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Ok, so my Dad and I were riding along in the 'Vette and he pulls over because it "Felt like a tire was flat", because the steering was all jerky. So I get out of the car and look for a flat, but there wasn't one. So we went home and I got out and the left front tire was about 1-2cm away from the front of the wheel well. This cut the tire, and i have no clue why it is so close to the well.
Any help or ideas of what is wrong is greatly appreciated!
Hard to believe a plastic fender cut a tire. What year is the car? What size are the tires? What kind of wheels - stock steel, mag, KO? How far away is the wheel on the other side of the car?
The wheel and brake assembly is connected to the car by two large stamped steel pieces shaped roughly like an A, and they are called A frames. Where the A frames attach to the car's frame, the bolts are shimmed to give the car proper wheel alignment. If the bolts come loose, the shims can fall out.
That's about the only cause( alignment shims), unless you have a weld that has broke loose, in order for the wheel assy. to move back, control arms would have to move, or possibly a ball joint problem. Either way the car should not be driven until all suspension mounting points are checked out & verified to be good! :cheers:
Check all the bolts on the control arms.
One may have come loose
Don't drive it until you know for sure that the problem has been found and corrected..
If you need more help...
Post away..
The "flat tire feel" sounds like a wheel bearing. I had this happen in a 1/2 ton chevy. At a certian speed the wheel would woble to beet all get out.
The wheel bearing is an easy check,
-Remove tire
-With rubber hammer and small flat head screw driver, loosen bearing hub.
-Remove cotter pin and pull gently on rotor, it should spit the timpken bearing right out.
-Clean with solvent and inspect.
-If you cannot remember the last time you changed them, for the price I would change them and the rear race.
-To get at the race, you will have to pull the barke caliper and slip it off the top of the rotor, and remove rotor.
The symptoms you describe, point to a catastrophic failure of some component. Jack the car up until the tire is clear of the ground by an inch. To check for a control arm bushing problem, place a pry bar between the ground and the tire and lift the tire up (gently) and release. Do it a couple of times. There should be virtually no vertical movement. If there is, have someone watch the control arm joints (upper and lower) to determine the problem area. To check for a bad wheel bearing while the tire is still in the air, grasp the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and attempt to wiggle the tire (in & out). Do the same at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions. Excessive movement will be evident if the wheel bearing has failed. Another possibility might be a broken spring! Check it closely. Good luck!
You can get the hub/rim from a junkyard.... then repaint it as necessary.
I was thinking a tie-rod end came loose or something based solely on the description. I don't know C2 suspensions inside and out. Also, it could be a wheelbearing that needs some grease packed (it's never a bad idea to check those out.)
If you cannot find one at your local vette shoppe, call Pacific Corvette at 1-800-228-2857 or check them out at http://www.pacvette.com. They have had almost every used part I have ever needed and they will ship right away. :cheers: