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Re: Front Suspension

To: lang@isis.mit.edu, RobertBreazeale@msn.com
Subject: Re: Front Suspension
From: N197TR4@cs.com
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:27:21 EDT
Bravo Bobsta!!

And $30 at a quality alignment shop will get you a computer printout and some 
highly trained eyes.

List Newbie


> Hi,
> 
> I just wanted chime in on this one. The initial concern was that shorter
> springs can result in excessive camber. My direct experience is that the
> shorter springs DO result in a negative camber change, but it is very
> small. In my case, I was actually trying to get negative camber to help
> cornering, and by simply removing the spring pads I was able to get from 0
> camber to about 0.5 degrees negative.
> 
> But the other thing I wanted to touch on was the condition of the
> "uprights" and the spindle attachment. It turns out that these parts can
> be effected by various forces including the intentional! Back in the day,
> it was not uncommon for racers (and wannabes) to put a pipe on the spindle
> and pull up to bend the link (and/or the spindle (axle stub)). The result
> is a camber change. Similarly, severe shocks (like hitting a kerb) can
> bend those puppies.
> 
> So, it's probably a good idea to verify that the upright and spindle is
> okay. This is one of those cases where having a parts car or another
> complete car to measure things pays "big dividends". But you mention that
> the start of this exercise was apparent excessive negative camber. That
> points to something being bent. BUT you need to verify the observation
> with measurements - so before you go nuts, verify what the camber is
> either positive or negative by getting the car on a rack or by setting up
> a "string alignment" and measuring stuff. Then you can know what's going
> and not working on a "hunch".
> 
> Trust me - the hunch thing is a crap shoot. My cars would have a lot more
> miles on them if I could get around that hunch thing. By the way, doing
> the suspension (bushings, springs, etc.) was very rewarding to me. It
> transformed my car back to the way I remembered it. Of course I had a
> "hunch" I could do better and built another car. Go figure.
> 
> :-)
> rml




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