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    Results 1 to 13 of 13
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Jun 2007
      Location
      Tuscaloosa, AL
      Posts
      29
      Country Flag: United States

      Front Fender/Well modification for tire clearance

      My car is ready for paint and together, gapped, etc.. There is no engine in the car so it sits high in the front. My tires are mounted (245/40/17) on the front. Obviously it is not aligned yet and camber is not set. My biggest concern right now is that I am going to paint the car, then get the engine/trans/glass etc. and the car will settle and I will have a bad fender rub. The reason I am so concerned about this is because the wheel came with 4.5" backspace instead of the intended 4.75" for this width rim.. it was just a mistake on my part.. and this moves the tire 1/4" further out.

      Anyway, I have seen others on the internets modify the front fenders by cutting the lip on the front fender, thereby removing the mounting points for the top 2 inner fender bolts to get clearance. I don't have any idea what they did to close this gap on the inside but they got clearance for the tire this way.



      I tend to overthink things, but I like to be prepared. I don't want to modify a painted bumper and I know it is going to be close so I would . Does anyone have any experience with this?


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Jun 2007
      Location
      Tuscaloosa, AL
      Posts
      29
      Country Flag: United States
      Forgot to mention 1969 Camaro.. sorry.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Aug 2010
      Location
      New Albany IN.
      Posts
      355
      Country Flag: United States
      Interested as well

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2014
      Location
      South Central MN
      Posts
      9
      Country Flag: United States
      Why don't you remove the springs, drop the car to the ride height you want and turn the wheel to see where you clearance is at? Very little work involved to do this.

      You can also drop the car lower to see where the tires are at under compression to see if you have any problems when the suspension is cycling. Make sure you check clearances turning the wheel back and forth.

      This will give you peace of mind that everything is going to clear when the car is all back together. No amount of measuring beats doing real world fitments.

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Atoka, TN
      Posts
      131
      I use button head bolts on the top two mounting tabs. This allows you to properly secure the inner fender, but doesn't tend to shred the tire if it rubs the bolt a little.

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Jul 2014
      Location
      TX
      Posts
      2
      Country Flag: United States
      First make sure you use the biggest backspacing possible. I have 275-35-r18 with tru turn system in place. I had to do the trimming as well and was very concerned.

      1. take coil spring or coil over out and just use wheel mounted on hub/spindle and articulate so you can see what will rub in full travel scenarios.
      2. trim out this portion of inner fender well
      3. fabricate a replacement panel that connects to fender then goes straight up so your tires can travel up without rubbing.
      4. then make another panel over the top from fender well to new piece of metal that you already fabbed up making what essentially a square off fender well on the outside allowing room for wheel and tire to travel

      5. if you are using an over sized wheel like myself 9.5 nch rim with 5.75 backspace...... you will also need to roll fender lip..... you can you rivets or weld pieces together

      6. one last thing to consider would be alignment specs. I'm currently using .5 negative camber and just barely clear with these modifications..... you can and I am going to go to 1.5 negative camber which will give me more clearance in articulation


      hope this helps

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Jun 2007
      Location
      Tuscaloosa, AL
      Posts
      29
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks rob1968... I found somewhere a picture in a build thread of a car that modified the inner fender well in the way you describe. Once I saw the picture I knew that a solution was possible. I have just gotten the engine installed and the car is about at ride height. I am sure it will settle a little more so we will soon see where we stand. Inner fenders still need to be installed. I elected not to paint anything and the car is in primer so I can make modifications as necessary to get the clearance I need. This is one of those cases where you want all the answers before you put the car together, but that is almost impossible with the many variations. You just cant get in a hurry or you will regret it. Once I am sure everything is clear then I will send the car to paint.. that is the only way I am afraid and there are no shortcuts.

      However, as it sits now it looks like I MAY have clearance at the fender. That is a big maybe because we are just getting some approximate alignment dialed in, including extra camber and the car needs to settle some more with more weight to be added as well. Engine has already been out twice with other clearance issues. I am just taking it slow.

      One problem I am sure I have now is the fact that the tire is touching the rear frame rail at full turn... Now I need to modify the frame (slightly, because I don't think it is hitting much) or limit the turning radius somehow. I have SC&C upper and lower arms and I don't have a provision for a stop.. What is the best way to limit the turn so I don't hit the framerail? Don't know what I am going to do with this issue.. It seems I have traded one set of concerns for another. I am running 17" x 8" 4.5" BS with a 245/45/17 tire. Nobody said it was going to be easy.



      Quote Originally Posted by rob1968 View Post
      First make sure you use the biggest backspacing possible. I have 275-35-r18 with tru turn system in place. I had to do the trimming as well and was very concerned.

      1. take coil spring or coil over out and just use wheel mounted on hub/spindle and articulate so you can see what will rub in full travel scenarios.
      2. trim out this portion of inner fender well
      3. fabricate a replacement panel that connects to fender then goes straight up so your tires can travel up without rubbing.
      4. then make another panel over the top from fender well to new piece of metal that you already fabbed up making what essentially a square off fender well on the outside allowing room for wheel and tire to travel

      5. if you are using an over sized wheel like myself 9.5 nch rim with 5.75 backspace...... you will also need to roll fender lip..... you can you rivets or weld pieces together

      6. one last thing to consider would be alignment specs. I'm currently using .5 negative camber and just barely clear with these modifications..... you can and I am going to go to 1.5 negative camber which will give me more clearance in articulation


      hope this helps

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Jul 2014
      Location
      TX
      Posts
      2
      Country Flag: United States
      yes the tire will hit the inner frame rail...... it does on mine too. It will not hurt anything.....
      Really the only thing I notice is slows the car in a deep turn. Only time I've had this happen is when i'm turning in and out of parking spots. Other than that you don't typically turn that deep.



      P.S. its only the tire that rubs and just rubs a small portion of paint off the frame rail. No damage to tire and rim does not touch at all.


      If this is unacceptable than go to 4.5 backspace which will give you a narrower rim but will not touch.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Sep 2006
      Location
      Anniston, Al
      Posts
      290
      Country Flag: United States
      1967 Firebird (current project)
      1967 Firebird (unfinished project SOLD)

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Aug 2008
      Location
      Asheville, NC
      Posts
      18
      Country Flag: United States
      Here is how I did mine (71 Nova 265 tire) similar to as described.

      Name:  inner fender3.jpg
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      Name:  inside LF IF.jpg
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      Name:  LF inner F.jpg
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      71 Nova
      LS3/T56, DSE subframe, DSE Quadralink, Wilwood brakes, Forgeline Wheels

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Hildebran, NC
      Posts
      992
      Country Flag: United States
      Wow, that is nice......
      I have envisioned this, but had never seen it done in steel.

      ...on those long cuts, did you move the inside of the wheelwell in towards the engine some? 1-1/2" or so??

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Aug 2008
      Location
      Asheville, NC
      Posts
      18
      Country Flag: United States
      Yes, I added 1 1/2". Making it all meet back up smoothly was the trick. I have a lot of hours in these things. The driver side was easier because it was OEM of thicker steel. The RS was aftermarket and was a bit more difficult to work with the thinner metal. Here is a pic of the process. Name:  inner fender work.jpg
Views: 5011
Size:  64.9 KB
      71 Nova
      LS3/T56, DSE subframe, DSE Quadralink, Wilwood brakes, Forgeline Wheels

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Hildebran, NC
      Posts
      992
      Country Flag: United States
      That is what I thought....Nice.

      I see you are in Hendersonville, I am in the big city of Hildebran, just west of Hickory.
      Are you going to GG Charlotte? We will have to get together there...





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