Alignment questing after suspension work

[BlueMax]

Steering arms should be tilted in the upward position! From what I can see in your photo they look to be tilted down? If so you have left on the right and the right on the left!

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I can not tell which way they are tilted, but wouldn't it be hard to install the TRE if the taper was inverted?

 

[BlueMax]

Or perhaps the TRE is from a disc brake car? On my car theirs no taper just straight threw bore. This car definitely has to much camber.

 

[Rut]

Steering arms look ok and the thread count, as close as I can tell, is more than 15 showing. Once the upper trunnions are installed correctly I don't really see an issue. The car needs to be on the ground to properly align the front end and most people use 1/16" toe in.
Rut

 

[sim]

I can not tell which way they are tilted, but wouldn't it be hard to install the TRE if the taper was inverted?

I never removed the arms from the hub. So if I put them on backwards they should be facing towards the back of the car. Is this correct thinking?
Thanks
Sim

 

[sim]

Or perhaps the TRE is from a disc brake car? On my car theirs no taper just straight threw bore. This car definitely has to much camber.

The tie rod end are what came with the car. Still good. Can I remove camber by placing shims behind the back plate and the hub? Or should I go with the bushings with the off center hole? Peters says they move but did not give any suggestions.

 

[sim]

Rod I would go back to standard springs and no lowering kit if one got installed and use that as a baseline. You reused the steering arms that came with the car correct? Rut I can 't remember if steering arms are handed. I don't think so. As long as there is a match between BE Rack and BE steering arms. Racks changed to Trimph Rack in '72.

Rod I still thing you've got camber settings leaning the wrong way. Should be 1/16" negative camber and 15 threads showing usually gets you there. Try that and see how it feels then. Did you replace shocks with a set of Peter C's?

I have standard springs on the way. Yes I did . I never removed them from the hub carrier. Negative camber is when the bottom of the tire is further out than the top. But the book says Positive. I think things would work better if I did negative. Will try that.
Would this hep the car track in a straight line front to back? as right now it is tracking a little to the left of center line when going straight down the road.about 1 Minute before noon on the clock
Thanks
sim

 

[Rut]

Sim,
just to recap...your upper trunnions were installed backwards creating a lot of positive camber, has that been corrected? If so, center your steering wheel and with the car on the ground adjust your toe using the string method. Camber and caster are set and only the camber can be changed with offset bushings which you don't need to address yet. Using the string method set the toe in to 1/16" and you should be good to go. The tie rod ends should screw onto the tie rods and have an equal amount of threads showing, about 15 on each side. That is your starting point and from your previous pictures you have around 18 to 22 threads showing. Let us know how things go and post more pictures.
Rut

 

[sim]

Sim,
just to recap...your upper trunnions were installed backwards creating a lot of positive camber, has that been corrected? If so, center your steering wheel and with the car on the ground adjust your toe using the string method. Camber and caster are set and only the camber can be changed with offset bushings which you don't need to address yet. Using the string method set the toe in to 1/16" and you should be good to go. The tie rod ends should screw onto the tie rods and have an equal amount of threads showing, about 15 on each side. That is your starting point and from your previous pictures you have around 18 to 22 threads showing. Let us know how things go and post more pictures.
Rut

Trunnions are now correct. I have never found the information on the String method. Can you send a link?
Thanks
Sim

 

[Rut]

Sim,
many different sites out there, but this looks pretty good.
Rut
https://www.negative-camber.org/jam149/technical/alignment.html

 

[jlaird]

i think every darn one of us has done that the first time.

 

[sim]

Steering arms look ok and the thread count, as close as I can tell, is more than 15 showing. Once the upper trunnions are installed correctly I don't really see an issue. The car needs to be on the ground to properly align the front end and most people use 1/16" toe in.
Rut

Ok took measurements and adjusted I think I am very close to no toe in and no toe out. did a short test run and it felt much better. I still think it is not tracking center line of car straight down the road. Still a little left.
I did find the the back right wheel has a 1/8 inch toe out and the left back may br 1/4 inch toe out but I need to recheck that
--------------------------------------------
here are some new numbers
Set up a string line 3 inches off the end of the lug bolts back to front
back right at back edge of rim was 67 mm front edge of rim was 70.5 mm This is toe out.
back left at back edge of rim was 70 mm front edge of rim was 73 mm This is also toe out.
Any suggestions?

 

[Hot Wings]

I did find the the back right wheel has a 1/8 inch toe out and the left back may br 1/4 inch toe out but I need to recheck that

If you are using the string method as referenced in one of the posts above you have to first make sure your wheels aren't bent. I like to lift the vehicle and mark a center line on the tire with chalk while spinning the wheel. This not only assures a line on a plane perpendicular to the axle it increases the radius of the measurement point increasing your accuracy. I didn't read the entire article so this may be redundant - it's also a good idea to move the car back and forth a few times on the ground after doing any adjusting to let everything settle into place before measuring.

If the car is crabbing down the road it's often due to a rear axle that is not square with the chassis. To double check this a quick measurement from a fixed point (tip of the rocker panel for example) on the front of the vehicle to the center line of the rear axle on each side should illuminate any problems.

 

[nomad]

Is the spidget track the same front to back? Some cars are not and I don't remember for sure. If the track is the same then a tow out on the rear wheel's is almost an impossibility! Further checking is required and I would set front at a little tow in. Much easier driving. I set tow with a couple of 1X4s 8 feet long. Just set them up against the front wheels and measure right in front of the wheels and then at the ends of the boards. I then flip them and do it again to account for any warp.

Kurt.

 

[sim]

Is the spidget track the same front to back? Some cars are not and I don't remember for sure. If the track is the same then a tow out on the rear wheel's is almost an impossibility! Further checking is required and I would set front at a little tow in. Much easier driving. I set tow with a couple of 1X4s 8 feet long. Just set them up against the front wheels and measure right in front of the wheels and then at the ends of the boards. I then flip them and do it again to account for any warp.

Kurt.

I will put it back on the lift and check
Thanks
sim

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Spridgets have a wider track on the front IIRC.

 

[Rut]

Disc wheel track is 3' 10 5/16" front and 3' 8 3/4" rear, wires are 3' 10 5/16" and 3' 9 1/4".
Rut

 

[nomad]

That's what I thought!
Explains the tow out and means that a little more tow in needs to be applied to the front with the string method.

Kurt.

 

[drooartz]

That's what I thought!
Explains the tow out and means that a little more tow in needs to be applied to the front with the string method.

Kurt.

No, the strings just need to be set up carefully.

When you measure the string "box" that you build to do the string method, you have to account for that difference in track. You need to make a string box where the sides are perfectly parallel to each other -- so you need to do a bit of math to figure things out. Once that string box is set up, the tow in amount can be measured accurately. It's not that hard to do, just requires a bit of thinking and some careful measuring.

Basically, the string will be closer to the front wheel than it is to the rear wheel (by half of the difference between the front and rear track) since the front track is wider. Takes a few fussy minutes to measure and slide the strings into place, but it's not difficult.

 

[sim]

he Here is the toe in problem on the back right. should I just buy a good used axel dif or get this one straightened? would this cause a crab to the left?