Measuring caster
Pro
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 683
Likes: 0
From: Calgary
Re: Measuring caster (Ingar, Norway)
A computerized alignment machine should tell you what your castor is. As far as measuring it yourself at home, I don't think it can be done without aligment equipment. You could try a protractor level, but it probably won't be accurate enough.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 922
Likes: 0
From: Maine
Re: Measuring caster (74vetteman)
You can buy a camber/caster gauge for $100-130 which tells you how to do it. Also, I just read (somewhere on the thirdgen.org site I think) that caster is twice the numerical difference between two camber readings (one taken with front wheels turned "out" 15-degrees and the other taken with them turned "in" the same amount.) This second technique is how caster is measured using a gauge, except the gauge gives the reading directly.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 499
Likes: 0
From: Kristiansand
Re: Measuring caster (Ingar, Norway)
Thanks!
No alignment shops over here will touch my car...:-)
So I have to do it myself.
I've read through that alignment doc at corvettefaq, but cant really understand the caster. If you turn the wheel equally both sides, the sum of the camber change should be the same...?...
I decided to just make the two sides equal by measuring the camber change for one turn of the steering wheel. That was fairly easy using just carpenter tools...:-)
No alignment shops over here will touch my car...:-)
So I have to do it myself.
I've read through that alignment doc at corvettefaq, but cant really understand the caster. If you turn the wheel equally both sides, the sum of the camber change should be the same...?...
I decided to just make the two sides equal by measuring the camber change for one turn of the steering wheel. That was fairly easy using just carpenter tools...:-)
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: Measuring caster (Ingar, Norway)
Summit sells a caster camber gage for about $130. I bought one then drove the car onto a smooth rug with 2 flat steel plate of thin gage sheet metal on top of the rug. This allowed the front wheels to turn 20 degrees out and in effortlessly. I marked the plate lying on the rug with majic marker at 20 degrees both ways. Now I could grab the wheel and effortlessly turn it in and out. The plates slide on the rug and the marks show me the 20 degrees. This gage is really accurate and repeatable. It goes on the front hubs so the dust caps need to be removed. I had 2 alignments from a shop and when i checked their work it was within specs but one wheel at one spec and the other at another but both within specs. I set my camber at -3/4 and my caster at + 2 .75. I also built another gage for toe. It is a bar bend down in the middle to clear the oil pan , 2 lab clamps and another 2 pieced of 8 inch rods pointed. This allows me to set a distance and check front and back of the tire and in the center of the wheel. A tap measure is just not good enough.
