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Tires rubbing on front inner well well.
Hi all, I'm having an issue with front tires rubbing on the underside of the wheel well close to the outer lip when going over small bumps in the road way. Has anyone experienced this on their A&C Auto Cobra builds? As I am aware I'm the first builder to install a Ford Coyote 5.0L into A&C Auto's Cobra. This engine is 450 lbs which maybe 200 lbs lighter than a FE or 302/351 engine. The front coil over's that came with my kit have springs that are rated at 250 lbs, not sure if the rating is high enough for this application. To get the right ride height the coil over's are adjusted as far as they can go. Any help would be extremely appreciated.
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This problem can be caused by too soft springs, too low ride height, wrong offset on wheel or too big a tire. You have to figure the best compromise between those three things.
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On the A&C bodies, the passenger side front fender area sits about 1/2" or so higher than the drivers side fender.
This has been an known "issue" on this kit for a long time. (weird molds?) There`s a plastic spacer/bushing on both sides of the frame between where the top of the front shock mounts. I pulled one from the passenger side and put it on the drivers side. This lowered the drivers side shock a little bit (pushing down on lower control arm) which in turn gave me clearance from the tire rubbing. (make sense?) I also made a couple turns on the coil spring too. You`ll never get it perfectly level with the pass. side. |
Perhaps the body is made as right hand drive, drivers weight on the right side?
Gary |
Body adjustments
There are a couple ways to raise the body. Are the shocks adjusted to the correct ride height? There are “L” brackets to support the front of the body, you can add a spacer to raise the height. The top of the wheel arch should be around 26.5” high. A&C actually hade several molds for the cobra not all the same.
FYI; Joe does not own A&C anymore. His wife is not well and the business WAS sold to a gentleman named Ron. Sonny is still there .... Jon |
Thanks Jon was not aware that the business was sold. I had conversions with a Ron during my build, maybe it's the same person that purchased the business.
My measurement at the wheel lip is 27" on the driver's side and 27.5" on the passenger side and the tires still rub. I don't have the original Mustang II coil overs up front. My frame is for eyelet coil over top and bottom. I have pictures in my album. I measured the coil over from eyelet to eyelet and the ride height is 14". Not sure if the coil overs are right for this application. May need a longer coil over and larger spring rate. Still researching!! Thanks John |
Joe/Ron
I was informed yesterday by Sonny that Ron is Joes grandson...I would say that the business has been handed off to a family member
Jon |
Wheels
What size tires, rims do you have and what is the backspacing on the rims?
Brakes, have A&C setup or aftermarket? Jon |
Thanks again Jon for the info. My front wheels and tires are as required by A&C Autos, 15"x8" BS 4.5" and tires P245/60R 15". Brakes are GM metric single piston.
John |
jkilstrom - that makes two of us with Coyote + A&C! I am subscribing as I want to see if I have the same issue you're running into and how you fixed it. I'm running Willwood brakes on 17" wheels.
How did you do the steering? I had to run three joints with a bearing support and also significantly modify (replace) the factory motor mounts. Did you also have a ton of fun modifying the firewall and foot boxes for clearance with the cam covers? Regarding the sale of the company - I've worked with Ron a few times on ordering parts and technical inquiries on my build. I had a couple of complications with the delivery of my Cobra that included a damaged door. I didn't notice the door was damaged as it was still in the wrap until a month or two after delivery. That was totally my fault for not checking this at delivery time, so I was fully expecting that I'd have to buy a new door from them and called asking how much a replacement would be. Instead they replaced it almost no questions asked. In short, I would not be worried about the company changing hands as Ron seems like a very honest guy and wants to make sure the customers are taken care of. |
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The simplest thing to do is put in a half inch rubber spacer. If you can adjust the rear individually you can space that too. Remember if you have leaf springs they will need twice the elevation to match the front with it's leverage.
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In regards to the steering I used a 30" tilt column with three joints and a support as well. I also had to remove the alternator flange off the front cover so the shaft would clear. For motor mounts I used A&C's small block frame brackets and two Prothane's. One for the modular engine and one for the 60's small block. Swapped the frame brackets with a few adjustments. I didn't make any modifications to the foot boxes. I used a mockup so I could place the engine for proper clearance. The owner ship of A&C transferred within the family. Ron has work with Joe. I reached out to Ron when I heard the Joe's wife's health had cause Joe to give up the business and care for her. Hope they're doing well. If you get a chance check out my albums. John |
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