Re: How Much Rubber TQC

[Dave Lawson <dlawson@ball.com>]

Paul,
>So can the earlier (mine) TQC rear valence be
>roller to match the later without repainting?

The rear valence on the 85 TQC can be installed on an 83, if you can
find one. I also think the 84s have the wider valence. The part that will
most likely need repainting is the rear wheel arches when you have
them trimmed and rolled.

On my 83 TQC with the 15x8 in rims and 225/50/15 tires, I was getting
some contact between the rear fender lip and the tire. The fronts worked
fine. A few years ago I had the rear fender lips rolled, this helped a bit 
but
I am still getting contact here with a lowered suspension. When they rolled 
the fenders, the paint cracked so it needed some attention. With my recent 
body
work I had them cut, trim and bend the inner rear fender lip so that it is 
vertical
and againt the outside body panel. If you ever come across an 84/85 TQC, run 
your fingers along the inside rear fenders and you can see how the factory 
modified the later cars for the wide rims. Also remember that the 15 by 6, 7 
and 8 in wheels have
different offsets. This probably accounts for some of your rubbing on the 
inner front
suspension with the larger sized tires.

Another thing I have come across is that the same size tires, i.e. 
225/50/15, have different physical widths. The old style BFG comp TAs I have 
are wider and have a more bulged sidewall than same sized Yoko A008RS. I had 
more fender contact with
the BFGs than with the Yokos.

>Also, since I ended up with 215R60 on the rear
>and 205R60 on the front, do I have a wheel diameter
>mismatch that would be causing differential wear?

I always run with all 4 tires the same size.
 -
Dave Lawson  dlawson@ball.com