Existing shocks non-adj SPAX.

Use: street, cruising & straight-line vs hard cornering. Prefer slight overbuild to protect & perform when needed & good ground clearance.

Goal: eliminate excessive rub, even if not all, minor rub on hard left sounds common. Don’t see many Cobras w/resting front wheels as far back in fenders.

Budget: low cost good if existing parts can work. If solution requires spending, to full replace, fine.

Read tire/rub forums. With many suggestions & old model challenges, I seek specific advice before many costly solutions efforts. Didn’t hijack other thread w/my issue, vs. providing them solutions.

Driven 100 miles, no hard cornering. Easily rubs, heavy on left hand U-turn. Paint new at purchase, photo damage since.

Open to advice/experience. Thanks, Brent

12-27-2015 02:01 PM - permalink

Tommy

Brent,
Can you post a photo of the front suspension showing how the A-arms connect to the tube frame? Does your car have a 4" round tube frame?

12-27-2015 02:27 PM - permalink

Tommy

Also, what is your wheelbase?

12-27-2015 03:08 PM - permalink

EM-0785

Hi Tommy,

Yes my car has a 4" round tube frame and has a 90" wheelbase. I will add some photos to my tire rub album this evening that better show the frame and A-arm connections. Thanks, Brent

12-27-2015 03:41 PM - permalink

Tommy

That sounds like an EM chassis. It is odd that the front wheels are not centered in their openings while the rear wheels are centered.

12-28-2015 06:54 AM - permalink

Tommy

I was hoping someone more knowledgable than me would come to your rescue, but as that hasn't happened yet, I'll offer a few more ideas.

By definition, the wheelbase is the distance from the center of the front wheel to the center of the rear wheel when the car is fully done and on the ground. If you have measured the distance between your car's wheels and it is indeed 90", I'm left wondering why the rear wheel appears centered in its wheel well while the front wheel appears too far aft. If you were able to move the front wheels forward to fit better in the wheel wells, you would no longer have a 90" wheelbase chassis. ... If the actual wheelbase is less than 90", I would surmise that either the front or rear suspension pieces (or both) are not correctly positioned on the chassis. ....

12-28-2015 06:55 AM - permalink

Tommy

So my advice is to measure the actual wheelbase to determine whether you should focus on the body or the suspension. Another way to look at it is to consider whether it is easier/cheaper to make the body fit the chassis or adjust the chassis to fit the body. I'm no expert in either of those areas.

P.S. This new 1000 character limit on posts and the 90 second wait between both suck.

12-28-2015 07:49 AM - permalink

Tom Cimino

I see by your photos that your frame is an early model when E-M used the actual Mustang II crossmember in assembly. I'm not familiar as to how the crossmember is attached to the frame. If it is bolted on, you could possibly move the whole assembly forward. I agree with Tommy on his posting about the wheelbase. You have to determine if the wheelbase is actually 90" and then determine if it is the front or rear suspension that is the cause of the mis-alignment. In my manual, the mounting points for the Jag suspension are factory welded to the frame, which makes me believe your problem is in the location of the front crossmember. I used tubular A-frames and they were interchangeable left to right so I don't think that is your problem. Another issue is your front tires stick out to far. The offset in your front wheels is off, possibly due to adapters for the knock off wheels.

12-28-2015 08:03 AM - permalink

Tom Cimino

Another couple of points. My E-M Cobra has 245R's on the front and they don't rub.

In the manual, if the frame has Jag suspension in the rear, It also has Jag suspension in the front. Could it be that the original builder added the Jag suspension in the rear? That could be a possibility as the early frames with Mustang II suspension used the leaf spring suspension from the Mustang II on the rear. That would account for the rear of the body being so low, if the rear suspension was located too high and too far forward in the frame. If that's the case, you will have to re-locate the whole rear suspension and then re-mount the body to center the wheel housings with the wheels.

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