Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

JuiceMan
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Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Fri Jun 06, 2014 10:26 pm

New member here. Just picked up an 87 GT-S today from the classifieds here. Very happy with the car all except for I have a bolt in the driver's side front fender well area that is hitting my tire every time I hit a bump or the car encounters any body roll in a turn. Car is lowered on Megan springs running a 195/50-15 tire. I took a picture of said bolt/tab. What's the best way to go about taking care of this? If I the tab entirely off how can I secure the bumper? Sorry for the newbie questions I have a lot to learn!

Image

phanist
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:41 am

cut it off and use zip tie you seem to have wider wheel/tires on . which is too wide over stock size. and yes i think your car is lowered it a problem for every guy who do the same mod

jrarinas
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby jrarinas » Sat Jun 07, 2014 2:14 am

Check out my build guide here:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11737

If you have a JDM bumper already, jack the car up, cut the tab off from the bumper and roll the fender side up to move out of the way. You can take a 1/4 inch drill bit and drill a small hole at the widest part of the bumper's inner lip where there's some room in the fender side to receive the drill. Then zip tie it from the inside so it'll look clean.

If not, just shave both fender and bumper tabs and place two small holes from the outside and zip tie together.

Last choice, swap your wheels back to pizza cutter wheels or celica supras. Good luck with whichever decision you go with.

Deuce Cam
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby Deuce Cam » Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:56 am

The bumper tab should be roughly parallel with the ground, but it looks bent down in the picture (hard to tell). If that's the case simply bend it back to the original spot.

Ok so you have megan springs and 195/50/15 tires. That tire size actually leaves more room that the stock size since they're not as tall. What is the wheel size and offset? Also, are the springs cut, and what shocks do you have?

You really shouldn't be rubbing with that combo; I've had the same with no issues or modifications needed. However, if you're using the stock shocks, have blown shocks, springs cut, really aggressive wheels, etc. that could cause clearance issues. Also a really high caster setting can also cause clearance issues with the fender tab since the wheels get pushed forward in the wheel wells.

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:21 pm

Thanks for the replies, car has 0 offset wheels. I am going to try to bend the tab back upwards (glad that was pointed out!) and it that doesn't correct it I will go the zip-tie method. The passenger side doesn't seem to rub at all so I will check the tab on that side to see if it's in the correct spot. If I remove the tab though I'll just go ahead and do it on both sides to save future work.

It currently has Megan springs on it and aftermarket shocks however I don't know the brand or specs (just got the car yesterday) I would like to eventually put it on T3 coilovers probably next year.

I'm hoping to not have to remove the fender liners. It'll be a few days before I can dive in and take care of the issue due to a busy work schedule but I'll update once I do.

Learning a lot here using the search function :mrgreen:

Also here is an actual pic of the car the way it currently sits. Like I said earlier I purchased from another member here out of the classified.

Image

phanist
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:36 pm

Yah i push all the way upward as much as i can. You may get away with it. Above say is correct it does seem a bit bend downward. So bending it straigth may not clear the tires you properly want to bend that tap all the way up against the fender itself.

Aloha

Deuce Cam
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby Deuce Cam » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:38 am

Nice looking ride. Is this the car that just sold in the classified section? I noticed the seller said the wheels are 15x7 +0 which isn't terribly aggressive. I've run that exact wheel and tire size on megan springs without any issues on unmodified kouki fenders. I didn't even rub on the fender liner. I was using tokico blue shocks fwiw.

The ride height looks about right for megan springs so they probably aren't cut. Also, the front wheels look fairly centered in the well so I doubt it's the caster setting. Again, if the tab is bent down that's definitely your problem. Otherwise, I'm guessing it's soft or blown shocks. Does the car have a nice firm ride, or is it bouncy?

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:01 am

Okay so here's a quick update. The car does appear to have what I believe are Tokico shocks on it. Could see a stamp but they are Tokico blue. The Megan springs appear to be orange.

I bent the tab shown In the photo all the way upwards and then trimmed the plastic off where the bolt connected to the tab. Then drilled a small hole in the tab and ran a zip tie up to the tab (but it is pushed up all the way out of the way.

STILL RUBBING somewhere! Doing this did help somewhat as it's not rubbing when I go across small bumps now not is it rubbing when I am at full lock in a left hand turn (passenger side doesn't seen to rub at all and upon inspection it looks to be all stock as far as location of the tabs and such.

When I make a hard right turn and the weight transfers to the front (pretty much anything close to full lock at 25mph and up) it will rub. If I turn around in a parking lot it will not rub at 3/4 lock but will at full lock.

I also trimmed a little on the fender liner around where the tab was at just in case that was the problem. Still no luck though.

Car seems to ride firm, I don't think the shocks are blown.

When I look at the liner inside the fender I don't see anywhere where the tire has been rubbing up against and by the looks of the sidewall it seems it's rubbing on something other than a plastic liner.

Deuce Cam
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby Deuce Cam » Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:09 am

Just because you have aftermarket shocks in the back doesn't mean you have them up front. Unfortunately, there's no way to really tell without taking apart the strut casing (not saying you need to do this). At this point I'm out of ideas.

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:42 am

Deuce Cam wrote:Just because you have aftermarket shocks in the back doesn't mean you have them up front. Unfortunately, there's no way to really tell without taking apart the strut casing (not saying you need to do this). At this point I'm out of ideas.



That is very true. I am going to have a local shop put it on a lift next week and pull the tire on the driver's side to take a look and maybe go ahead and bend all visible tabs and smooth everything out. Might just pull the fender liner as well :(

Other than that the only solution I know of would be to raise it back up some? There's one bolt at the 12 o' clock position directly above the tire that could be a culprit but it seems stock and really doesn't look like it would be causing the rubbing. I guess this is just a trail and error type thing I just can't understand why it only does it on the driver's side unless maybe the shock is blown afterall.

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Deuce Cam wrote: At this point I'm out of ideas.


Deuce, do you think the suspension possibly be out of alignment? I'm going to contact the previous owner tomorrow to see
If an alignment was done after installing the springs. If not could that maybe be causing the issue if maybe the driver's side front tire was way out of spec? If the caster setting is off a bit maybe it could cause this? Or would it have to be way off?

I assume with this size of tire I would be fine using factory alignment specs? Or should I add a bit to one of the values?

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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:59 am

Go in a empty parking lot and drive the way you were when your car rub and stop there and look inside see which part have a new marking from that rubbing.... Try put some kind of a compound on the spot of the sidewall of tires or where ever it rub and when you do hard rigth turn again it will properly leave that compound where is rub

:))

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:25 am

phanist wrote:Go in a empty parking lot and drive the way you were when your car rub and stop there and look inside see which part have a new marking from that rubbing.... Try put some kind of a compound on the spot of the sidewall of tires or where ever it rub and when you do hard rigth turn again it will properly leave that compound where is rub

:))


Okay I will swing by our local hardware store and get some red chalk like carpenters use in a chalk line and dust down my sidewall with that then go for a drive.

Deuce Cam
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby Deuce Cam » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:59 am

What phanist mentioned is a good start.

I looked at the car's fs thread again and noticed it has power steering. The ps equipped cars use a higher caster setting from the factory (around 3.7*); odds are your alignment is probably set close to that. When I was running the 7j +0 offset wheels I had already switched to a manual steering rack and lowered the caster setting closer to oem manual rack spec (around 3*). That might be your issue, but it's just a guess.

Regarding the front shocks... you won't be able to tell what you have without completely disassembling the strut. It's a major pita and probably not worth your time unless the whole strut has to come out for something else anyway. Plus special tools are required to take the strut assembly apart.

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:20 am

I spoke with the previous owner and the car does indeed have Tokico blues on front and rear and Megan 1.85" (orange) springs.

Also like you read in the ad the car does have PS still. When I have the alignment checked (this Friday) if the caster setting is around stock (for a PS equipped car) would it help with clearance to have it adjusted closer
To the specs for a manual equipped car or would that cause issues?

Another factor is an slightly heavier @ 255lbs than the average driver. Maybe the Megan springs combined with 1.85" drop is a bit much? I noticed the springs are rather soft @ 250F/225R.... Plus the car has a lot of weight up front with the A/C and PS still on it as well as the weight of the battery right over that culprit tire that's rubbing.

I thought of maybe temporarilory switching to a stiffer spring with a little less drop like the Tanabe which is a barely a 1" drop and is also slightly stiffer. Thought of doing this until I figure out exactly what suspension route I'd like to go with in te future. Thoughts?


I really appreciate all the help here.

Deuce Cam
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby Deuce Cam » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:59 am

FYI the 1.85" drop megan claims is optimistic; it's probably closer to 1.25-1.5". The springs might be too soft for your situation regarding the rubbing, but that's plenty of spring rate for an ae86. Don't think you need 8k/6k springs like everyone on here says. You'll eventually twist the chassis up and start separating body seams using really high spring rates.

I'd stick with the power steering caster setting; my guess is manual steering caster settings on a power rack will feel looser and sloppier.

The weight might have something to do with it. All the power steering components and a/c was completely removed on my cars, plus I had a jdm front bumper, and I weigh 185 lbs; altogether my setup including me was roughly 120 lbs. lighter on the front half of the car. However, I don't ever recall having issues with a front passenger.

It's expensive, but shock works is probably the best complete out of the box setup without going well over $2k. http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forum ... Suspension

phanist
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:21 pm

Yes. This shock work ae86 suspension system it great stuff.. I got a set for about two month now and i love it... I daily my car. City driven and the road in hawaii are pretty damn fu(ked up now... And i have all four corner just 2 click from soft and it feel very comfortable. I have a set of greddy and a set of tein coilover and so far im sticking with shock work.

I pay 2400$+ for my kit shipped but it worth every penny

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:18 pm

I actually had a chance to have the alignment checked today. Everything is exactly on spec with the factory PS equipped car settings except the back which is a little off (no rubbing there though) I assume because I need an adjustable panhard.

From the looks of it the outside top of the sidewall is rubbing on the lip of the fender liner but I do believe that even with pulling the liner the top of the sidewall is going to catch on the edge of the fender. The +0 offset on these wheels has it so close to the lip of the actual metal.

It's going to be a few months before I can completely redo everything but I want to be able to enjoy the car until then and drive it hard without rubbing.

Only solution I can think of is to raise it back up a little and use a slightly firmer spring. I am going to swap the Megans that are up front for a T3 bolt on on coilover conversion kit. That way I'll have some adjustability and a slightly firmer spring. Going to keep the Megans on the rear.

Long term I'll be pulling the liner out and massaging the fenders and going with something better suited for spirited driving. I can't stand rubbing like this.

phanist
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:06 pm

Roll your front fender yet? Being on the 48 state you can get a loaner fender roller and roll them? Or find a shop that roll them get it done..

I run 8x15 --9 offset with 195 tires front i rub too my ride heigth are about same as your.. So i have to push my shock mounting point on the negative side of the camber plate. I how ever still rub if my shock is on full soft... And drive in a dip on the road or going over a bumper fast.

JuiceMan
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby JuiceMan » Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:13 pm

phanist wrote:Roll your front fender yet? Being on the 48 state you can get a loaner fender roller and roll them? Or find a shop that roll them get it done..

I run 8x15 --9 offset with 195 tires front i rub too my ride heigth are about same as your.. So i have to push my shock mounting point on the negative side of the camber plate. I how ever still rub if my shock is on full soft... And drive in a dip on the road or going over a bumper fast.


Not yet I haven't. I would have to do it myself because there are no local shops in my area that will do it.

Do you have your fender liners removed on your setup?

phanist
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Re: Fender bolt cutting up my sidewall (lowered) what to do?

Postby phanist » Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:53 pm

Nope my inner liner still there.. Lol

I would just get a small wire cuter and cut out where it would rub..
My fender inner lip it rolled ..