However in the guys shop they looked great on the car, and all the guys who worked there swore blind that they fitted nice and wouldnt rub. I thought it was a close thing but decided to give it a go.

They rubbed at the first sign of the road. and worse still they grip so dang well it seems to be showing up other problems.

Ignoring the rub for a moment, the car now seems to have developed a bog/stumble. Instead of lighting the tires up when I mash the peddle it surges forward then stumbles. I am running an edelbrock 600 carb, 2 stages rich on the power stage (wide open throttle). Once the revs pick up its fine at wide open (leading me to not blame the fuel filter). Anyone else had this problem?

The tires are a sticky compound from KUMO and the grip is way better than the cheapo thin radials I had before. The new tires are 225/60R16s the wheels have 4 inch backspacing. The fronts rub worst although after removing the chrome trim its a little better. I think I will take it to a body shop and see what they say about it - after calling the guy who sold them to me to see what he says (he may say he will take it all back? unlikley now I have driven it)

I wonder if the bog appeared by itself or if its related to the extra grip I have now.

any ideas on the subject are appreciated. The car looks so dang cool now but I dont feel so good about this and im over grand worse off.

Im sure a broken tip could cause the stumbling I was feeling before but im almost sure I must have done that by being clumsy with the cap. has anyone else broken a rotor arm and then driven the car?

Also its a ford motorsport big cap conversion, are the rotor arms easy to get. I was under the impression they were just like later model 302 rotor arms. I guess I will find out when I got to parts store tomorrow.

today has not been kind to me.

I have never broke a rotor before.It would show up more in the top end then off the line.

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SCOOP

2.26 60'S
14.9 @ 90.86MPH

65 coupe,351w,C4,Big Boss 429 hood scoop,8" 3.40 TracLoc.

So you think maybe I need more accelerator squirter pump? It runs pretty rich already at WOT but its odd how it lunges forward then lays down and splutters then picks up slowly. doesnt miss a beat at higher RPM.

Anyway let me change rotor arms and give it another test run. I think at this stage Im more upset that the wheels rub over big bumps. I bought them so that car would corner like a bandit, and it would except when it leans a little then hits a bump it rubs and makes me wince. Not the result I was looking for. Stiffer springs/sway bar will help as will getting to the body shop to have the fenders rolled out of the way some. Just not the satisfying feeling I was looking for.

All I can think about now is the front wheels rubbing the fender.

I could buy some custom wheels from american racing like 16x7 with 4 inch backspacing and then sell the 16x8s that are rubbing up front. First I will talk to some body shop guys and also consider stiffer springs, a new sway bar and the 1" shelby drop on the upper a arm. If you think about it the shelby drop will give me some negative camber and over bumps (or in turns) the top of the wheel will be tucked under the fender more. The spring swap and the upper a arm job were on the list anyway so I may do that before attempting anything drastic.

whats the most negative camber I should run with the shelby relocation? Most people seem to run -1/2 a degree is that what most recommend? That should buy me about 1/4 of an inch at the top of the wheel (pull the top of the wheel in by that much) and then its even better when you consider how it responds to bumps and bends.

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SCOOP

2.26 60'S
14.9 @ 90.86MPH

65 coupe,351w,C4,Big Boss 429 hood scoop,8" 3.40 TracLoc.

It rubs on the "shoulder" of the tire, half an inch in and it wouldnt rub. I do believe that 4.25 inch backspacing on a 7 inch rim would fit great but american racing dont make them like that unless I buy custom (which I should have done). Its hard to find out before you buy if they rub a little or a lot or not at all.
I also noticed my rear end isnt centered, its about a 1/2 inch over to the right side (passenger side) so my drivers side rear wont rub much but the passengers side might on the biggest bumps.

Im going to save up for a couple of things:

new stiffer coils (maybe mustangs plus 620 coils plus their 1 inch poly spacer to maintain ride height)
and then when fitting the springs I will do a front suspension rebuild and do the 1" shelby drop on the upper A arm.

I think this will either eliminate the rub or make it very subtle only occuring on big bumps. All of it I was planning on anyway at some point in the next year.

With a little fender rolling It should work fine. So I will see if I will keep the wheels I have or go to american racing - buy something custom and sell my slightly used 16x8s with 4 inch backspacing.

I guess this wraps up the thread. if anyone cares to add more then fine but just for the record the set up I have rubs the fenders on all 4 corners but is worst up front and is:

A 1968 coupe, with 289 V8
4-1/2 leaf rear springs with heavy duty shackles, gas shocks (cheapo). stock springs (a little saggy) up front.

The wheels and tires are:
american racing 16x8s Torq thrust D wheels with 4 inch backspacing
kumho 225/50R16 tires with a directional tread and V Speed rating. They look dang cool in my opinion but they rub fairly easy.

I will update as I make changes, but just so people know this combination is a headache on the 67 and 68 body and would probably be worse on the 65-66 body. Dont let someone tell you it fits fine. I heard from several business owners that "the mustang is such a popular car" "they wouldnt offer it if it didnt fit". Dont believe them, save up for the right stuff.

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1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9"

Paul

quote:

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Originally posted by indyphil:
I think I will take it to a body shop and see what they say about it - after calling the guy who sold them to me to see what he says (he may say he will take it all back? unlikley now I have driven it)

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Where did you buy your tires? My dad spent $1300 on new tires and wheels for his '02 Ram 1500 at America's Tire Company (not sure if they're a national chain, but you'd think 'cuz of the name ). Found out a month later that the dealer didn't disclose some damage the truck had sustained before it was sold and my dad got a new truck, an '03 2500 Cummins with different lug pattern. America's Tire Company took back the month old, 1000+ mile tires and wheels and refunded the full $1300 to his credit card. Talk about customer service!

Brandon

Then I read in the NPD catalogue they sell 16x8 wheels from american racing with 4 inch backspacing but say it requires the negative wedge kit. The negative wedge kit (lower the upper a arms by more than one inch) will make the top of the wheel come in a little when it goes over bumps or round corners.

First thing for me is to ask the guy if he will take them back and work on something that fits better.

If he wont take them back I will need the negative wedge kit (which I intended on getting anyway someday). Then I will see where I am. I will start a post to see if anyone else has 16x8 american racing wheels and if they have a neg wedge kit or any rubbing problems.

Phil

The Son works part-time for a local Tire shop and 50% of the people he encounters wants tire & wheels that will not fit their cars.

The bad thing is that there is really only one supplier of torq thrust D wheels in 16 inches that fit mustangs and that is the vintage wheel people. Theirs may not fit great either because they are 8 inch wide. American racing make the shiney torq thrust II wheels which I am not so keen on since they are everywhere.

Seems like madness that nobody makes a nice grey center torque thrust wheel in 16x7 inch sizes with ample clearance. Is it just me that think 16 inches is a nice size? the 15x7 american racing wheels are nice and cheap and fit great but I just want that extra inch to improve the look/stance and handling and provide more clearance for bigger disc brakes. 17 inches are just a litte more money for wheels and I fear to harsh a ride.

Oh I better get some cheese for this whine. I will let you all know what they guy says about sorting me out.

Mine are 15 X 7's but I was running 225s all the way around for a long time. I took my wheels to a maching shop and had them mill out (I can't rember exactly now) a 1/4 of an inch or so and they fit with plenty of space now. (I did roll my rear fenders but on a mustang you have full wheel openings)

My car is lowered quite a bit and I have shelby style dropped A-arms. I am not sure if it helps much with the tire fit, I used to still get a rub on the front every now and then when cornering hard. I have switched to 215s on the front and haven't got a rub since.

I have had these on my car for almost 10 years now without any problems and I have driven it very hard on a road course twice with the machined wheels I read somewhere a long time ago about machining torque thrust D's to fit them on shelby race mustangs, or at least I think that's where I got the idea.

My calculations show that the lowered upper A arm (shelby drop) should help tuck the wheel in at the top just a little (about 1/4 of an inch) over bumps and in corners.

Anyway I got the guy to refund me for the wheels and he gave up looking for better wheels for me so I ordered some vintage wheels (vintage 45)

Long story but (not for the first time) the guy I spoke to at mustangsplus was rude to me about the questions I had and told me they were on back order. He even hung up on before I was done talking. I then called vintage wheels personally and they said they had a few sets left and they could sell them to me direct for the same price as mustangplus. Then it got better, the guy mentioned that he had a set that were unfinished he could send that are called blemished because of a slight discolouration. He said I can paint the grey spokes myself and they are fine (he said they do this a lot with their factory 2nds) $650 the whole set of 4 wheels!
So I am happy camper.

He also revealed that:
"Vintage wheels designed the 16x8 torq thrust D wheels for classics, and that they originally aproached American Racing to make them for them. American racing said that there would be no demand for 16 inch wheels for classics and refused to help them out. Vintage wheels went ahead and obviously succeeded and then american racing tried to copy their design. A court battle ensued and american racing were forced to change their design. They chose the 4 inch backspacing and vintage wheels remains the only manufacturer of wheels in the 16x8 format that fit classic mustangs with their original 4.5 inch backspacing"

Im going to watch my bullit DVD a few times to pick out the shade of gray I want on my wheels...

I have learned a lot about wheels and Suspension recentley but im not done by a long shot!

quote:

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Originally posted by indyphil:

Im going to watch my bullit DVD a few times to pick out the shade of gray I want on my wheels...

---

Just in case you decide to mimic the actual bullit wheel in the movie the correct paint to use for the bullit wheels is charcoal gray wheel paint, available from Eastwood.

Paul

Got a direct phone # for vintage wheels?

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67 Mustang F/B 302 GT-40X FMS Crate engine 5 spd cable clutch13.39 on 205/70/14 BFG @104 mph Flowmasters X Pipe 4.11 9". Body shop Dec 03 03 Focus ZX3 BORLA exhaust Wings West spoiler (Arrest ME RED)

http://www.vintagewheelworks.com/

By the way the wheels took a bit of work to fit the 68. I had some rubbing issues on the passenger side. Mostly due to weak old springs and some mismatched brake drums. Most cars should not have trouble but its not a garantee. I used 225x50R16 tires.

They also seem to have a grey finish already. So I have not painted them or done anything to them but mount them and put them on my car. My website has a bunch of pictures of them on it.

Also, very nice engine compartment, clean, well laid out, very nice.

Next time I'm down that way, I will be looking for your car, so if you see some guy trying to flag you down, it might be me. Ernie

https://mustangsandmore.com/ubb/jkilroy.html

I have a 225/50 on the front and a 245/50 on the rear. The suspension is pretty much all new, with a 1.5 inch drop on the front arms using a pro-motorsports kit. I have no rub issues up front at all.

In the rear the 245's will rub if I hit a BIG bump but I am going to narrow my 9" housing 1.5 inches on each side, leaving the leaf springs where they are and that will take care of the problem easily.