Check out what I DIDN'T buy

[DRIVEN]

Yesterday I went to the tow yard auction that I frequent and happened upon this gem;

The sad thing is that it was an F41 car with ralley gauges, new wood Grant wheel, power windows and locks and metal tag on the diff bolt (G80 on the trunk tag). It had a running 307. It appeared to have been a pretty nice car until it was "customized" and curb-surfed. The passenger rear wheel was broken and the driver's side rear axle was snapped off.
Sold for $250 and is going to a local wrecking yard.

 

[madmaxstyle]

hey check out the el camino in front of it lmao

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

damn.. i coulda used that for parts...

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I almost wonder if the excess unsprung weight of the clown wheels exceeded the capacity of the axle, causing it to snap and wreck the car. Those things have to be 2-3x the weight of the stock wheel/tire combo, so you can only imagine the dynamic forces that were at work here! :shock: As for the car, it's a real shame it got ruined like that. Remember kids: wheel weight is a VERY important issue to consider when choosing your next set of wheels and tires! The car is only designed to deal with so much in the way of gyroscopic forces. Exceed the engineered capacity by a margin greater than the fudge factor and BAD things WILL happen. You also have to remember that the axle is like a rubber band, and the weight of these wheels act against it's ability to rotate. A little law called inertia is in play here too. Even a stock engine can be enough to snap an axle if it is stressed enough on the wheel side. It's the same thing as running slicks on a 7.5.

Also, big trucks have big axles and big bearings to cope with big loads. G bodies are NOT built to take the same sort of abuse as a truck, and cannot handle the same excessively heavy wheels or heavy loads that a large truck can. If you want to put big wheels on something, get a full size SUV or pickup. At least it stands a better chance of not breaking under the strain.

 

[dogsht]

You can buy a whole 7.5 rear from a salvage yard for cheap and maybe some factory wheels and possibly have a decent running car with some good parts for what, car & parts less that $500? A drum to drum rear swap is eazy & can be done with common parts a jack & some jack stands.

 

[DRIVEN]

...Not to mention the excessive stress on the steering components. And what about the diameter of the wheels versus diameter of the brakes? Scary! Between the broken rim on one side and the severed axle on the other, it really appeared that it hit a curb going backwards at speed.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

This is one of those mods that becomes popular, but is not a sound idea. In fact, I would rate it as downright dangerous. Mostly it is done by people without any real technical knowledge who want to do it because it is an "IN" fad. It may be safe in a vehicle that is not a daily driver, but on a regular use vehicle something WILL fail, and possibly fail catastrophically if the warning signs are not heeded. For $250, I would have bought it and fixed it as a normal Cutlass. However, the damage looks extensive and may have hurt too much to be worth it. It still would have been worth breaking up as parts though, if it is as nice as you say.