Technical Milling a Torq Thrust

I've milled the backside of a pair. They were older original unit's with lot's of meat on them. If I remember correctly I was asked to cut 1/4" off of them.

Edit- sorry they were not Torq Thrust wheels. They were US Mags.

 

Front suspension is dropped axle / wishbone.

Body has never been off the frame (at least since '77).

I did consider living with the scrub, as it's not cutting into the tire, but deep down I know that's the lazy / cheap way out. Besides, it's not "right". Mind you, I did drive it to Louisville and back like that....

I didn't realize E/T would make "custom" stuff. Guess I didn't look hard enough when I was shopping. I'd rather spend the money there vs adding / modifying what I already have. Granted, the car is mine now, and I can do with it as I please, but I'd prefer not to re-engineer things just to fit a wheel / tire. Not so much sentimental as it is "if it ain't broke..." - I'm trying to stay true to the car where possible though. The car sat neglected for far too long, so there is a lenghty "to-do" list. The fender / tire issue is certainly one that needs corrected. I thought I had more material on the wheel to play with, but I'm re-thinking that plan in the interest of safety.

Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions. I'll be making a call to E/T.

 

At this point I think I'd look very close to placement of bump stops and leave the rest as is. It's cheep, it's easy and nobody will know.

 

When it comes to E/T wheels Im very picky when paying $$ (pricey) was Very Very pleased , Scott & his wife Quality and communication & kept up date ,,,

""BUT MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE CORRECTLY """

"""""""NO RETURNS !!!!!!

 

"Funny thing happened to me..." Not too funny, actually.
But I had a customer's '41 Chevy coupe in for a rear end swap, and a 350 TH tranny adapt to the 235 inliner.
Made saddles, centered up the housing, hung plumb bobs and zipped it all up.
One tire (right rear) was 1/4" from rubbing the fender; driver's side was 5/8". Measured and twice more.
Recently painted, the car was NICE.
Finally found one rear fender was '41, the other was '48! '48 was wider.

 

How about raising the rear a little…give it more of a Kalifornia rake, and limit the interference.

 

The only thing I have always found to be true, is that if I don't fix something the right way, I always regret it later......and usually at the most inopportune time........like when a thousand of your closest friends are standing nearby asking, "Why'd he do it like that"

 

Every time I've tried to cut a corner it always turned out badly.... I don't do that anymore... LOLOL...

As the old saying goes, you don't have the time to do it right but have the time to do it over?

 

Stink bug it...it is "traditional".

 

^^^^^ Never cared for it when it was in style.

 

That is not an option for him. That's half of the reason that he failed NSRA safety inspection.

 

stop getting NSRA inspections. problem solved.

 

I will again go back to my original "issue" - If the new wheel was available in 15 x 6, this thread wouldn't exist. Milling the wheel is simply not worth the risk of wheel failure to me. I'm entertaining E/T wheels all around (they have to match) - problem solved. All of the other solutions / remedies might apply if this was a new build.

NSRA inspection isn't that big of a concern to me as it is carrying on the tradition of it passing since the 80s, safety 23 and all. I guess it's more of a tribute - "it's still got it" sort of thing. (Yes, i'm aware it needs a new H.A.M.B. decal...). At the end of the day, I'm just trying to stay true to the car.

 

Screw the NSRA inspection. It was founded in good ideals but has become nothing more than virtue signalling. My OT AWD daily ski hill commuter gets wheel rub any time it snows and the snow builds up, in fact, EVERY late model I have owned in the last 30 years did the same, some times so bad you can smell the rubber melting on the ice. A little tire rub is the LEAST of your worries.

 

• Easiest fix are bump stops.
• Milling wheel backs probably won't net enough clearance.
• IMHO, best solution; Swap the rear end with a correct width (narrower one). Cheaper and less work than narrowing the existing rear end or buying a new set of wheels. The 69 Cougar is 59.25". 57-59 Ford or 65/66 Mustang is 57.25". V-8 Maverick is 56.50", so there's your 1" per side. Pick one up, press on new bearings, do the brakes, etc, paint it up. On swap day, get the rear of the car up high on jack stands, un bolt the U bolts and rear spring shackles, then roll it out on it's wheels. Reverse the process rolling the new rear end in place with the wheels mounted. That Cougar rear end has been in there since '77 anyway right?
• One additional thing. IMHO those rear tires are too narrow for those 7" rims. Unless it's just the photos, the rims look wider than the tire tread, so you could upsize the tires a size or two...

 

Sheesh.............

 

As said before raise the rear of car an inch maybe less with adjustable air shocks. For less then $100 or so your done. Probably wouldn’t even be noticeable.

 

From your pictures that's more interference than I would be comfortable milling. To keep a nice ride, narrowing the axles to bring the wheels inside fenders is the way that I would go. Limiting bounce will necessarily result in rougher ride.

 

Are the fender mount bolt holes oval?? Maybe slacken them off and see if it can be moved out..
Another suggestion that might suit you if you're panel work savvy..
My friend has a 38 Chev coupe, his wheels were doing the same thing..
I split the fender from front to rear, starting about 6'' up at the front, finishing about 4'' at the rear, pulled the top/center section out to where it cleared, then cut a crescent shape to weld back in the gap, all with the fender still on the car.
Hammer and dollied as I went, came out real well..

 

we have to have at least one pic of that....wow

 

How do you think a custom becomes a
"""""Kustom""""

 

I agree!