Wheels & tire sizes!!

[my56chevytruck]

If I've posted this in the wrong place, let me apologize ahead of time

I'm posting this since I need the assistance in making a decision.
I have a 56 2nd series chevy truck, with a 2nd generation Camaro (1970-1981) front suspension. I've put on 2" drop spindles and I'm experiencing front tires rubbing (only on turns) along the inner lip of the outside of the front fenders. During anytime I'm driving straight, all is well.

The wheels and rims I have on the front are: 15X7 with a 4 1/2" backspace and the tires I have are: 215 70R15. My question(s) are: should I go to
195 70R15 tires or 205 70R15 and use the existing rims OR, go to narrower rims and get 195 70R15 tires or 205 70R15 tires?? I can't go to any more backspacing (see pics), I have about 3/4" from inside of the rim to steering arm. any thoughts/ideas would be appreciative. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!

[brownsville]

first step i would try is rolling the inner fender lip ( a little bit of dolly and hammer work and it can be accomplished) for the steering you might need to run a small spacer on the wheel ( as much as i hate spacers)

[mr48chev]

That's danged if I do and danged if I don't all in one ball of wax.

I'd go along with what Brownsville said about reworking the inner lip of the fenders in the areas they rub a bit.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by brownsville

first step i would try is rolling the inner fender lip ( a little bit of dolly and hammer work and it can be accomplished) for the steering you might need to run a small spacer on the wheel ( as much as i hate spacers)

Let me restate something I may have confused you about. My tire is not rubbing the inner fender itself, but the inner edge of the fender it self.

[dsraven]

how about a pic of the truck from the side so we can see the issue from a different perspective. what is the wheel base compared to stock-1" longer to centre the wheel in the opening better? what is the stance, low or really low etc?

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by dsraven

how about a pic of the truck from the side so we can see the issue from a different perspective. what is the wheel base compared to stock-1" longer to centre the wheel in the opening better? what is the stance, low or really low etc?

I'll get a close up view of the truck from the side tomorrow and wheelbase measurements and post tomorrow.

[dsraven]

most guys, when they lower the truck or install IFS, will try to put the front wheels a bit further forward in the wheel opening because otherwise it looks like the wheels are jammed into the rear of the opening. I put mine an inch forward, some do less some do more. it can depend on the size of the tire really. according to the assembly manual the axle centre line for a stock truck is 15.75" ahead of the firewall, or front of dash as they call it. that would give you an idea of how yours is sitting. it may be hard to measure with the inner fender on and, now that it is a done deal, it doesn't really matter anyway. a pic of the side view would help for sure. I assume your tires are rubbing the wheel opening on the fender and not the inner fender, correct? you could try a smaller tire or a narrower wheel. the other thing you could try is a larger wheel that would allow the tie rod end to be inside the wheel. that would likely be a pretty large wheel though. a steel wheel may have less girth, or thickness, to the wheel so it may allow more backspacing before coming close to the tie rod end. another option would be shorter control arms but that is a whack of cash to lay out and may also affect your steering geometry as far as bump steer is concerned. do your tires rub the centre of the wheel opening or more towards the front or rear?

[my56chevytruck]

thanks TO ALL, for your input, I'll get a side view of the wheel to opening tomorrow and post it. I'll do what I can to measure from firewall to center tomorrow and see what i've got. I'm thinking of rolling the inner part of my fender first to see if that'll correct this problem and if not, I'll go to a different tire. I don't want to go to a larger wheel, so It's either rolled in and fixed or new tire. thanks again and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

[Coupeguy2001]

The problem is the geometry of the chevy suspension. Look into tall balljoints from Speedway.com.
The problem you might have is when you turn the wheels and go over a bump, the top of the tires move outward in the initial arc during the bump.
If you use the tall ball joint, the tire just move in a better arc, with the tires moving in away from the fender and the tires do not hit the fenders.

Just a suggestion

[BIGglaSS]

I had the same problem with the drop spindles. I went with an 18" wheel, 225/40r18, and as much backspace as possible. The tie rod is within 5mm of the wheel lip. Still have to roll the fender lip. These clips don't like drop spindles.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by brownsville

first step i would try is rolling the inner fender lip ( a little bit of dolly and hammer work and it can be accomplished) for the steering you might need to run a small spacer on the wheel ( as much as i hate spacers)

OK Brownsville, I've rolled the fender lip today along with the help of a few tools. The first one is a tool I made from the inspiration from another forum. wow, it works well. The "jaws of life" pliers was also used with a wrapped 1/4x2" wooden slat along the outside of the fender and the fender is really rolled in now.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by dsraven

how about a pic of the truck from the side so we can see the issue from a different perspective. what is the wheel base compared to stock-1" longer to centre the wheel in the opening better? what is the stance, low or really low etc?

OK Dsraven, here's the view from the side as well as the side view of the passenger tire. It appears to be set correctly, but tell me what you think. After rolling the fender lip under I went for a ride and did all i could to get it to rub. So far so good. There's quite a bit of clearance now, so maybe I'll not need new tires. Thanks for your help.

[Joe Pass]

That looks great....I managed to tuck in 255/70//15 on a 8" weld Prostar with no rubbing. I did use a thin wheel spacer to adjust outward to the fender to gain a bit more bed/tire clearance....Here's a picture......

[Joe Pass]

front tire picture...215/65/15 tire size

[59chev]

Stance looks great! I will be running the same setup. 81 camaro clip, 15x7 z28 rally wheels and same size tires. Is your clip done in the blended into the frame rails(No Limit) style or the clip under the frame (Lux Blue) style?

I've installed the clip but I haven't hung the front fenders yet. I want to go as low as I can with a static drop in the front.

[BIGglaSS]

I'm pretty sure that orange truck is not a camaro clip. Mustang 2?

59chev, it looks like you did BlueLux style, no drop spindles needed. You can get more backspace to tuck the wheels. The drop spindles don't allow for enough backspacing to tuck the tires in the fenders.

Mine is no-limit style, drop spindles, 18" wheel.

[Joe Pass]

My 56 is a Mustang 2 style.....I built my own set up back in 92...now you can buy them in all configurations and FYI, I don't run a drop spindle..
Joe

[59chev]

Thanks guys, I was actually asking the original poster, since he said he had a camaro clip. I want to get an idea of how low mine will be. I already own the wheels and hope to work with them as is. I am thinking about trimming 1/2 to 1 coil when I rebuild the front suspension.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by 59chev

Thanks guys, I was actually asking the original poster, since he said he had a camaro clip. I want to get an idea of how low mine will be. I already own the wheels and hope to work with them as is. I am thinking about trimming 1/2 to 1 coil when I rebuild the front suspension.

My clip was put under the frame. If you want pictures, let me know. probably a PM would work better. If you clip a coil, you most definitely will affect your ride, I've done that. food for thought. I used lowered spindles. Thankx

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by Joe Pass

My 56 is a Mustang 2 style.....I built my own set up back in 92...now you can buy them in all configurations and FYI, I don't run a drop spindle..
Joe

Joe, is your engine in the 62 moved back or is that the original motor mount location. Looks great by the way.

[59chev]

Originally Posted by my56chevytruck

My clip was put under the frame. If you want pictures, let me know. probably a PM would work better. If you clip a coil, you most definitely will affect your ride, I've done that. food for thought. I used lowered spindles. Thankx

Thanks for the quick reply. I did my clip the same way and I am aiming for a stance similar to yours. Your truck looks great!

I have the same size wheels and tires, but the fender opening on mine is slightly different since it is a 59. What made you decide on the lowered spindle vs cutting a coil? Was the ride too stiff afterwards?

[my56chevytruck]

yes I've cut coils to lower the stances and with the cars I've done this to has made the ride stiffer and depending upon the roads you travel, you may find that bottoming out is a possibility. I'd go the extra $$ to purchase lowered spindles.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by Coupeguy2001

The problem is the geometry of the chevy suspension. Look into tall balljoints from Speedway.com.
The problem you might have is when you turn the wheels and go over a bump, the top of the tires move outward in the initial arc during the bump.
If you use the tall ball joint, the tire just move in a better arc, with the tires moving in away from the fender and the tires do not hit the fenders.

Just a suggestion

thank you coupeguy, I really appreciate your answer. For sure I'll keep this inmind, sounds like a great idea.

[Joe Pass]

I placed the motor where it wanted to sit over the cross member. I built my engine mounts so I don't have a stock reference but I think i'm very close to the stock position....with that said I would move it forward a bit more if I could now.
Thanks for the compliments


Joe

[dsraven]

that's great if you got it to work without spending any cashola. good job on the tools too

I think the axle centreline may be close to stock distance from firewall. the wheels look closer to the rear of the wheel opening than to the front side. great looking truck anyway. you could always measure one day but it is water under the bridge now. kinda hard to measure without first taking off an inner fender.


as a side bar, if using a small block engine, remember to move the engine far enough ahead to leave room so you can get tools in for distributor cap removal/replacement. I know, low and back is best for placement as far as handling and weight distribution, just saying keep it in mind.