Rear Tire Rubbing the Wheel Well

[jarudd74]

My 65 Caliente coupe has a worsening rubbing problem on the rear driver's side. Sporadic at first, now more frequent and very noticeable. I have 15 inch rims, slight positive off set, maybe 4 inch backspace and 8 inch width (dimensions are a guess as I have not removed the wheel and tire to get exact dimensions). I have P225/R60 BFG on the rear wheels; P205/R60 BFG on the front. The rear passenger side doesn't display the rubbing issue. No problems up front.

My question: will adding a sway bar help resolve the rubbing? I would like to avoid buying a new set of rims if possible.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

[JimsHot66]

How are your shocks? I had occasional rubbing and mentioned adding stabilizer bar to a mechanic. He said first thing he would check/change were the shocks. My shocks are good...sledge hammer to inner wheel wells fixed my problem.
Jim

[cbcafe]

Are the spring and shackle bushings in good shape? If the clearances are tight, worn bushings could cause the rubbing if the rear axle can move side to side excessively.

[Joe Travers]

Keep a check on tire pressure when the temps drop.
Pressure will drop and could cause some sidewall bulging that can catch the lip of the wheel opening.

Joe

[SASSY]

As far as the sway bar helping,, if it rubs under body roll it may help a bit but won't change anything hitting bumps.
As others have said if it was only sporadic to begin with what changed.
I'd make sure everything is still tight and true,, been there.

[jarudd74]

How are your shocks? I had occasional rubbing and mentioned adding stabilizer bar to a mechanic. He said first thing he would check/change were the shocks. My shocks are good...sledge hammer to inner wheel wells fixed my problem.
Jim

Shocks are new. Thanks

[poboyjo65]

Are the spring and shackle bushings in good shape? If the clearances are tight, worn bushings could cause the rubbing if the rear axle can move side to side excessively.

RIGHT! here is a video of what cbcafe means. this is a 65 comet wagon with worn shackle bushings & front leaf bushings. after seeing this video a few years back on tffn ,I was going with big tires so didnt want it moving like in this video,I just didnt have the room. so I got caltracks & they had a solid aluminum front leafspring eye bushings & then I used sliders on the rear of leafs,, eliminating the shackles which let the leaf springs flex sideways allowing the axle to shift too . Something is bumping / moving the tail pipe over also ,you can see if you watch closely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP6x8Ejqknk
polyurethane bushings should make it stiffer. A panhard bar would eliminate side movement also.

[jarudd74]

The bushings are clearly worn and deteriorating. Now looking for replacements, but I am only certain about the shackle bushings available from Energy Suspensions be correct fit. I found a lot of bushing replacement kits, but I am uncertain about fitment for the spring eyelet bushings.

Does anybody have a source for a bushing kit that I know will fit my car?

Thank in advance for any information or advice provided.

Jerry

[Caveman49]

Here’s a couple links to give you an idea,
https://www.generalspringkc.com/
https://www.eatondetroitspring.com/db/e ... quiry2.php?

[Joe Travers]

RIGHT! here is a video of what cbcafe means. this is a 65 comet wagon with worn shackle bushings & front leaf bushings. after seeing this video a few years back on tffn ,I was going with big tires so didnt want it moving like in this video,I just didnt have the room. so I got caltracks & they had a solid aluminum front leafspring eye bushings & then I used sliders on the rear of leafs,, eliminating the shackles which let the leaf springs flex sideways allowing the axle to shift too . Something is bumping / moving the tail pipe over also ,you can see if you watch closely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP6x8Ejqknk
polyurethane bushings should make it stiffer. A panhard bar would eliminate side movement also.

Wild & crazy video, John!

First thing I addressed on my car after I picked it up. PO was running 15 lbs. of air in the rear tires and 2.5" shackles on the 2" spring
Got it on a lift @ a friend's shop and found the U-bolts weren't torqued well and the differential was walking a good bit. A couple of bushings had actually split and the tires went to pot shortly after I inflated them.

Joe

[poboyjo65]

Here is his after new bushings video;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zJ4mdjjUWU
even though it is better, not bumping the exhaust pipe like it was with old bushings ,it still had more movement than what I thought my car could stand when I went with bigger tires. Before I went with the sliders that replaces the shackles I had considered having a solid shackle bushing made for the upper part that goes thru the frame because I felt it was the one letting the shackle swing. but keep the leaf eye rubber bushing ,didnt feel like it would hurt if the shackle wasnt swinging side to side like it does with a rubber upper one.

One other thing I had read somewhere that seemed to make sense was ; with the caltracs bars that have solid front leaf eye bushings , or solid bushings alone in front & rubber shackle bushings , that over time the leaf moving side to side as in the videos ,would act like a big wrench & could possibly weaken the 50+ year old welds that held the front spring eye pocket/mount to the frame. so that's another reason why I considered solid top shackle bushings or sliders

link to slider install;
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4363&start=780
also ,back when I did this I couldn't find poly bushings.probably still aren't any. & I really didnt want to install a panhard bar.

[vicegrip]

Energy Suspensions does (did) have the front bushings but I don't think they are actually listed for Comet.Measure yours and match up with what they have.A panhard bar will cure the rubbing if everything else is in order.You can get some pretty big tires under stock wheel wells but it takes spring relocating kit and careful measuring of axle width and wheel width and back spacing. IIRC,the tires like to rub up high in the center outside of the wheel well.Don't do a lot of hammering in that area as the outside skin is really close.

[barrys65cyclone]

The bushings are clearly worn and deteriorating. Now looking for replacements, but I am only certain about the shackle bushings available from Energy Suspensions be correct fit. I found a lot of bushing replacement kits, but I am uncertain about fitment for the spring eyelet bushings.

Does anybody have a source for a bushing kit that I know will fit my car?

Thank in advance for any information or advice provided.

Jerry

Jerry
Do yourself a favor and talk to john at opentracker racing & have him set you up with Global west need bearing set up for shackles and spring eyes Global west says not available but John can set you up mine work great good ride & very little side to side movement.

[jarudd74]

I did contact John. He sent me a source for rubber bushings. I will try those and see what results I get.

Thanks for the advice and John's contact. He was helpful; much appreciated.