[pontiacphil]

I was thinking exactly what you stated about the taller tires creating MORE rubbing problems because of the sectional width being higher up in the fender well. The Summit tech. guy didn't factor that into his suggestion about going to the taller 215x70 tire. The stock rearend now in my 67' isn't anything special (non-posi, 3:36 gears, 10 bolt) so I wouldn't mind changing it out with a narrower one. Lots of older Chevy parts here in my Tn. area but not many Pontiac parts. Would any of the 60's/70's Chevy rearends bolt into my Pontiac or does it need to specifically be a Pontiac rearend? Appreciate your response and suggestions.

[b-man]

The '64 -'72 Chevelle rear ends are typically narrower than the same year Pontiac rear ends. The A-body Chevy rear ends will bolt right in with a rear U-joint change (adapter U-joint). Be sure to take your tape measure and couple of straight edges (yard sticks will do) to measure the drum to drum width before you seal the deal.

The Pontiac 10-bolts are superior in strength and don't use C-clips for axle retention like the Chevy 10-bolts do. Finding a Pontiac rear would be best, just make sure the one you get is 1" narrower from drum to drum as compared to your current rear end.

[getmygoat]

No offense to B-Man, as he is very knowledgeable, but I think swapping rears to make tires fit is a headache. You get some used rear end and who knows what new nightmares await.

Alternatively - remove rear springs and slowly lower car down to simulate your bump and rub problem - then you can see just how much clearance you really need.

or as someone suggested - sell everything you've got, accept the loss as a learning experience and buy the right setup.

To sell your stuff, you might need to wait until there's a swap meet or whatever within a reasonable drive - advertise beforehand and take the rims/tires to the swap meet that day to get rid of them.

[pontiacphil]

This past Sat. a friend & I installed new rear shocks & springs on my 67'. Shocks are KYB HD KG5504 gas shocks. Talked with a very knowledgeable Moog Suspension Tech. adviser that is a muscle car buff himself. He knew quite a bit about about GTO's & how the 67' came from the factory with a low stance in the rear. He suggested I go with Moog Cargo Variable rate rear springs (CC501) which would raise my rear height about an inch. Took us a couple hours to get everything installed. No ugly problems arose, which I normally encounter. My existing shocks were "shot". The new springs were much stiffer and did raise the rear height a little over an inch. Not nearly as much "bounce" (stiffer) when you go over bumps or dips in the road. Drove it about 20 miles on a 2 line rural hwy. with no rubbing problems. There is now about an inch clearance between the fender well lip & the top portion of the mid-section of the sidewall. IF I were to put a very heavy load in the trunk, and the suspension drops a couple inches, then there would probably be interference between the tire sidewall & the fenderwell lip. I will avoid that situation. I don't want to speak too soon, because as soon as I do, the problem will raise its ugly head again & bite me in the butt! I'm hoping & praying this $150 investment will enable me to continue to run the Torq-Thrusts & the 225x60 tires without a rubbing/scraping problem. I did notice I got a rt. rear wheel cylinder leaking so I have more work to do this weekend. Thank all of you for the helpful suggestions & info. you provided. If I find that the above steps did not fix the matter I will post here again with the details. Wish me luck!

[b-man]

Phil,

I'm glad you found an easy and inexpensive solution that satisifes you.

Best of luck, and try to avoid those big bumps in the road!

Bart