Gap between LCA and wheel

[todd1561]

I've got my LCAs off for sandblasting, reinforcing and powder coating. Part of my reinforcing is welding these "bands" on the leading edge of the LCA to help prevent them from tearing out as I've seen in some pictures. It's occurred to me now that depending on how tight the tolerances are between the end of the LCA and the inside of the wheel I might have some rubbing issues. I doubt it but I'd rather know now before I have them powdercoated. The "band" I've added is about 3/16" thick. My whole suspension is apart so I can't measure what the gap would normally be. Can anyone check on their car and give me an idea about how much room exists there? Thanks!

Here's a shot of the modifications I made
https://toddnelson.net/misc/IMG_2339.JPG

This is before the LBJ collar was installed. And I'll be boxing in the bottom with the DGo plates.
https://toddnelson.net/misc/IMG_2337.JPG

[FABombjoy]

The main concern is rubbing the brake shield & pushing it in to the rotor. I had a set of mis-made Heninger arms years ago that bolted up but ground into the shield once weight was back on the car.

I'd take a measurement but the only stock part I have left up front is the knuckle.

[todd1561]

Oh woops yep, I meant to say brake rotor, not wheel.

[Mark D]

I found some old photos from my suspension refresh. Looks like it'll be pretty close. Not sure what will happen to the clearance when turning the wheels either. Also, this is shown with the suspension at full droop. To get an accurate measurement of the available clearance the car would need to be up on ramps with the suspension loaded.


https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=27718&d=1401483846

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=24978&d=1391179503


***Edit: I Checked BAT for more photos, and it just so happens that the one currently up for sale has photos from below with the car on a 4-post lift. Based on the minimal clearance here, it looks like you may rub.

See Photos 114 and 115

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-delorean-dmc-12-83/

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=68765&d=1659637451

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=68764&d=1659637382

[todd1561]

Good thinking on the auction pics, it does look close. Bummer. I suppose I can grind down my "bands" a little and hope for the best. And nice work on that suspension, the whole undercarriage from what I can see looks better than new!

[Mark D]

Otherwise, if you really want to know for sure you could press in the new bushings and ball joint just on one side and partially assemble the suspension to check clearance. You'd just need the upper and lower arms, steering knuckle, and brake shield. Without the shock and spring you could articulate the suspension all the way up/down and left/right by hand.

It looks like you put a lot of time and thought into the reinforcements, so it would be a shame to grind them back if they actually fit.


And thanks for the kind words on my suspension build. It's been about 10 years now since I did a nut and bolt restoration and has held up surprisingly well over time.

Lots more photos of the process in my albums if you're interested.
https://dmctalk.org/album.php?u=269

[todd1561]

Unfortunately, all of those parts are at the sandblaster right now otherwise I would try to mock it up like you described. That's why I was hoping someone could pop their head under their car and maybe see if they could slip a finger between the LCA and dust shield with it still on the ground.

If I wind up grinding it I wouldn't take it all off. If I'm understanding the geometry right it's really just the bottom edge of the band that would bind. So tapering the band along the bottom edge would hopefully alleviate any potential problem.

I'll check out your photo gallery, some good inspiration in there no doubt.

[Mark D]

I'll take a look underneath my car later this afternoon and get a better look. I've got a few different thicknesses of wood trim that I can use as a feeler gauge to see what kind of clearance is there.

[todd1561]

THANK YOU! I really appreciate it, Mark. Turning the wheel to full lock should help provide access. If it turns out to be a PITA please don't worry about it.

[Mark D]

I didn't get a chance to get under the car yesterday, should be able to later today.

[todd1561]

I needed to get these back to the powder coater so I decided to just grind them down a bit and taper them towards the bottom. The thickness of the original bands was way overkill anyway, it's just what material I had on hand. At this point I'm adding just under an 1/8" of material to the end. Hopefully that will be small enough to not be a problem. Either way I'll respond to this thread once I get everything reassembled as maybe it'll help someone else down the road. Might not be until the end of the year at the speed I work, though!

Todd

[todd1561]

Good news to report here. I got all the parts back and was able to dry fit things enough to see that there will be no rubbing at any point in the suspension travel. It’s very close, about 1/8” from the dust shield at the tightest, so I’m glad I ground the band down a little. It probably would have rubbed the way I had it originally.