Home Alignment - Camber Edition

I got my toe setup figured out with the string and pipe method but Camber was kind of a crap shoot. I'd seen some wheel attachments that looked pretty slick for a pretty slick price.

I decided I'd build me something for cheap that would work for my Buick steel rims using magnets and one of those inexpensive camber gauges from Amazon.

I clued magnets to the edge of an aluminum L-section and a metal plate in the middle for th camber gauge to stick to. After it setup, I stuck it on my lift and checked the 0° position with my 4ft level. Satisfied it was right, I put it on my front wheels over the center cap. One was -2° and the other was -0.5° so I set them both to -0.5°.

After reading up, I think I can set caster with a little effort at 20° swing each way from straight ahead.

It took $20 in parts and a little time to throw it together. This version only works on 15" steel wheels but that's all I got on my Buicks.

 

Waiting for the road test report...

 

Very innovative and fun to do, but if you are serious about accuracy, you have to come up with a way to compensate for runout. If you don't, your information is not reliable. Fractions of a degree make a big difference on handling and tire wear.

 

My buddy at Caddy dealership set mine up to these specs in 2002. All new Moog components.
We did alignment in his perfectly flat driveway. He has this bubble leveler that attached to rim edge. He asked if I wanted him to take car to dealership to put it on the rack for double check. No need, runs straight down the road, no pull, no tire wear.

 

Why would you want positive camber?

 

Greg, my buddy says positive is best for these old cars. You can't go too much or you'll have inner/outer tire wear from turning.
3/4* left positive & 1* positive right is for crown on roads. He used to race roundy rounds at Mt Clemens so he knew all about turning I guess. Lead on one side of car, etc.

 

Agree

 

Aren't new cars all positive? I just let him do his thing. Left & right tire pics since 2002.

 

I don't know if any car has positive camber. Maybe an old tractor?

 

Factory spec for our cars call for +1/2° +/- 1/2° camber and -1/2° +/- 1/2° caster, but it isn't optimal. I have tubular upper control arms with an additional +5° caster and tall upper ball joints so my steering geometry is more like a modern car.

When I first got my car, I was scrubbing the outer edges of the front tires and experiencing comically early understeer. Now, it is pretty balanced with slight understeer with oversteer a blip of the throttle away.

Before, the outside tire leaned out at the top. Now, it leans out at the bottom and is planted like a motorcycle tire.

Link to the alignment specs in the service manual.

 

Those tubulars change everything.

 

So far, so good. It tracks straight and only needs the steering wheel centered a bit. It slightly points right a tad. Otherwise, it handles pretty good.

 

Until you try it you'll never know the difference MORE positive caster makes.
Many of the newer vehicles have 10*+.

Read up on it to be more informed.

Tom T.

 

Oh, the upper control arms claim an additional +5° caster by design. I'm fully aware of the benefits but we are limited by the amount of shims we can use with the bolts in the frame. I've only got about 1/4" of shims in the front of the A-arm and about 5/8" in the back for extra caster but still holding -1/2° camber.

Without moving the lower ball joint forward, you really can get the front tire pretty close to the rear fender. Especially in bump with a turn like a curb turning into a driveway with wider wheels and bigger tires.

 

My GS has enough negative camber that you can see it. The tires will rot before I see enough tire wear to make a difference.

 

Mine probably will rot away as well but I prefer the car to handle as best if possible.

 

Yup Greg - I used specs from Larry - made a big difference!

 

Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and front end alignments. I've been doing alignments professionally for 40+ years would still rather do my own at home than have some yahoo that can only do an alignment by what the machine tells him to do. I've seen mechanics at work make sure that all of the readings are "in the green" with the numbers completely backwards from what I would have set them at.

 

I checked my caster today. My advertised +5° tubular upper arms only have +3 with more shims in the back than the front on both sides. Still better than the factory specs.

At full droop, it gains -1° of camber. Not sure what it does at full compression without taking the springs out and checking that way.

It is my understanding that I can move shims from the front to the back and maintain the same camber setting and only change caster. I may give it a try later today. Got overheated today.

 

When you are adding shims to the back you are actually hurting caster. By mowing ball joint to the rear of the car you are making things better.
Tubulars have built in caster for equal amount of shims on both bolts.

Peace,
Kacper.