F strut tire clearance

T

turbo2256b

True Classic
One side passenger front can stick my fingers almost between tire and strut. Drivers side maybe about 1/8 in clearance. Couls allignment or dammaged strut issue. Any ideas
 
Pictures would really help... and you probably need to...

remove the wheel and tire to "stare and compare"!

You did not offer if this was something new or has been there for a while. From your ONE sentence description I can only offer up these ideas.

1. Different backspacing on wheels.
2. Spacers added or missing between hub and wheel.
3. Damage from hitting something... but I have not seen a bent strut in all my years. Anything is possible though.

Hope to see and hear more from you soon.
 
The fender is bent in at the top side of the wheel opening but havent seen anthing else dammaged like the lower strut rod sheet metal around it. Measured across top of strut towers and were right on factory specs. Wheels are the same all around and are original. Spacers installed all 4 wheels. Doubt they have ever been removed. Everything on this car looks to be original. Thoughts of camber might be out. Going to try swapping left and right wheels.
 
Bent strut?

Remove the strut and check it out. Also a really bad wheel bearing could be a problem or even a damaged knuckle. Holes enlarged in the strut for camber change could also be a problem. Sometimes smaller diameter bolts are used to connect the strut to the knuckle for camber change, a really bad idea, but I have seen it done. Guess you'll have to remove the strut and check it out.

Good luck
Charlie
 
OK... I hesitate to respond until after you do...

but this seems to be a NEW CAR to you?

1. I asked earlier if this just happened or if it was always this way. From what I can derive from your words, it seems the car is UNFAMILIAR to you.

2. The dent in the fender... Stuff like that is where I have seen suspensions misaligned and have even TOTALED a car! You did say that the top strut mounts were measured and [appeared] to be within specs. But that dent could be the "tip of the iceberg" with more damage below... that is now hidden by the tire.

3. So... how does it drive? Does it PULL one way or another, does it TURN differently at SPEED between left and right?

4. If not running... or you might wanna do this anyway... Using STRING and two jackstands... Check the alignment overall starting from front to rear wrapping the string around the rear tires and then back to the front and another jackstand. Look here:

http://xwebforums.com/wiki/index.php?title=StringMethod

(Sorry, the photo is gone...)

5. Lastly... the FACTORY BUILD or a BAD REPAIR could have been the culprit!!!

HTH and send fotos!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi!!...You need to tell us what size wheels and tires youre running on it.Aftermarket wheels or stock?....tire size to factory specs or bigger tires?......lets start from there first.
 
Wheels are stock I believe. Tires are 165 70 13s.
Vehicle is solid have only found surface rust under neath and on body one of the most solid ones I have seen. Right rear in the trunk a tad rusted out around studs holding on the end of the bumper.



 
Tire looks offset outward

The left front tire looks like it is really offset outward. Are you sure that the factory spacers are correct. If they are it looks like there is something wrong at least in that left front suspension. You need to jack it up and check it out.

Charlie
 
As Charlie says, pull the wheels and take some...

close up photos as well as using a tape measure to compare left and right sides.

I also suggested you do the String Alignment bu in this case... you can easily mark the string and take measurements easier for wheel base and others.

Secondly... the LF tire APPEARS like it is too far BACK in the wheel well opening and the RF is too far forward. Very unusual...

WE need to see more if we are to be any help. If you have not bought this car yet I suggest you don't until we see what's there or under there.
 
Pics are both of the LF wheel well it looks odd due to the fender being bent. Have the tires off now nothing looks dammaged. Taken a few measurements compairing both sides and have found nothing realy unusual so far. Gap between fender and hood are realy even.
 
Spacers?

Are there different # of spacers on each side? Or do the wheels have different backspacing by some odd chance? If you swap the RF and LF does the problem stay at the LF? Or does it move with the wheel.

Probably stupid questions, but that's my specialty. ;)

I ask because I have a "set" of ATS 13x6" wheels I use when I auto cross that have 2 with 4" back spacing and 2 with 4.5" backspacing. I need to run 3 stock spacer plates on the 2 wheels with 4.5" and no plate with the 4" wheels to get a comfortable clearance to the springs. Here you can see that the fronts/rears are pretty evenly positioned in their wheel wells.
1sttimeontrailer3.jpg


Good luck! I hope it turns out to be something not to difficult or expensive.
 
OH MY... It does look odd! I just assumed they...

were left and right for a comparison shot.

Welp... Do as Jimmy says now...
 
Swapped R tire to the L and no differance. Spacers are the same.
My son working on his Gold certification and best in class. Looked it all over and could find no real clues as to whats up. Looking for cracks , gaps etc in undercoating and seams. Checked straightness of control arms and thier mounting points. Everthing is tight. Took most of the dammage to the fender out just needed a pick hanmmer to finish most of it up but couldnt find were I left it last.
The back side of the spring cup on the to the inner pannel is the same on both sides. Begining to think its always been like this.
Nothing in the front suspension looks to have ever been worked on. Only has 32 or is it 36K on it havent look at the speedo lately. The more i HAVE WORKED ON IT THE MORE i SEE THAT i DONT THINK ANYTHING HAS BEEN REPAIRED OR repaced.
 
Have you measured the distance from the radius rod mount to the lower arm of the suspension on both sides?

This is an adjustable feature by using shims to change the relative length.

The two pics you posted are of the same side, any chance of a couple of pics of the right side taken from similar angles so we can compare?
 
For the first time I am wrong again.

turbo2256b said:
Swapped R tire to the L and no differance. Spacers are the same.
Click to expand...

Well I guess it was worth checking even the the odds were long. :( Hopefully you will find the answer.
 
I dug out my T square for drywall I guess never used it for suuch even have a pair zip tied togeather to use as a giant caliper. Any way measuring the distance between top and bottom side wall of the tires L and R ight are the same. So camber seems to be the same on both sides. Will be measuring some other stuff soon if weather permits have to put a different oil pan and pump on a 77 F150 4x4 some guy put a 460 in lots of crapy rigging done to it.
Steering wheel straight weels are straight rolled straight.
 
Before quiting for the night took a measurement from the flat on the strut spring mount to the edge of the spacer the L side was a 10th of an inch different shorter than the R side. Of course its the long side of a triangle formed by the CL of the strut rod and spacing of things stacked up on the axle. Dont know just how accurate the spring cup is in relation to stack up of the struts tollerances. Thought a few of my allignment shims between the wheel and hub would be about the 10th differance and see how it effects the tire clearance.
 
Spent about an hour or two under the X today measuring datum point from the X shop manual and foud nothing out of wack and once again noticed no dammage anywere. Checked lengths of the lower arms nothing there.
Some distances from the wheel mtg face to attachments of the birdcage were off between sides. Leading me to believe something is up with the cage, axle, brgs, attachment of the strut.
 
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