I believe you were looking for, "stop calling them cats, and you have one on upside down and a crooked."
Nick's "lvndpst" Restoration (and Slight Modification) Thread
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I believe you were looking for, "stop calling them cats, and you have one on upside down and a crooked."
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Kind of an odd ball question for the Stangnet masses. After I went 5 lug with my brake upgrade, I bought some 18" wheels for the car. The front 18x9s stick out between 1/4 and 1/2 past the fender lip. The rear 18x10s are nice and flush with the rear fender lip. I was watching Fast N Loud where they were building Kurt Busch's Pantera. When Kurt's race shop realized his front wheels were the wrong offset and rubbed the fender, they shortened the front control arms to tuck the wheels in a bit. They did so by taking a bit of length from the ends where it mounts to the K member. Due to stock fox arm geometry, I dont have the real estate to do that at that part of the arm. That would also change the coil spring arch.
Where there is real estate is all around the ball joint. What if I filled in the original ball joint hole completely, and drilled it a 1/4" further inboard on the control arm? I know there could be many arguements about the effects of geometry and how the high speed handling characteristics could be changed... But keep in mind this is a street car that will probably just be a burnout and stop light hero. Do you suppose this could work for a summer or two of driving, assuming I do a good enough job that it is solid as it was stock? In all honesty, I think it would actually help my camber being I am lowered a bit, but do not have CC plates yet. Should actually straighten the wheels out.
In years to come I want to replace the K member and all suspension with MM parts, but for now just want the car to look "right" for cruising around.
Edit: I looked at the wheels, and they do not have enough meat to be machined down the change the offset. I also do not want to machine the rotors any and risk their integrity. I feel like moving the ball joint inward is my easiest solution.
Where there is real estate is all around the ball joint. What if I filled in the original ball joint hole completely, and drilled it a 1/4" further inboard on the control arm? I know there could be many arguements about the effects of geometry and how the high speed handling characteristics could be changed... But keep in mind this is a street car that will probably just be a burnout and stop light hero. Do you suppose this could work for a summer or two of driving, assuming I do a good enough job that it is solid as it was stock? In all honesty, I think it would actually help my camber being I am lowered a bit, but do not have CC plates yet. Should actually straighten the wheels out.
In years to come I want to replace the K member and all suspension with MM parts, but for now just want the car to look "right" for cruising around.
Edit: I looked at the wheels, and they do not have enough meat to be machined down the change the offset. I also do not want to machine the rotors any and risk their integrity. I feel like moving the ball joint inward is my easiest solution.
Dude....
What the hell kinda corn do they put in the corn liquor you drink anyway?
Let me get this straight..
You wanna know if you should move the ball joint assy inward?
Are you using fox lower arms, or SN 95 stuff?
If you are using SN 95 lca's then a fox arm is already 3/4" shorter.
Use it.
If you are using a fox arm,...then you're phcked.
I have 17x8's on front of the Monster...I tried 17x9's....no worky. They hit everywhere.
Now,...I drink bourbon....you drink grain alcohol ( not that that's a bad thing...) I mean you have to have something to get you through 6 months of sub freezing temperatures...I get it.
But here's the difference between what you and I must be drinking..
If you move the lower ball joint in, it will take a massive amount of adjustment to get the tires back to vertical.
You don't have cc plates.
I doubt that even if you did, you'd get them to ever get back to anywhere near 0 degrees camber.
Take the monster as an example. Stock everything, except SN Cobra Spindles/rotors/calibers...
Look at the adjustment on the cc plate.....
All the way in,...all the way back.
And I didn't relocate my ball joints 1/4" inboard.
Buy different wheels. I only come on here to check to see if you've changed out the wheels...( that ricer skateboard stand off on your front tires have always caused me to lose sleep)
Dude....
What the hell kinda corn do they put in the corn liquor you drink anyway?
Let me get this straight..
You wanna know if you should move the ball joint assy inward?
Are you using fox lower arms, or SN 95 stuff?
If you are using SN 95 lca's then a fox arm is already 3/4" shorter.
Use it.
If you are using a fox arm,...then you're phcked.
I have 17x8's on front of the Monster...I tried 17x9's....no worky. They hit everywhere.
Now,...I drink bourbon....you drink grain alcohol ( not that that's a bad thing...) I mean you have to have something to get you through 6 months of sub freezing temperatures...I get it.
But here's the difference between what you and I must be drinking..
If you move the lower ball joint in, it will take a massive amount of adjustment to get the tires back to vertical.
You don't have cc plates.
I doubt that even if you did, you'd get them to ever get back to anywhere near 0 degrees camber.
Take the monster as an example. Stock everything, except SN Cobra Spindles/rotors/calibers...
Look at the adjustment on the cc plate.....
All the way in,...all the way back.
And I didn't relocate my ball joints 1/4" inboard.
Buy different wheels. I only come on here to check to see if you've changed out the wheels...( that ricer skateboard stand off on your front tires have always caused me to lose sleep)
I still have the stock fox arms, and supposedly 94/95 spindles.
I wont be able to buy custom wheels for a while (like 2 years) and the only other stock type wheels I like are Pony Rs, which only come in 17s, and Im not buying all new tires too (for the same reason I cant buy custom wheels).
I wonder if I truely just move them in a 1/4" if it will really make aligning them impossible. What other free options do I have?
I do not see a path to adding additional tire clearance except this:
Jam this between the inner fender and the tire sidewall, and roll it,...it'll do one of two things.
Phck the fender up.
Cause the fender to bulge out slightly while phcking the fender up.
Either way it'll be phcked.
Leave it alone
truth is I did this on the Monster's fenders. When I first did it, it bowed the fender so badly outward, that I lost the flat side above the tire that makes a Fairmont, a Fairmont. I pushed it all back. I ended up giving it a " tweak" because .....alas,....Fairmont fenders are not Mustang fenders. The tires hit like mad on the lip even on a mild turn in.
They still do.
I have to take a turn path like a MIG 17 to get the car turned around still,..but the baseball bat method helped significantly.
( it also helped that I intended to paint the car....might wanna take note of that before you go pulling, and pushing on your crotchety assed stock painted fenders.)
They still do.
I have to take a turn path like a MIG 17 to get the car turned around still,..but the baseball bat method helped significantly.
( it also helped that I intended to paint the car....might wanna take note of that before you go pulling, and pushing on your crotchety assed stock painted fenders.)
I considered the stretched fender approach, but since the rear is great as is, I think stretched front fenders only would look just as goofy as the wheels aticking out now. Not sure what Im going to do right now, but it has bothered me from the start.
I would not do that, but that's me. IIRC that metal is stamped in a particular pattern so unsure if you could redrill inboard.
Are you sure you have 94/95 spindles? Is the tie rod arm curved?
My opinion..different wheels.
Are you sure you have 94/95 spindles? Is the tie rod arm curved?
My opinion..different wheels.
They were advertised as 94/95 because I know the 96+ push the wheels out. I'll have to look to be sure, because I was not smart enough to do the research to be sure I was getting what was advertised. I know different wheels is the best/safest answer, but I really like these wheels and know I wont get what I paid for them trying to sell them used.
Edit: page one has a crappy pic of my spindles from when I painted them. They are 94/95 based on my google search research.
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Yes, those are 94/95 spindles. I just looked at the picture
Do you have any rim shops nearby? Take one by and see what they say about machining the hub 1/4" or so to bring the wheel in.
Do you have any rim shops nearby? Take one by and see what they say about machining the hub 1/4" or so to bring the wheel in.
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Boostedpimp
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
I got to looking at the back of one of the front wheels, and I think there may be some room on the hub. I must have been thinking of the back wheel as far as not having any meat. You have the full thickness of where the lug mates, plus that raised area. I am taking the wheel to a machine shop I know tomorrow to see what they say about taking down the raised area. If they think its safe to take it down to a completely flat surface, that will buy me between an 1/8" and 1/4" positive offset. Between that and maybe a very little bit of fender massaging, maybe just maybe I can make the front match the back.
How far away from that face is where the lugs seat? My concern would be taking off material that the lug is using to secure it to the car. A machinist looking at it in person should be able to tell if there is still enough material
Also, the more material you remove pushing the wheel is, the smaller an arc it makes when you turn the wheel. Bring it in too much and you'll hit rim to control arm. Rack limiters will help here.
I think it's the better solution, but just needs to be thought out as you can't add the material back
Also, the more material you remove pushing the wheel is, the smaller an arc it makes when you turn the wheel. Bring it in too much and you'll hit rim to control arm. Rack limiters will help here.
I think it's the better solution, but just needs to be thought out as you can't add the material back
If I simply have that back side machined flat, it takes away nothing from the depth of metal the lug seats on. Its hard to see in the pic, but there is between 1/4" and 1/2" of metal inside those lug holes that the lugs seat to. I honestly think that "raised" metal on the back is simply there to give the wheel the offset they thought it needed...
Edit: Look closely inside the top and top right lug holes in the pic, and you can see the metal thickness.
Yeah. I really think that is all anyone would be willing to take off it. The guy I spoke with on the phone was really leery to begin with, and was all about liability talk. Understandable being that its sight unseen for him at this point. I'll have an answer tomorrow after he sees it.
I can understand the hesitation.
If he says no, try here. I was going to have my 17x8s widened 1" by them...still might
http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/
If he says no, try here. I was going to have my 17x8s widened 1" by them...still might
http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/
Well... the machinist says we are perfectly safe to take them down to that inner face... for $80 per wheel... and he needs the tires off... So Im going to be looking at over $100 per wheel to get them "better." I do like these wheels, and not many other people seem to have them on foxes, but Im not sure I want to spend $225-250 more on Chinee knock offs.
If you like them, then the satisfaction you get from having them on the car will be worth it in the long run.
I honestly kick myself for not widening my rear wheels 1" when I had the chance.
I honestly kick myself for not widening my rear wheels 1" when I had the chance.
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