Hey guys,
well im having some fitment problems with my front wheels (figures..) but here is what I am finding. The wheel seems to be sitting to far to the front of the wheel well (front of the car is in the air). And I assume once weight is put onto the wheel that the wheel will move further forward.

Any suggestions or methods to get around this? Something doesn't seem right here because the wheel gap isn't even... Where should I start???

Dan_s_young

 

Pics? You're doing the big brake kit with 2nd gen rotors aren't you? I'll have to look at mine, I'm not sure if the wheels do center with the wheel wells.

 

I mounted the tires up and put the car on the ground and took some pictures. The thing is the problem is way worse on the drivers side than the passengers side. Im starting to guess its the body kit that needs to be slightly adjusted.

Well the thing is this is with a 2.5" spacer, im wondering if I go to a 2.0" spacer will that also take care of this problem? These custom spacers are really pricey, especially when a set goes to complete waste...

Drivers side...




Passenger side...


Oh, and yes sorry I forgot to initally mention that this is TII brakes, thought slipped my mind.

I know these fitments things are very time consuming but for the time being I just need the car to roll onto a trailer so it can be taken to its winter home where I can work on it!

 

Looks like a caster issue. I'd check the suspension to see if maybe something is put together incorrectly; like the top of the strut mounts sitting flush, bent strut.... car been in an accident? maybe get a check alignment on the 7 when you get a chance.

 

The car is sitting on new suspension the whole way around, tokico hp blues, racing beat springs, racing beat front sway bar. The car has not been in any accidents, so that kinda elimates those options, BUT, perhaps the top strut mount could be out of phase (changes caster correct?) but would that make enough of a difference to correct this?

 

Hmm... In picture 2 it looks like the wheel is angled inward, like the steering wheel is turned. But then you say the other side is even closer, the only thing I could think of is that maybe the alignment is very out of wack.

 

The strut mount changes caster yes, but the tension rod has more to do with it. Check to see if the sway bar/tension rod brakcets are installed correctly and that both tension rods are adjusted about the same. And yes, if you adjust the caster using the tension rods you will be able to notice it visually.

 

sometimes the top hat where the coil sits isn't flush and sits crooked. I work at an alignment shop and alot of people that work on their own cars installing lowering coils or struts have this problem. It doesn't take much to throw the alignment out of whack. It will make a considerable difference. 0.50 to 1.0 is a big difference as far as alignment numbers are concerned. check it out and see.

sweet looking 7 btw!

 

Check the bushings and the lengths on the tension rod like 82 trans suggested. If you do adjust that then you will definitely have to get the front end aligned.

 

It is turned, because its lightly touching the fender there (picture 4 is the same wheel in the same position. I might have to try and change the caster here in a little bit if thats what you guys are saying the problem is.

But like I said I just need to get the car to the point where it can be rolled straight, so it can be loaded right onto a trailer. Would a .5" smaller spacer maybe move the wheel far enough from the fender that this problem may go away? This is deffinately an option as well because im going to need the spacers remade because of a misunderstanding of the center bore measurement.

 

I don't think a smaller space will do much. I would try adjusting the caster. I;m sure you can get it to work out.

 

Ok one more question, what size are the tension rod bolts? Im looking in the haynes manual, and it doesn't say and the FSM doesn't say...

Thanks

 

When I took my suspension apart last year...I had a bit of the same problem, except it was because my car had been ran into a curb by the previous owner, pushing the tension rod mount back a little bit. I simply aligned one side in the middle of the wheel well, then took the measurement between the front and back wheels on center, and matched it on the other side. If you tweak it without your wheels straight youll need to measure it again once they are straight to make sure... after I had both sides done I expected it was going to need an alignment, but I took some precise measurements and it seemed completely fine. Drove it this summer until it got hit and it seemed great (im sure it wasnt 100% perfect though).
I say this because its actually quite amazing what you can do with a simple tape measure. If you just have to move the car, you shouldnt have any problems at all, but whenever something looks that far out of whack an alignment definately wont hurt.

Also, a word of advice for getting the tension rod bolts out: definately soak them good in some penetrating lube and let them sit for a while before u go at it...and if the threads are dirty clean them as best as you can. I had to put the torch to mine to get them off..and they were so seized that I ruined the bolts and the rods. After all that hard work it would be rough to have to go blow another 150 bones on a stupid tension rod. So take your time and go easy on it.

 

the tension rod is the long bar connected to the lower control arm, and the other end going to the chassis to keep it from moving back and forth. Should be one nut holding it in by the chassis. not sure how it is bolted up to the lower control arm. I'm not sure if the tension rod can be lengthened or shortened but maybe you can put some shims to push the lower control arm backwards. Do u have any pics of the front suspension that I could see?

 

I have no solutions for you. Just want to give you props on a great looking wheel combo for the widebody!

 

Check the bushings on the tension rods, there is one on each side of the body bracket, maybe the rear one is missing. Highly recommend a full poly bushing replacement, if you haven't done that yet. You will need it with the bigger tires.

 

The bushings under a better inspection are deffinately cracking and aged. Im going to just adjust the caster for the time being, and im going to order a poly bushing kit! Thanks for the suggestions!!!

 

When you have it apart for the bushings, check the lower control arm. it may be bent, usually bends to the back not the front,

 

the large nuts on the tension rods are 26mm to answer your question in a earlier post. Definatly replace those bushings they are right up front where any road debris, snow, rain etc will beat them pretty badly. If your planning on getting it professionally aligned I wouldn't worry to much about the accuracy of your adjustment, just enough to make it move. However I've put at least 6000 miles on my project car on an alignment I did myself and its working just fine, so a pro isn't absolutly nessesary

 

I got my tension rod bushings from Respeed, cheap and fast delivery, that is definately where your problem is orginating from.

 

Just found something interesting on respeed!

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...1030ac44a98b7c

At the same time I think im going to get the camber plates he has for sale as well as the upgraded spherical front control arm bushings. Wow im going to be in debt... I guess thats what project cars do to you...

 

I used these camber plates and coil overs, very happy with them and the price www.racersareme.com.

Camber plates will NOT address your caster problem though.

 

I know it won't affect the caster issue that im having, but I figured the adjustablity I could use to my advantage in the future. Also I don't hesitate to support guys like Billy that are producing awesome aftermarket parts like these for our cars!

 

I'd check the tension rods for correct installation and alignment. These position the lower control arm horizontally and if they are torqued down too much they will pull the wheels forward. The struts won't affect the wheel position that much. Of course I've never messed with a tII brake swap so maybe that has something to do with it. Good luck.