Jason

If you change camber by shimming the upper control arm equal amounts front and rear, do you change the toe? If toe was set at zero to start?

DALE C

yes it will make a drastic toe change it will also change the caster even if you shim evenly

rfn026

You end up going in circles a lot. You need an alignment guy that will take his time.

When you adjust one it changes the other two. Also, if your ride height is off, or your tire pressures are off, your alignment will be off.

If you're really obsessive you'll want to be sitting in the seat as he does the alignment.

Who said this was easy?

Richard Newton
Race Cars 360

davidfarmer

it will NOT change castor, just toe. You have to rotate the top or bottom ball joing fore/aft to change castor, and shimming symmetrically doesn't.

measuring/adjusting toe is very easy on the c5/c6, just check out my DIY guide.

I find doing track alignments/corner balancing VERY easy, but I've been doing it for nearly 20 years!

http://www.davidfarmerstuff.com/align.pdf

DALE C

Sorry i missed that he was talking about the UPPER control arm. Moving the lower equal amounts Will change caster due to the legs on the control arm being different lengths. I have never had a reason to shim the upper.

klasik-69

You're right. However, if you've installed the Camber Plate kit, you adjust the upper control arm with shims like the old GM cars used to be done. The camber kits lock in the bottom with a fixed plate. That is true on the front axle. The back axle is then adjusted with various offset plates on the LOWER control arm. Either way, any change in them affects the toe in-out.

Much credit to David Farmer's DIY alignment guide, a very practical and simple approach to a complicated adjustment.

naschmitz

I've followed David's alignment guide and gotten some extra help from Gary Hoffman (HardBarUSA) since he is near me in NH. Once you figure it out it is pretty easy.

However, I've never done an alignment with the cams -- I put the camber kits on and use shims (washers) on the upper control arm.

Ride height affects camber and camber affects toe. So that is the order you have to set it up.