C3 rear camber adjustment?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,096
Likes: 15
C3 rear camber adjustment?
Long time ago when I bought my 82 I noticed that the rear tires sat at a slight angle in at the top. I believe that is the camber, anyway I did not like the look and adjusted the camber bolts underneath until I had a almost perfect perpindicular (spelling?) tire to pavement contact. Well I just noticed the other day that they were leaning inward at the top again. I had the bolts nice and tight but they should not do that right??
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Long time ago when I bought my 82 I noticed that the rear tires sat at a slight angle in at the top. I believe that is the camber, anyway I did not like the look and adjusted the camber bolts underneath until I had a almost perfect perpindicular (spelling?) tire to pavement contact. Well I just noticed the other day that they were leaning inward at the top again. I had the bolts nice and tight but they should not do that right??
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,886
Likes: 9
Rear tires should have slight negative camber, that is, tipped in towards the center of the car.
Very roughly, on a dead level garage floor, each rear wheel should tip in 1/8" from vertical, measured at the wheel rim. That will be about 1/2 degree negative.
Very roughly, on a dead level garage floor, each rear wheel should tip in 1/8" from vertical, measured at the wheel rim. That will be about 1/2 degree negative.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
You would think not, but the pivot point with no backing causes the arm to twist when normally it would move up and down with very little twisting. The most likely bushings would be the strut arms, but usually when the rear starts to fail , TA bushings , strut bushing, axles stubs its usually not one that is worn, its usually all that are worn. Try setting the camber with worn TA bushing, drive around the block and measure again. You will not get the same measurement twice.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
The stock bushing design permits twisting from camber change not only from strut rod adjustment but from normal suspension movement. That's one of the main reasons rubber is far superior to poly in this instance.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
And if the bushing is bad / torn etc it then would no longer provide proper support and allow more twisting and therefor the camber under load will always move to the lowest point. This would be seen a negative camber at rest. Adjusting to a more up right position would then again set more stress at the bushings and further tear at the bushing both the TA and struts. If the strut bushing are also worn it would never rest at the same point twice. But I think based on the original question the fact that the camber has changed and if the strut bolt / eccentric cam position did not change there is movement somewhere else and I would bet that all 3 area's stub axles, strut bushings / TA bushing are all worn. The only other thought would be the strut rod is bent ?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
1) install a trailing arm and shim it.
2) install a wheel.
Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and see how much resistance there is in the bushing to typical camber changes (very little). Just like GM designed it.
Why do you think the all out road race guys put heim joints? According to your theory, their camber would be all over the place.
C6 the C5 of tomorrow
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,665
Likes: 2
From: Twin Cities Minnesota
Camber is controlled by the half shaft and the lower control arm ( the one from the spindle to the rear end). If the bushings on the lower control arm are bad the camber will change and the rear end will get squirrely.
If the half shafts have bad or loose u-joints the same thing will happen.
If the stub shaft going into the diff is worn..again..same effect.
you have to tighten those cam bolts really tight or they do slip.
the trailing arm bushing does not affect camber as looseness there causes the trailing arm to pivot around the half shaft / lower control arm axis.
changing camber WILL affect toe
Changing toe has zero to no effect on camber.
rear camber should be very slightly negative, from 0 to -.5 degrees, depending on how you want the car to feel.
Toe should be slightly in Less toe, more oversteer.
If the half shafts have bad or loose u-joints the same thing will happen.
If the stub shaft going into the diff is worn..again..same effect.
you have to tighten those cam bolts really tight or they do slip.
the trailing arm bushing does not affect camber as looseness there causes the trailing arm to pivot around the half shaft / lower control arm axis.
changing camber WILL affect toe
Changing toe has zero to no effect on camber.
rear camber should be very slightly negative, from 0 to -.5 degrees, depending on how you want the car to feel.
Toe should be slightly in Less toe, more oversteer.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
If I recall, didn't you also replace the stock spring?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Have you ever worked on one of these cars?
1) install a trailing arm and shim it.
2) install a wheel.
Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and see how much resistance there is in the bushing to typical camber changes (very little). Just like GM designed it.
Why do you think the all out road race guys put heim joints? According to your theory, their camber would be all over the place.
1) install a trailing arm and shim it.
2) install a wheel.
Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and see how much resistance there is in the bushing to typical camber changes (very little). Just like GM designed it.
Why do you think the all out road race guys put heim joints? According to your theory, their camber would be all over the place.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,096
Likes: 15