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J

jhva

Freshman Member
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Hi,

I have 185R70 14 tires mounted on Superlite wheels (14x6). I have read that some B's rear ends weren't centered and the offset could be different on either the right or left rear. I have very little clearance on the driver side rear and the tire gets cheese grated every time I hit a bump or travel a twisty road. I am assuming my choices are change the tires to a 165, bend the lip of the fender up, nibble the lip away slightly or adjust the fender somehow. Has anyone had a similar problem and fix?

thanks,

John
71 mgb
 
Yes, and yes.

I've rolled the inner fenders on my '73 (185 tires, Datsun rims), which helps 90% of the time. For the rest I've ordered a Panhard rod setup from Pete Mantell (www.mantellmotorsports.com). This setup keeps the rear axle from shifting under load.

It's also possible - but a lot more painful, maybe - to switch out to a wire wheel axle. They're narrower.
 
MG rear ends were made in one place & the bodies in another....when they came together, the rear ends weren't centered but were offset around 1/2"-5/8"....that didn't matter with the thin wheel/tire combinations of the day....however, now that we're going for larger combinations, it can affect some cars - especially if there's any wear on any rear suspension components....

Rick is correct with his fender rolling.....it is pretty easy (at least I've never had a problem)....grab a wooden baseball bat & fit it between the fender & tire...have somebody slowly drive the car forward & allow the bat to roll up & over the tire...it will flatten the inside of the fender lip without damaging the paint.

If you switch the rear end out to a wire rear & put your stel axles in it, you may have to use spacers to move your tires out to the edge of the wheelwells.

Having said all that, I've run 205's under my '79 Pageant Bue MGB without any problems.
 
Thanks for the ideas. I may bend up the lip a bit.

I have read where a Panhard Rod kit may help as well. The prices of a kit are outrageous since it's basically just a top link, a bracket, and a bolt on yoke on the axle. This guy: https://www.ilracing.com/Handling/Index.htm
(I have tried emailing him but the page may be out of date)has a simple set up which I'm thinking I could make. Any thoughts on fabricating a Panhard rod kit?

thanks,

john
 
John - I have a panhard bar kit under my V8 car....now that I've bought one, I see how easy they are to fabricate......go here https://www.theautoist.com/FuelTank.htm#Anti-Tramp & Panhard Bars & read about my Doug Jackson bar setup.

But, remember, a Panhard bar only keeps the rear end from shifting sodeways....it won't help with your original problem.
 
The panhard setup that Mantell Motorsport offers is the same as the Doug Jackson panhard.

Doug sold that aspect of his business to Pete a couple of years ago.
 
Thanks. I went to the website and followed a few links and Pete Mantell sells the kit but no prices. Any ballpark idea of the price now? His webpage contact form is screwed up.

cheers,

john
 
I'm seeing Pete tomorrow and will ask.

I know that his webmaster has been revamping some stuff on his website...I'll tell him this particular section is broken (he may already know that).
 
Is there another way to roll the lip other than the baseball bat method?
 
jhva said:
Is there another way to roll the lip other than the baseball bat method?
Click to expand...

Yes...there is a fancy tool available...works only with bolt-on wheels, not wire wheels. Most professional body men incorporate wood into their adjustments...I would (wood) not be afraid to try it.

BTW...I spoke with Pete today regarding the Panhards..I'll send PM.
 
You could follow this route The "baseball bat method is shown just after 4 min in.

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Man, I never would've used that big metal pipe to roll the rear wheel wells - when I said baseball bat, I meant Indianapolis Slugger: "wood"!
 
I am going to try the baseball bat method this weekend.

As far as the panhard goes I appreciate all the links and information and decided $465 clams for a kit is too expensive right now. Talked with Hap Waldrop, a racing mg guy at Acme Speed in SC and have decided to make one.I ordered some chrome moly tubing and some heims and will fab one up myself and make the brackets etc.

cheers,

j
 
Good on ya.....Hap knows.
 
I'd love to have that material list and see pics of it during construction.
 
Yoda,

I bought a 4 ft length of 1" OD Chrome moly tubing from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty for around $11 and 2 1/2x1/2-20 economy rod end kits from racingrodends.com for around $23. The steel brackets I have yet to acquire the steel to make them. The chrome moly seamless tubing is rated at 90,000 psi and the rod ends are rated at static radial load of 12,224 lbs.
I'll post a few pictures later.

john
71 mgb
70 BMW R75/5
75 Honda CL360K1
01 BMW R1200C
 
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