alignment

[Riptide]

Took a tape measure and measured the distance from the tire to the edge of the wheel well on both sides. It looks like the driver side is pulled a little closer towards the front of the car. As in about 1/8th of an inch.

The car seems to drive pretty straight to me. If it pulls at all maybe just slightly to the left. It is a small enough effect I can't really be sure of it plus roads aren't perfectly level, etc..

Is some variation on this a normal thing?

I just replaced my lowers with double adjustables. Rear end was on stands and it was done one side at a time. Not sure how the axle would've moved but I can't rule it out. Jam nuts were/are tight and had blue loctite put on there too.

Debating on having alignment checked, trying to put stock arms back on to make sure nothing moved, or maybe getting some psychiatric help here. lol

 

[Norm Peterson]

If on a straight, level road you need to have the steering wheel steered a few degrees to the right, either the left side LCA is a little too short or the right side LCA is a little too long. You might also notice that the car will steer a very gentle highway curve to the left when you hold the steering wheel perfectly centered.

1/8" is probably about one thread (half a turn of adjustment if these are on-car adjustable) on only one of the LCAs. Given that your new LCAs have stiffer bushings than OE, I'd shorten the pass side LCA because the firmer bushings don't need as much pinion angle as the stock rubber bushings.

I went through this situation myself. Seems that it's easy to not quite match the center to center distances of the OE LCAs even when you're trying to be fussy.


Norm

 

[Riptide]

How do you tell if the body is off? If the steering is out now it is by a barely noticeable margin.

Thought about the alignment and it is free if the car doesn't need one. I have some pretty fragile welds on there though. Little paranoid about dimples or scratches from the equipment they use.

Thanks Norm

 

[07 Boss]

Took a tape measure and measured the distance from the tire to the edge of the wheel well on both sides. It looks like the driver side is pulled a little closer towards the front of the car. As in about 1/8th of an inch.

The car seems to drive pretty straight to me. If it pulls at all maybe just slightly to the left. It is a small enough effect I can't really be sure of it plus roads aren't perfectly level, etc..

Is some variation on this a normal thing?

I just replaced my lowers with double adjustables. Rear end was on stands and it was done one side at a time. Not sure how the axle would've moved but I can't rule it out. Jam nuts were/are tight and had blue loctite put on there too.

Debating on having alignment checked, trying to put stock arms back on to make sure nothing moved, or maybe getting some psychiatric help here. lol

Just adjust the control arm. Isn't that why you got adjustable ones?

And use different measurements. Measuring from the tire to the fender is OK but not entirely accurate. To see if your square you should really measure diagonally across the car from suspension point to suspension point. Body panel could be off, rear end not centered, etc. There are factory tolerances that will make a difference from car to car. I've seen some factory cars with the pretty big thrust angles and the axle way off center. 1/8" doesn't sound that far off.

 

[Riptide]

I bought the arms for the spherical ends not so much for the adjustability. Would've preferred fixed length actually. BMR doesn't make a non adjustable with spherical bushings on both ends.

You are right though on the bright side assuming it does need an adjustment it should be easy to do with the hardware in place. Loosen the jam nuts, turn the bar with a wrench, re-check, etc..

Alignment rack would probably tell me what I need to know and more just had some concerns about damage to those wheels. Wish I had taken the same measurements before I took the fixed length arms off. For all I know it was the same. Too late now. lol

 

[eighty6gt]

Variation is normal. My car was almost perfect, then I installed the steeda rear lower control arm relocation brackets... haha. Still good enough.

 

[Riptide]

Thrust came in at 0.02 degrees.

Body must be off some. Oh well. It is a mass produced car and not some mclaren.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Out of curiosity, did they happen to report the individual rear toes and cambers?

Just because it's a stick axle doesn't mean they have to be zero or even "symmetrical".


Norm

 

[Riptide]

Rear camber 0.0 and -0.3
Rear toe -0.02 and -0.05

 

[86GT351]

Rear camber 0.0 and -0.3
Rear toe -0.02 and -0.05

Unless I am reading this wrong with those Right Side Numbers it will lead the car to the left. Your R/R Tire is leaning in further at the top and has more Negative Toe which means the front of the tire is more inward toward the center of the car. It's not much but I would have them looked at and then recheck. Front measurements are referenced off the rear. Rear is off? Front is Off!

 

[Norm Peterson]

Not bad, actually.

The unequal cambers could be from something like unequal tire loading or inflation at the time the measurements were made . . . or if one rear tire was worn more than the other one (but that can't ever happen, right )


Norm

 

[Riptide]

Front camber -1.1 and -1.6
Front Toe -0.02 and 0.13
Caster 6.6 and 6.8

Front is completely stock right from the factory. Only changes ever made were different wheels/tires.

 

[86GT351]

Front camber -1.1 and -1.6
Front Toe -0.02 and 0.13
Caster 6.6 and 6.8

Front is completely stock right from the factory. Only changes ever made were different wheels/tires.

You need to get this thing professionally aligned. Like Norm said there might be a tire wearing issue. Find an alignment shop that can get it done right. Your front Toe setting is off as well.

 

[Riptide]

Ford specs found here:
http://s197forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1298986&postcount=1

I ended up with two print outs one minute apart and the values changed slightly. Not sure what the deal is there. The car is on the upper end of acceptable on some of those values. Driving only 4-5000 a year on it I'm not sure I'm real concerned honestly. Maybe my attitude is a bit cavalier there. It is a money pit anyway let's face it.

http://imgur.com/a/XwkZC

 

[07 Boss]

Front camber -1.1 and -1.6
Front Toe -0.02 and 0.13
Caster 6.6 and 6.8

Front is completely stock right from the factory. Only changes ever made were different wheels/tires.

You need to get this thing professionally aligned. Like Norm said there might be a tire wearing issue. Find an alignment shop that can get it done right. Your front Toe setting is off as well.

Those numbers aren't that bad. They're actually pretty good. Not much you can do about it on a stock suspension. You should see my numbers. I'll see if I can dig them up but I know my camber is like 1.75 and 2.1. I had them leave it because I thought it gave my car a little more bite on initial turn in.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Ford specs found here:
http://s197forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1298986&postcount=1

I ended up with two print outs one minute apart and the values changed slightly. Not sure what the deal is there. The car is on the upper end of acceptable on some of those values. Driving only 4-5000 a year on it I'm not sure I'm real concerned honestly. Maybe my attitude is a bit cavalier there. It is a money pit anyway let's face it.

http://imgur.com/a/XwkZC

Chances are that the actual camber changes were 0.0x° but just enough to change the display's rounding to one decimal place. The force involved in loosening the tierods to make those adjustments probably figures into it.

Like 07 said, they aren't bad numbers (except that I'd rather see less difference in those front cambers). My car was at about -1.7° (both front) only a few hundred miles after driving it home. When I got around to changing struts I put them back in the same place, .


Norm

 

[46addict]

Front camber -1.1 and -1.6
Front Toe -0.02 and 0.13
Caster 6.6 and 6.8

Front is completely stock right from the factory. Only changes ever made were different wheels/tires.

With the added caster and less camber on the right side, this car should be pulling to the left. But a tech may have set it up this way to compensate for road crown. The toe needs to be addressed though. Either have both sides positive by a hair or zero them out.

As for the rear, I don't know of a way to adjust camber and toe. I thought that is only measured to check for bent parts and to use as a reference for aligning the front.