Just kidding about the handling Richard. Road course racers like alot of - camber so the outside tire makes full contact with the road when turning. Worn out lower control arm bushings could cause this, but not as bad as that (the lowers where worn on my Satellite and wore down the inner fronts like yours, but not as bad).

When the front suspension is fully extended, the top of the tire tips in substantially. This could cause the wear pattern you are seeing.

What will create this situation? Fast turns with plenty of body roll. The inside edge of the inside front tire gets dragged through the turn. Front end alignments won't help this. A front anti-roll bar will. Stiffer springs and shocks will help, too.

The problem with the solutions is that they will change the handling balance of the car. (More understeer) Recommend front and rear anti-roll bars (A38 Dart cop cars) to address the roll situation and maintain handling balance

Yes, the turning will cause interior edge wear, but it will cause an equal or slightly less amount on the outside as well.

For example if you made nothing but hard left turns, you would have excessive wear on the interior side of the driver side tire, and an almost equal amount on the outside edge of the passenger side tire, since the tire is being pushed across the ground, and body weight is pressing down on the tire.

~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

check your outer wheel bearings, if they are loose or the bore is pounded-out it will cause the same wear pattern you are seeing.

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Agreed.


~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Thanks guys. The outer wheel bearings appear to be a lot less complicated to replace than the inner.

I couldn't find an illustration in the FSM but does this picture represent the general idea on our Mopars?

Yup pretty much. Here is a test. Jack up the front of the car and put it on stands. Then, walk to each front tire, grab the top and bottom of the tire, and see if you can rock the bottom or top of the tire in/out of the wheel well. If there is much more than a faint feeling of movement, theres a good chance your bearings need to be replaced.

You don't need to jam on them to see movement, just moderate pressure against the top and bottom in opposite directions (push in towards top, pull out at bottom etc.) should be enough. If you can't really feel any play, your bearings are probably just fine for the time being.

~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

richard, take another look at this picture,



and compare how your tire sits vertical in comparison to the rotor backing plate. Something is either worn-out or bent causing your tire to sit crooked on the spindle. is the spindle bent, or the bearings damaged? check these carefully. you may also notice some unpleasant wear on your caliper slides and brake pads, check these meticulously after correcting the problem or your brake pads may bind afterwards.

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Oh wow... Great spotting Step! I didn't even see it! Hmmmmm....

~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Thanks guys.

It's noticeably splayed, and both sides, too. You can sit it just looking at the parked car.

After jacking it up today I tried your method, THOR, and really didn't feel any play when I grabbed the tires top and bottom and tried to rock them.

Then I removed the driver's side wheel and checked the outer bearing. After popping the cap off, I was impressed at how clean it was in there, with it's aqua-colored wheel grease. I got to the outer bearing - it looked okay to me, but I am not sure exactly where to look for signs of wear. Here it isin and then out of the car:




It's a fairly inexpensive part to replace - should I play it safe and replace both outers, and since I'm in there, take care of both inner bearings, too?

Could it be possible that both splindles are bent? Or do I go back to the suspension and have the toe-in and/or camber adjusted?

More pics are located here

What do your brake pads look like? If you look at this picture, the spindle definitely does not look "quite right" to me. Not really sure ATM though.. Ive been up all night.


If you get a chance, can you take some pictures of both front sets 'o brake pads, and label them like "Driver side Inner, Pass. side outer"? Might be a clue...


~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Look at the bearing race itself. Is it sitting straight in the hub? May of spun?

Edit: Something doesn't add up, if it were the bearings the whole rotor would be out of kilter. Maybe we are just looking at a bent dust shield thats throwing off our perceptions?

if you look at the vertical casting mark on the caliper as well as the lower balljoint bracket and bolt, you will see that it is also out of line with the tire.

the angle of the rotor is not clear here but judging by the caliper mark and balljoint arm the shield seems straight to me.

richard look at the pocket the bearing came out of, you will see the bearing cup in there. it should be sitting tight in the bore and you should not be able to move it.

incorrect bearing preload is another possibility, since it appears someone was just in there. tighten the nut until it bottoms by hand, then back out 1/8" to 1/4 turn.

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Wait, stop the presses ive found the problem.


straighten the license plate...

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Done and done. Click here for two pictures each of the inner and outer pads. Driver side is the only one I have right now.
Should I be checking for looseness in the bearing cup?
I’m pretty sure it was tighter than that when I took it out. I’m positive it’s tighter than that since I reassembled the wheel, so thanks for the tip. I’m not driving the car now but I did have to move it off the street today.
I’m wondering if the license plate is straight, but the rest of the car is crooked!

Thanks, all.

R. Wood