67 Barracuda Front Shocks - Reducing amount of bounce

-
S

soonercruiser

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2023
Messages
327
Reaction score
216
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
Getting pretty much to the end of tinkering with my 67 Barracuda.
Only one irritation (to me) left to consider.

Running 14 inch wheels and tires; 225/70 R14.
Front end looks like plenty of clearance.
But....about I have a 25 degree slope on the end of my driveway. And when I go down, and turn down the street at the same time, the front end bounces down enough for the tires to rub the edges of the front fenders.

Looking back at all the specs that the previous owner gave me, replacing the front shocks was not mentioned.
Yes there is a good amount of hand bounce.
I had been considering smaller sidewall tires.
BUT.....should I be considering a stiffer set of shocks or coil-overs???

Who has had this problem and addressed it???

(Yes, there was some aluminum wheel opening trim that I bumped back up with a rubber mallet that was responsible for the worst of the rub.)
**I have absolutely NO RUB driving on rough streets!
But, still have the rub with bounce and turn at same time at the end of the driveway.

(And, there is always option #3 - GET OVER IT!) :p
 
225/70/14 Are pretty big for the front. I have a 69 Barracuda with 205/70/14s and under the exact same circumstances, I get a tiny tire rub in the front. I just take it real easy.
 
that's a pretty tall tire up front. what's the ride height? if it's below factory spec you'll likely need to come up.

better shocks might help, but stiffer torsion bars certainly would.
 
Part of what's happening is body roll. That's why you're not seeing any rubbing on rough roads.

When you're hitting the end of your driveway, there's several things going on. Your wheels are turned, which can decrease clearance to the fender with tall tires. You're going downhill, so, more weight is on the front suspension so it's compressed more which is also likely reducing clearance, and you're probably cross axle-ing a dip or low spot for water control , which rocks the body side to side. And you're running 26.3" tall tires on a Barracuda which have the smallest wheel openings of ALL the A-bodies and usually require fender mods to run anything taller than 26".

Easiest solution is probably shorter tires. Stiffer torsion bars would also help. A sway bar would also help, and might work in lieu of larger torsion bars. But the tire height is ultimately the issue.
 
The first question is, what shocks are you currently running and do the physically look good? The second question is, have you pulled either of the shocks and checked how they feel as you extend and collapse them? And, you may have too light torsion bars.
 
I run 235/60-14s on mine at 25.1 tall,
versus 26.4 on yours. and
1.03 bars, and a big sway bar, and HD shocks, and I moved the battery to the back.
and a skid-plate. to protect my oilpan.
Now I can jump the bugger and do stupid stuff with impunity, like grass-Rally Cross. What a riot that is. Guaranteed big fun.

Check your bump-stops.
 
72bluNblu said:
Part of what's happening is body roll. That's why you're not seeing any rubbing on rough roads.

When you're hitting the end of your driveway, there's several things going on. Your wheels are turned, which can decrease clearance to the fender with tall tires. You're going downhill, so, more weight is on the front suspension so it's compressed more which is also likely reducing clearance, and you're probably cross axle-ing a dip or low spot for water control , which rocks the body side to side. And you're running 26.3" tall tires on a Barracuda which have the smallest wheel openings of ALL the A-bodies and usually require fender mods to run anything taller than 26".

Easiest solution is probably shorter tires. Stiffer torsion bars would also help. A sway bar would also help, and might work in lieu of larger torsion bars. But the tire height is ultimately the issue.
Click to expand...
You've pretty much summed up what I considered going on.....combo of issues.
I do feel a bit of sway on sharp curves.
I will address the tire issue in responding to another's post.
:thumbsup:
 
It is pretty much a known fact that 225/70-14 will rub on the front of a Barracuda at full lock on jounce. It's not the shocks — it's the tire is too tall and wide. Either cut the front corner of the wheel opening or drop down to 215/70-14 which works fine.
 
AJ/FormS said:
I run 235/60-14s on mine at 25.1 tall,
versus 26.4 on yours. and
1.03 bars, and a big sway bar, and HD shocks, and I moved the battery to the back.
and a skid-plate. to protect my oilpan.
Now I can jump the bugger and do stupid stuff with impunity, like grass-Rally Cross. What a riot that is. Guaranteed big fun.

Check your bump-stops.
Click to expand...
The tire size is the first issue I addressed.
But, I hamstringed myself early on with new 14 inch wheels, and Cooper Cobra GT Radials.
My tires are 225/70 R14s. And I don't think I want to be running wider tires up front....like the 235s that I can get in a shorter sidewall. (The 235s are the only 60 sidewall they current make) :(

I found some older Cobras in 215/60 R14 at the MOPAR Nats. But they are pretty old tires and I dare not use them on a high-speed highway. They look to be in good shape; so I slimed them and just use them locally and not at high speed.
And, I found a used 205/60 R14 at United Tire....but so far have only found that one tire.

I'm content for now with that little rub at the end of the driveway.
**But, I will be addressing the shocks and swab bar in the near future.

***WHAT YOU FOLKS HAVE CLEARLY SHOWN ME OVER TIME ON THIS FORUM IS.........
I would have done better if I had followed the Forum for 2 years, before I bought my Barracuda!!!!!
:lol:
NAH!

Thanks again guys for all the input!
 
soonercruiser said:
OH! MY MISTAKE!

I am running the 225s only on the rear; and already have 215/70 R14s on the front guys!
And still the rub.
Click to expand...
i forget if you're running stock rims or have something aftermarket, but that's another factor to consider. you may not have enough backspace on an aftermarket rim to run what other people are running on stock rims.

anyway, sounds like you need to check the ride height and shocks. if that's all within spec, then it's time for upgrades.

or just, i dunno, take that turn slower.
 
mvh said:
It is pretty much a known fact that 225/70-14 will rub on the front of a Barracuda at full lock on jounce. It's not the shocks — it's the tire is too tall and wide. Either cut the front corner of the wheel opening or drop down to 215/70-14 which works fine.
Click to expand...
For some reason, your post was not visible until after I posted the correction to my front tire size - mine IS 215/70 R14.
Notification by email even came in later.
Musta been some ai glitch.
 
soonercruiser said:
For some reason, your post was not visible until after I posted the correction to my front tire size - mine IS 215/70 R14.
Notification by email even came in later.
Musta been some ai glitch.
Click to expand...

That's still a 25.9" front tire, which is still pushing the limits for height with a Barracuda front wheel opening. Anything around 26" can be an issue depending on wheel backspace and ride height.

Since it only rubs at that angled transition with a turn, it's probably not mission critical that you replace them. Adding a sway bar will likely help a little bit, the rest will just be managing your speed and turning angle at that transition. Otherwise you're into fender modifications or shorter tires.
 
I presume that the outside edge of the tire is contacting the bottom front corner of the wheel opening. I would, as mentioned earlier, go to a 205-70-14 which is about the diameter and width of the original E-70-14s, but there is another way to skin this cat. I believe that the front corner of your wheel opening is stabilized with a small diameter strut. On my Darts it runs to the front bumper bracket on both sides. This strut usually has a slot for the bolt, providing some adjustment. Make sure that it is situated for the fender to be as far out as possible. If you still don't have enough clearance you can get a slightly longer strut fabricated by obtaining an extra pair, cutting them and welding them back together for an inch more outward adjustment.

This all assumes that your lower control arm bushings are tight and that the diagonal suspension strut from the lower control arm forward to the K-frame has effective bushings installed. If either of these are not up to snuff you lower control arm can move around and let the wheel move forward in the wheel well.
 
junkyardhero said:
i forget if you're running stock rims or have something aftermarket, but that's another factor to consider. you may not have enough backspace on an aftermarket rim to run what other people are running on stock rims.

anyway, sounds like you need to check the ride height and shocks. if that's all within spec, then it's time for upgrades.

or just, i dunno, take that turn slower.
Click to expand...
14 inch AM Racing wheels with 3.75 inch backspacing.
That's why I replaced the large wheels and tires the previous owner had on her.
I wanted the wheels back in the wheelwells.
 
I been down this road with my 67 barracuda FB with the 215’s and even 205’s. I have the later 73+ disk brakes so it also increases the track with making the issues worse. My car is just a toy hot rod nothing special. So I opted for removing an inch of the fender opening. To create enough room.
IMG_4698.jpeg
IMG_4702.jpeg
IMG_4700.jpeg
IMG_4701.jpeg
 
soonercruiser said:
14 inch AM Racing wheels with 3.75 inch backspacing.
That's why I replaced the large wheels and tires the previous owner had on her.
I wanted the wheels back in the wheelwells.
Click to expand...
so you're minus a half inch from factory back space, and plus 5/16 from the 73+ brakes so there's 3/4
of an inch out further and you've got a taller tire. add the soft factory t-bars and some clapped out shocks and anything below factory ride height you'd for sure be into the fender (which you've already discovered).

but at least you have options on a remedy.
 
str12-340 said:
I presume that the outside edge of the tire is contacting the bottom front corner of the wheel opening. I would, as mentioned earlier, go to a 205-70-14 which is about the diameter and width of the original E-70-14s, but there is another way to skin this cat. I believe that the front corner of your wheel opening is stabilized with a small diameter strut. On my Darts it runs to the front bumper bracket on both sides. This strut usually has a slot for the bolt, providing some adjustment. Make sure that it is situated for the fender to be as far out as possible. If you still don't have enough clearance you can get a slightly longer strut fabricated by obtaining an extra pair, cutting them and welding them back together for an inch more outward adjustment.

This all assumes that your lower control arm bushings are tight and that the diagonal suspension strut from the lower control arm forward to the K-frame has effective bushings installed. If either of these are not up to snuff you lower control arm can move around and let the wheel move forward in the wheel well.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Will check this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top