Fix tire rub

sixtyfive · Oct 19, 2011

I was able to roll the fender lips some more! After driving a short distance i still rubbed when going over bumps in the road. I am now ready to order a new set of springs.

5 leaf mid eye was suggested, but some of the places I have seen advertise 5 leaf mid eye as lowering springs. Am I looking at the wrong ones?

http://www.laurelmountainmustang.co...ustang-leaf-spring-kit-5-leaf-mideye-lowering

Here is another example. The 4.5 leaf mid eye is not marked as lowering but the 5 leaf mid eye is marked as 1 inch lowering. Pound ratings between the two being #180 #195

http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCatalog/Suspension/leaf_springs.htm

bacfire · Oct 19, 2011

I believe the 4.5 and 5 leaf mid-eyes are meant to sit at about the same level. The difference is the spring rate. Either will likely sit higher that your worn stockers. My "1 inch lowering" 4 leaf mid-eyes raised my car over an inch.

zookeeper · Oct 21, 2011

I agree that stiffer springs will make the rub less noticeable, but it's still gonna rub. I have the 5 leaf mid-eyes from Laurel Mountain on my fastback and it's really not that stiff. In fact it's quite comfy and with my wife and kid in the car, the rear axle still hits the exhaust on big bumps. The solution isn't to go to stiffer springs, but to fix what's hitting, in my case it's the exhaust, in your case it's the tires. bTW, I never did answer your question about machining the backs of the wheels, but no, it's not very noticeable at all.

sixtyfive · Oct 24, 2011

zookeeper said:
I agree that stiffer springs will make the rub less noticeable, but it's still gonna rub. I have the 5 leaf mid-eyes from Laurel Mountain on my fastback and it's really not that stiff. In fact it's quite comfy and with my wife and kid in the car, the rear axle still hits the exhaust on big bumps. The solution isn't to go to stiffer springs, but to fix what's hitting, in my case it's the exhaust, in your case it's the tires. bTW, I never did answer your question about machining the backs of the wheels, but no, it's not very noticeable at all.

Thanks for your view on the 5 leaf, I am going to go with them rather than the 4.5's. It wont hurt changing them since mine are quite old. Plan B if the tires still rub might be to try picking up the trans am rear disk conversion setup. I may be able to recoup some of my cost on the mustangsteve 2008 gt rear swap by selling it on here.

69Rcode_Mach1 · Oct 24, 2011

What I did was used a heat gun to heat up the paint on the outside lip. Once warm held a small 2X4 wood block with microfiber towels around it and applied pressure from the outside with one hand and used a rubber mallet on the inside to roll the fenders. Fixed the problem and no paint damage, the heat makes it a little more flexible and prevents damage. Takes some time but perfectly rolled fenders by the end of it.

zookeeper · Oct 25, 2011

sixtyfive said:
Thanks for your view on the 5 leaf, I am going to go with them rather than the 4.5's. It wont hurt changing them since mine are quite old. Plan B if the tires still rub might be to try picking up the trans am rear disk conversion setup. I may be able to recoup some of my cost on the mustangsteve 2008 gt rear swap by selling it on here.

One thing I'd better add: shocks have a HUGE part in how suspension "feels". I have GR-2 shocks, which are non-gas and (in my opinion) perfect for the street. I have a freind who has stock replacement (4 leaf) springs and KYB gas shocks in his '67 coupe and it's a back-breaker. With the 5 leafs and GR-2's, mine is the best-riding car I presently own, yet firm enough for those frisky drives through the twisties.

sixtyfive · Nov 21, 2011

Finally got everything put back together with the 5 leaf mid eye springs! Took the car for a drive over the weekend and the wheels do not seem to rub.

I had a hell of a time getting the old leafs out. Front bolts on both sides had to be cut out using a combination of angle grinder and sawzall. Also had a hard time getting the old rubber bushings out until I found the right tool for the job.

After driving and washing the car I noticed that the rear axle seems to be offest a bit, appears to be sitting about an inch over to the drivers side. Any ideas as to what would cause that?? I made sure the leaf pins are seated in the perch and axle holes correctly. Did not notice a problem with this before swap.

eleanor_350 · Nov 21, 2011

sixtyfive said:
After driving and washing the car I noticed that the rear axle seems to be offest a bit, appears to be sitting about an inch over to the drivers side. Any ideas as to what would cause that?? I made sure the leaf pins are seated in the perch and axle holes correctly. Did not notice a problem with this before swap.

I had the same problem that I didn't notice with my old 14x7's, but it really showed when I upgraded to 17x8's. It turned out that the bushings in my front spring eyes weren't centered side-to-side in the spring eye which was shifting my springs and, effictively, the rear axle to one side of the car. I dropped the springs and drove the bushings over with a punch to remedy the issue. I guess due to manufacturing tolerances in the car, I actually had to offset the bushings in the opposite direction within the spring eye to get the wheels close to centered. With the bushings centered in the spring eyes, my wheels were still shifted to one side of the car.

sixtyfive · Dec 1, 2011

Did some more looking around and have a question. Does it matter which way the shackles are setup? I currently have the bolts on the inside (closer to gas tank) and the threaded rod sides pushed through from the outer side of the subframe.

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