Front End Alignment

[jlaird]

Ahh, loading rate is 271 lbf/in same for all.
what ever the heck that means?

 

[Guest]

WOW!!! Thanks everyone for the great information. I emailed the past owner to see what he replaced. The toe-in is ok. I can see that the lower A arm bushings were replaced. The front coil springs are painted blue so they may also be new. I don't know what else he changed. I hope he answers my email & lets me know what he replaced. I have replaced many Mustang & Falcon front suspensions and they can be adjusted for caster & camber. The Midget sits level. I don't know what the ride height should be and where it is measured but the car sits level from front to back and from side to side.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

In theory, it should not change unles the spring is heated or bent. But in reality, the spring can lose material through corrosion and that may effect the rate (though very little). The spring rate should be uniform through its compression until the coils bind.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Blue springs? Maybe a shortened spring? Are there any part numbers still visible on them?

 

[Guest]

Trevor - There are no part numbers on the front springs and I don't know if they are new or were just painted blue by the past owner. As soon as I get some info from the past owner I'll know more.

 

[jlaird]

If they are out of the car measure them.

 

[Guest]

Car is in tact. I just purchased it last week. Even though I know a lot on 1950s & 1960s Fords I'm new to MG Midgets so I don't want to disassemble it yet.

 

[JerryB]

"""""""The Midget sits level.""""""

Thats about all you can ask for....level...and I take it you measured and not eyeballed?

I'll say this about Spridgets....there unibodied....theve been around 35 and more years.....8 PO's back it cudda had a hard hit so as to affect a front corner 4 example....and its been driven that way for years...."it drives ok he said"......

Your job..IF you elect to make it right is to make it right by tweaking so as better handling. Yes it might seem ok to you as you go down the road.....but you can OPTIMIZE it....all part of Sprigetry!

 

[JerryB]

"""""""I'm new to MG Midgets so I don't want to disassemble it yet. """"""""

So drive it a while......

see if you can bum a camber/caster gage and check the setings.....make up a trammel to check the toe....or ...have an alignment shop give you the settings when they put the car on the rack. Then you have the parameters you need to change things.

At least you have a level car f/r and side/side....thats fine. Dont worry about the springs as there ok as is.

 

[JerryB]

TJ.............

""""be more in my comfort zone and the tires are not wearing. """"

So your on the right track....try more of what you changed and if too much go backwards then.


""""""""However, after changing the camber, the handling seems to be more in my comfort zone """""

So try different settings....more -camber the car might turn in better but that depends on your tire. On a full fepth traded tire you might limit to 1 1/4 to 1.5* neg. with the tires at 26 # or so.

What size bar U have on the front and a rear bar?

 

[Guest]

I received information on the front suspension from the previous owner. This is what he said:

I replaced the upper & lower fulcrum bushings, top trunnion bushings, both outer and inner wheel bearings, and all related seals on both front axles. Yes I had the car aligned at the same time that the new tires were installed. All MG's have a lot of neg. camber when there is no weight on them. The neg. camber decreases when weight is placed on the car. MG's do not have an upper control arm, just a lower control arm. When weight is added to the car (driver and/or pass.) the lower control arm swings up, pushing the bottom of the tire out. Look at the camber of the tire when someone is sitting in the car and you will see the the neg. camber almosts disappears.

Is there anything on the front suspension that is currently worn and needs to be replaced?
No the front suspension is in good and tight condition.

Any comments about what the previous said?

 

[jlaird]

Concur, get your bud to set in the car and see how it looks to you.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I'd still check the kingping/fulcrum pin for wear. Unless all of the previous owners were overly diligent about greasing them, they will need to be replaced. Just my opinion.

 

[Ed Kaler]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd still check the kingping/fulcrum pin for wear. Unless all of the previous owners were overly diligent about greasing them, they will need to be replaced. Just my opinion.

[/ QUOTE ]

BINGO, Trevor!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

I have found over the years that "...overly diligent..." does NOT exsist!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
Ed

 

[Guest]

I want to thank everyone for the information provided. It appears that most of you say that Midgets have a little negative camber and I think that means that there is more tire wear on the outside of the tire. Correct? My front tires, especially the driver's side) are wearing on the insides. Is the wear on the insides of the tires to much positive or negative camber? The toe-in is ok. Are any of the bushings (bushes in British terms) that you said to replace need to be pressed in or reamed? I thought that only the kingpin bushings needed to be pressed in & reamed. Am I correct? I do not race the car and want it to drive well on the road.

Trevor - you said to check the kingpin/fulcrum pin for wear. There is an upper and lower fulcrum pin. Do they both wear? Are these parts pressed in? Thanks.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

The lower fulcrum pin is where the wear occurs. This fulcrum pin is threaded into the a-arm and is locked to the kingpin with a threaded tapered dowel. If the fulcrum pin is not properly greased, the thread wear and produces free play. Or if the fulcrum pin seizes in the threads, then the fulcrum pin wears the dowel and kingpin. Have a look at the Moss catalog for a reasonable diagram.

 

[zimmy]

my trunnion bushings were melded onto the bolt when i took them out yesterday....had to pound the slag off ; )
gonna drive ALOT better when i get the new shocks on...hopefully today....zimmmmy

 

[lesingepsycho]

TBirdTony,
Negative camber would wear the inboard side of the tires as they lean IN at the TOP /-\ <---Negative camber

Positive camber would wear the outboard side of the tires as the lean OUT at the TOP \-/ <----Positive camber

In general, negative camber is more desirable for handling because it will grip better as the tire rolls laterally. To test this, take a pencil with a good eraser on it and do the following: lean it to the right and push it to the right and then try leaning it to the left and pushing it to the right. The latter should give considerably more resistance, aka, traction. That was the demonstration I've used for years to demonstrate how camber affects suspension geometry.

Now, that being said, unless you are racing, the amount of camber you need for a road car is a VERY small amount otherwise you'll prematurely wear out your tires.

JACK

 

[lesingepsycho]

Also, one of the best books I have ever read for understanding suspension geometry is Carroll Smith's Tune to Win. It is geared towards racing but whether you race or not, having a good handle on how the suspension effects handling is a good thing to know. After all, the only thing between you and the road is four palm size patches of rubber and the suspension is fully responsible for how well those four patches do their job!

JACK

 

[Trevor Jessie]