Finally got my slicks put on, got some 28" tall and 9" wide. As always I expected clearances to be close, 4" backspacing on the wheel, 15" wheels. Leaf springs cleared good. Went for a test drive, could actually smell rubber getting hot, knew it was rubbing, hit a low spot in the road, scrape, knew I was scraping on the wheel opening. Did a quick burnout to see if it would bog, I didnt get wild, but the 28" wont be too tall for my 3:70 gear. The getting hot issue was in the wheelhouse, some massaging of it, (wacking with a bfh) and I did it nicely so it is not noticeable. Noticed the forward area of the wheel opening had rubbed on one side, this would be the tail end of the right rocker, massaged that with the bfh. Been wanting to repaint the rockers and fix the years of using the ole scissorsjack, that will happen now cause the paint blistered when I wacked that area, figured it would, no surprise. Also on the top portion of the wheel opening I ground it down so it would not rub when I hit bumps. Thought about the baseball bat technique but decided to grind, tapered the grind and it looks nice. Never know if I didnt show ya. Now, to straighten those folded pinch welds on the bottom of the rockers. Hope to have it done labor day weekend. Brent Mulvaney is having a show on the 19th and I promised to be there. Dan
Ha! I look forward to your posts every day, Dan. Good luck, I know you'll get there... and you know we're expecting pics!
Yes Dan want to see the pics on how it fills the wheel wells. Sounds good, trying to keep up with Dennis at the track
my 28x10's fill the wheelwells all the way. no rubbing, but I did raise the back (the dumb way) with shackles quite a while ago. when I put it back where it belongs this winter I'll probably have to do some more work to fit tires.
If raising the back with shackles is the dumb way, what is the smart way? I currently have the rearend, springs, and shocks off for cleaning, painting, and installing a locker. I have airshocks to give lift, but worry that with the stock shackles, I am forcefully sandwiching the shocks upward into the trunk, and may eventually punch through. I figured an extra 3-4" on the shackles would let me have the lift without the pressure. Any suggestions?
Shackle bars will do more damage to a car than anyother way I know of when raising the rearend of a car. They are dangerous too. I had airshocks on mine from 1975-2002. While I never really had any problems with them,,, I could not believe the differance in handling one removed. My car is lowered 1" in the rear and I might take the lowering block out to help with the tall slicks. Dan
The best way to raise the back end if that's your goal would be to have your springs re arched or add a leaf to them. Tall shackles put undue stress on the springs and the mounts in the back. Airshocks put stress on the shockmounts that they weren't designed to handle potentially causing lots of damage too. not to mention the stiff ride they produce. Adding a leaf will also stiffen the ride.
Dan, did you just mount the slicks on some old steel wheels? Guess the 4 inches of backspacing is what got you....... I am assuming its a 7 inch wide rim? I run the same tire and with the old slots(had 5 inches backspacing) had no problems and they do fill the wheel well nicely........ Checking to see if it was going to bog? There is too much motor there for that problem!
John, I went with a chrome wheel, 8". If I went 5" on the backspacing, it would rub also. I am rubbing on both sides of the tire now, but mostly on the inner wheel house of the right side. The massaging I have done has me thinking that I need to go to a 26" tall slick, or take the lowering block out of my car. Right now I am in limbo as to which way I want to go. Dan
yep, 8 inch wheel would require a 6 inch offset....... hmmmmm take the block out.....FREE....or new tires....$$$$ plus it would put a nice rake on your already AWESOME Stallion!
I've been wanting to test fit a 28 x 9 slick and maybe even a 28 x 10 slick......I know that Jim has a 28 x 10 slick on the purple car but he has ladder bars.......
I run a Goodyears 28X9 slick on TorqueThrust II's... Slapper bars and stock leafs... on clearance probs.. My 28X11.5 ET streets rub a tad on the outer lip if I really compress the shock....
