Wheels jack up when I turn hard left.

[Loa]

Hello,

I've had my 68 Charger aligned, and everything's straight. But whenever I make a hard left turn (at low speeds, wheels turned all the way to the left), the two front wheels jack up, the camber goes negative and the wheels screech.

If I then lift the car up (with a jack, on both sides), the wheels come right back to 0 camber and everything works fine.

Any ideas?

[timmycharger]

Is the caliper getting hung up on the front sway bar if so equipped?

[Loa]

Nope, no sway bar! And looking around, I don'T see anything else that could catch anywhere.

[timmycharger]

Hmm. how about your center link and tie rods, are they actual 68 B body stuff or possibly from another car giving it too much travel from side to side?

[Loa]

That's possible, but I wouldn't know how to identify them. The right tire touches the frame slightly when I turn all the way to the right, but that doesn't seem to cause any problem.

I have rallye wheels from a 73-74 Charger, and I know the backspacing is different. The wheels seem to be too far in. But except for that slight rubbing, clearance is fine. The wheel doesn'T touch the callipers (3/4 of an inch gap) nor the upper table (about same gap).

[HPP]

Does it do this on right turns?  Do both tires go negative on left turns?

[PlainfieldCharger]

sounds like the steering box wasn't centered when you had it aligned..

[Dino]

No sway bar? You are running one though right?

[Loa]

Once the wheels jack-up, both wheels do go negative camber. And it's not just during the turn, they remain this way afterwards. I've managed to bring them back to 0 by using a jack to lift the front of the car up.

I'm not sure it does that on right turn. I'll have to check.

And no, I don't have a sway bar at all.

Thanks for the help.

[c00nhunterjoe]

What is confusing me is that when you recenter the wheel, the tires/rims do not recenter. That tells me that something is loose. 

[Dino]

So install the sway bar. It's not optional.

[c00nhunterjoe]

So install the sway bar. It's not optional.

I run without a sway bar. Have 0 issues. Sway bar is for cornering stability at speed, not parking lot manuevers.

[HPP]

so when you say the wheels "jack up" is that a literal term that they are lifting the car of a figurative term that something isn't right?

What is confusing me is that when you recenter the wheel, the tires/rims do not recenter. That tells me that something is loose. 

...or broken.

Two things I'd start with is double check on torque on upper control arm eccentrics and verify the  lower control arm mounting sockets aren't tearing out of the K.

[Loa]

Thanks for the tips. I'll take a good look at them once it's not an oven around here!

[Loa]

Well, I haven't really solved the problem, but I've put the other wheels with less backspacing (wheels are further out) back on. And there's no issue even when I turn hard to the left. Could it be just that?

[c00nhunterjoe]

Width of the wheels doesnt affect it. I had 8.5 wheels with 275 tires on the front of mine. What are your alignment specs?

[Loa]

It's not the width of the wheels, but their backspacing. There's about 1.5 inches of difference between the two sets. The problem only occurred with one set of wheels, not the other. Even when I purposefully try to recreate it.

[funknut]

Look in the wheel well and check for tire rubbing.  If backspacing is all you changed then the previous set of wheels were getting into the fenders or frame rails during a turn.

What are the dimensions (width, diameter, backspace) for both sets of wheels?

[Loa]

As I said, the problematic wheels make the right tire rub *very slightly* on the frame, but only when I turn to the right.

The left tire doesn't rub anywhere, and even after the last time the tires "squeezed" (don't know of a better term), there was nothing on the callipers, the tables or the frame.

I don't remember the exact dimensions of each wheel. But the one that doesn't cause the problem is 14" (with a 215/70/14 tire and not a lot of backspacing) and the other one is 15" (225/70/15 with a lot of backspacing).

Once the temperature drops, I'll pull them off and measure them correctly. (It's now a 97* "feels like" 115* oven around here!)

[c00nhunterjoe]

If the alignment goes out when turned, and stays out when the wheels are centered until you jack them up and they pop back into place- something is loose or broken.

[garner7555]

Do the wheels that were on the car during the problem fit properly?   Could also be loose lugnuts or the hub hole in the wheel is too small to fit over the hub.   Other than loose wheels, I agree with coonhunter, it has to be something loose or broken.   The wheels that offset to stick out more may have more leverage to hold the loose or broken parts pushed in one direction which will cause you to think it's fixed.   Be very cautious to drive the car until you or someone else checks every connection point of the front suspension and steering.   

[Loa]

I'm not sure if the wheels fit the "car" properly. None of the wheels I have are stock, and I can't seem to find the official stock measurements for a 1968 Charger. Offset? Backspacing? Width...

[charger Downunder]

Better check and tighten up those top camber bolts i would say something is loose.

[HPP]

Ok, lets start with this. You say you had it aligned recently, did it do this before the alignment?  Did the shop give you a print out of the before and after specs?

Better check and tighten up those top camber bolts i would say something is loose.

That was my thought too. We've all heard of stories where shops didn't torque these adequately and they  rotate after the fact. But,  if  he just tightens them down, it  could be in an off position. Hence my question about the specs above.

[Loa]

Yes it did this before the alignment. I did not ask for a print out because I was with the guy the whole time. They were in pretty good alignment before the procedure in any case.

Also, the guy doing the alignment knows old mopars pretty well. In fact, it did this after the alignment when he tried it out. He then found that the bushing for the lower table on the passenger side was worn. He replaced it.

When I called him to say that the problem returned, he was really stumped. I'll have to bring the car back.