harv8 Martyn Harvey Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (189 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 10:09PM Main British Car: MGB Rover V8, TVR Chevy V8, MGB GT Ford V8 |
MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
The rear axle on my BGT is offset towards the driver side a considerable amount. I thought perhaps it was a bent leaf spring.
I have replaced the stock MGB axle with a Ford 8.8" and a Guzman 4-link suspension set up. I still have the offset problem and now my new wide rims and tires accentuate the problem even more! Was my car welded together on a Friday afternoon or a Monday morning? Hopefully there is some adjustment in Bill's 4 -link rear set up........but I don't think so. I know I'm not the only one with this problem. Anybody have a fix? Martyn |
mstemp Mike Stemp Calgary, Canada (223 posts) Registered: 11/25/2009 07:18AM Main British Car: 1980 MGB Rover 4.6L |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Martyn,
Peter O. did a write up on mg experience page. It involved machining the joint on the lower link alowing a slight shiming to one side to compensate a slight offset. How much is the offset you have? |
harv8 Martyn Harvey Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (189 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 10:09PM Main British Car: MGB Rover V8, TVR Chevy V8, MGB GT Ford V8 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
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ex-tyke Graham Creswick Chatham, Ontario, Canada (1165 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:17AM Main British Car: 1976 MGB Ford 302 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Had to do some creative shimming to my 4-link too (although it was perhaps only 1/8") The other 1/4" was compensated for when I welded the spring perches off symetrical to the axle. The photo is of the original link and spacers before modification but you can visualize what is required.
Modification to correct will require machining the ends of all four lower rod end link spacers and adding equivalent spacer shims to the opposite side - in your case you'll machine 3/8" off the spacers and add 3/8" shims to gain back the 3/4" difference (although it might not be possible to remove that much material and still retain the pilot for the bushes.) . The other issue is that If you shift the lower links too much, the upper links will end up with some misalignment to the welded-on axle brkts |
harv8 Martyn Harvey Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (189 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 10:09PM Main British Car: MGB Rover V8, TVR Chevy V8, MGB GT Ford V8 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Thanks Graham. I was considering this option. I'm glad I'm not the only one in this boat.
I guess I could go with skinnier tires...............no, I don't think so!!! |
pspeaks Paul Speaks Dallas, Texas (698 posts) Registered: 07/20/2009 06:40PM Main British Car: 1972 MGB-GT 1979 Ford 302 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
No Martyn, you’re not the only one. Before my present GT, I had a 71 Convertible and it was off ¾” toward the driver as well. I thought the chassis was bent, but it measured to be straight. After acquiring my GT I gave it to a friend who knew of the defect and the last I heard it was still in Virginia setting behind his garage.
Paul |
bsa_m21 Martin Rothman Vancouver, Canada (216 posts) Registered: 01/06/2009 11:41AM Main British Car: 1980 TR7V8 Rover 3.9L |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Martyn,
Before you start modifying anything, verify the 4 wheel alignment. If the front and rear's are not aligned, the vehicle will "crab" when driving (front wheels will be offset to one side from the rears). If not, then the body is off. An easy way to check is to have someone drive behind you and eyeball along a rear wheel towards the front. It should be easy to see if there is an offset to one side (fronts sticking out on one side and not visible on the other side). Martin |
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mowog1 Rick Ingram Central Illinois (1523 posts) Registered: 10/17/2007 09:36PM Main British Car: 1974.5 MGB/GT 3.9l Rover |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Seems to me one could also locate the axle THEN weld the top link tabs into place (as I suggested to Martyn yesterday) The lower links can be shifted by relocating the lower mounts/u-bolts. Shimming may or may not be necessary at that point.
Martyn, you could also try the baseball bat method of pushing the fenders outboard a bit if you still need clearance. I think you already rolled the inner fender lip, right? Question...is 1/4" to 3/8" offset really going to create crabbing?! |
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
My understanding is that this was a factory defect. I think Curtis knows as much about the origin of the problem as anyone, and I was of the mistaken opinion that it was fairly widely known. Something about a defective jig I think, and I have no idea how many cars were affected or what years. Mine was though. '71 RD. I fixed it with the IRS.
Jim |
Jim Stabe Jim Stabe San Diego, Ca (829 posts) Registered: 02/28/2009 10:01AM Main British Car: 1966 MGB Roadster 350 LT1 Chevy |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
There are lots of articles on the net about stringing a car to check alignment. Basically you set up parallel strings between jack stands on each side of the car at hub height about 6" away from the tires, it doesn't matter if each side is the same exact distance from the tire. Measure from the pinch weld at the front and back to make sure they are parallel with the centerline of the car and measure between the strings at the front and back to make sure they are the same distance apart.
You now have the ability to accurately check toe of each wheel individually, wheelbase on each side of the car, side to side offset of each wheel. I think the way you measure each of these is fairly obvious once you have the strings set up. You can find out a lot about your car for an hour's worth of work. |
mowog1 Rick Ingram Central Illinois (1523 posts) Registered: 10/17/2007 09:36PM Main British Car: 1974.5 MGB/GT 3.9l Rover |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Yes, Jim...it was a factory defect that was known, but never corrected (to my knowledge).
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ex-tyke Graham Creswick Chatham, Ontario, Canada (1165 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:17AM Main British Car: 1976 MGB Ford 302 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
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harv8 Martyn Harvey Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (189 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 10:09PM Main British Car: MGB Rover V8, TVR Chevy V8, MGB GT Ford V8 |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
Thanks for all the input.
I guess another solution is to remove the spring perches and the upper tabs and then relocate them where needed to centre the axle in the car. I've got lots to check out here. Thanks guys! |
flitner John Fenner Miami Fl (168 posts) Registered: 03/11/2010 10:58AM Main British Car: 1972 MGB 350 CHEVY |
Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
I had to narrow my diff housing 5/8 total due to this, when I mocked up for the rear flares I located off of the passenger side for my jigs and patterns. Had I'd have known this issue then it would have been mocked from the driver side.
Luckily I had just enough spline on the axles to give me the room I needed, plus using 265/50/15 as a guide gave plenty of room for error on the 225/50/15. I measured for a full day to make sure that the back half of the car was reinstalled correctly by me. |
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Re: MGB Rear Axle to Fender Clearance
It's a delicate balance, isn't it? There's almost nothing that looks better than a gt with nice wheels and tires tucked ever so slightly into the wheelwhell -- but you miss it by just "that much" and you've got a rubbing problem. I know what I'd do - cut and re-weld the brackets on the rear end housing. What a pain.
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