One Front wheel rubs.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 3,868
Likes: 1
From: Chino Hills CA
Cruise-In III & VI Veteran
One Front wheel rubs.
Just put new tires and rims on my 78 and the front drivers side wheel rubs. Went from 15X81/2 to 17x8 rims and 225/70/15 to 255/50/17. After looking at the wheel on the drivers side is not centered in the wheelwell. the other side clears fine. Is this normal and can it be adjusted??
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 4
From: Northern NJ
St. Jude Donor '04 & '05
Re: One Front wheel rubs. (Chucks87)
My right front rubs a bit at full lock. Left side is fine. I suppose this is another example of the custom, handbuilt, not very exact assembly process that makes each of our vehicles "special". :lolg: :lolg:
Assuming the wheels and tires are matched and do not have any manufacturing "defects", then I would suspect that either the car has been hit and the body repaired not quite straight, frame/suspension is bent or somehow damaged, or it has just been this way from day one and was never noticed with the smaller wheels/tires.
Good Luck!
:seeya
Assuming the wheels and tires are matched and do not have any manufacturing "defects", then I would suspect that either the car has been hit and the body repaired not quite straight, frame/suspension is bent or somehow damaged, or it has just been this way from day one and was never noticed with the smaller wheels/tires.
Good Luck!
:seeya
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,665
Likes: 1
From: Ontario
Re: One Front wheel rubs. (Chucks87)
I put new wheels (17x8 with 4" backspace) and tires (235/55-17) on my vette shortly after I bought it. I found that the drivers side tire rubs on the frame when I turn to the extreme left. Passenger side is fine. As far as I know the car has never been in any accidents. There have been other threads on this subject and seems we are not alone...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
Re: One Front wheel rubs. (Chucks87)
Where is the tire rubbing ? ...
edge of the fender opening, or the frame/inner fender ?
Most C3s I've seen have a rub on the frame area near the steering box.
My 75 rubbed the edge right off of the splash panel that bolts up behind the
bottom of the wheel well.
:seeya
edge of the fender opening, or the frame/inner fender ?
Most C3s I've seen have a rub on the frame area near the steering box.
My 75 rubbed the edge right off of the splash panel that bolts up behind the
bottom of the wheel well.
:seeya
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
Re: One Front wheel rubs. (Chucks87)
My front drivers side tire rubs on the upper part of the fender. The fender was repaired by a previous owner and you can see they didn't do the best job. I wish I had noticed before I repainted the car. I guess its good that the paint didn't come out that great and needs to be done again. Now I can fix the problem. The passenger side is real close to rubbing the fender in the same spot but it isn't as bad as the drivers side. You hit a bump or a dip hard enough you can smell burning rubber. I think if a put some fender flares on this next time and custom mold them it to look right I should have no problems in the front and have no need to buy new rims or spacers.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 429
Likes: 0
From: Oak Harbor WA
Re: One Front wheel rubs. (Chucks87)
Not to scare you, but my right side started rubbing and upon further inspection...
If this is happening to you, be sure to weld the front crossmember lower plate, especially around the lower A-arm pivot bar bracket. I know it's a PIA to get that area properly cleaned and prepped to accept the weld, but that's where all C-3 frames start getting stress fractures due to flexing, and due to the limited spot welding practice used at the factory. When the front lower suspension rips off the frame (and I believe all C-3's as they age will experience this), it could kill you. Afterwards, add a spreader bar between the upper A-arms (available from Vette Brakes for $79), to prevent future flexing and future fractures. Chevy should have installed these bars at the factory--poor design. I thought my car was in perfect shape, no visible frame rust anywhere, until this happened to me. :eek:
If this is happening to you, be sure to weld the front crossmember lower plate, especially around the lower A-arm pivot bar bracket. I know it's a PIA to get that area properly cleaned and prepped to accept the weld, but that's where all C-3 frames start getting stress fractures due to flexing, and due to the limited spot welding practice used at the factory. When the front lower suspension rips off the frame (and I believe all C-3's as they age will experience this), it could kill you. Afterwards, add a spreader bar between the upper A-arms (available from Vette Brakes for $79), to prevent future flexing and future fractures. Chevy should have installed these bars at the factory--poor design. I thought my car was in perfect shape, no visible frame rust anywhere, until this happened to me. :eek: