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I now have the body back on my 73 with all the new front and rear suspension installed.
Gary Ramadei built my new Van Steel 2” offset trailing arms and I installed them using all new stainless steel shims.
When I removed the original trailing arms and shims, I kept the shims in sets marked as, inner and outer, drivers side and passenger side.
I measured the original shims and replaced them with the new shims in equal thickness sets installed in the same positions as the originals.
How do I know if they are right?
Where do I start to check them?
Thanks in advance,
Greg
I agree with the above. Install the thinnest shims first and the thicker ones last. That will allow you to lightly hammer the shims in without bending them. Make sure the shop that you use is familiar with C-2 and C-3s rear suspension. Jerry
It is possible to get your rear thrust angle and toe correct at home. But by far most of us are going to seek out a really good professional with a really good 4 wheel alignment machine.
With that in mind, get it close by eye. And your first stop when the car is completed is the alignment shop. And bring plenty of extra shims and those long cotter pins.
You did it right , just get it aligned when you get to it , I would not worry about bringing extra shims all they do is move them from one side of the bushing to the other for toe in adjustment.
how do you fit more shims? I just did mine last month we moved one shim on one side to the other on the right , on the left two shims got moved ... as long as the shims in place are of varied sizes which they were what would "plenty of shims" be used for?
how do you fit more shims? I just did mine last month we moved one shim on one side to the other on the right , on the left two shims got moved ... as long as the shims in place are of varied sizes which they were what would "plenty of shims" be used for?
because you may need to dial it in and you may not have the right combination. At least that was my experience.
because you may need to dial it in and you may not have the right combination. At least that was my experience.
I had every size available on my arms , granted everything is new all sizes came with it I am thinking the op put new stuff in , there is nothing extra shims could do , I would suspect if you had old shims and just thick ones and none of the thinner then you would need an assortment. But at that point buy the kit change them all.
because you may need to dial it in and you may not have the right combination. At least that was my experience.
hey, your gonna have left over shims. Just throw em in the car. What can it hurt. And yes to get it dialed in precisely you may need a different combination.
It is not hard at all to check toe-in. Two tape measures, and 2 straight edges. Done.
You can even do the trailing arms on jack stands, with no tires on. I did. That makes getting to the shims very easy, even while sitting on a stool! LOL
Clamp the straightedge to the hub.
At least that way it will drive somewhat normal on the way to the alignment shop!
Thanks everyone!
This is exactly what I was looking for.
I know I can only get it close but that’s all I’ll need until I get it professionally aligned front and rear.
I now have the body back on my 73 with all the new front and rear suspension installed.
Gary Ramadei built my new Van Steel 2” offset trailing arms and I installed them using all new stainless steel shims.
When I removed the original trailing arms and shims, I kept the shims in sets marked as, inner and outer, drivers side and passenger side.
I measured the original shims and replaced them with the new shims in equal thickness sets installed in the same positions as the originals.
How do I know if they are right?
Where do I start to check them?
Thanks in advance,
Greg
If you are interested in learning DIY Alignment method. You can follow this.
This works for me. I do / check alignments many times a year. I use my car for track days and developed a without to check alignment in minutes not hours.
This works for me. I do / check alignments many times a year. I use my car for track days and developed a without to check alignment in minutes not hours.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Originally Posted by leigh1322
It is not hard at all to check toe-in. Two tape measures, and 2 straight edges. Done.
Hey, Leigh...
Is there a certain brand of soup cans you recommend for the straight edge supports...? Does it matter if you have French Onion on the left and Tomato on the right?
Seriously, Leigh's setup as shown is remarkably accurate. The only thing you want to make sure of is that both sides are pointing straight forward: You can get the toe measurement "correct" yet have both wheels pointing towards one side or the other, inducing a "crab walk" condition.
It is not hard at all to check toe-in. Two tape measures, and 2 straight edges. Done.
You can even do the trailing arms on jack stands, with no tires on. I did. That makes getting to the shims very easy, even while sitting on a stool! LOL
Clamp the straightedge to the hub.
At least that way it will drive somewhat normal on the way to the alignment shop!
Originally Posted by lars
Hey, Leigh...
Is there a certain brand of soup cans you recommend for the straight edge supports...? Does it matter if you have French Onion of the left and Tomato on the right?
Seriously, Leigh's setup as shown is remarkably accurate. The only thing you want to make sure of is that both sides are pointing straight forward: You can get the toe measurement "correct" yet have both wheels pointing towards one side or the other, inducing a "crab walk" condition.
As always, I’m probably over thinking this.
I see what you are doing, but in the picture, what are you measuring from?
Are you measuring from a straight edge against the passenger side wheel?
Does this method work on the front as well as the rear?
Is there a tolerance regarding the outer diameter of the soup cans?
As Lars mentioned, does the flavor or brand make a difference? LOL
I bought one of these tools a number of years ago when I was doing a lot of suspension work. These worked for setting toe and camber very well. Little pricey if you are only going to use it once but I used it several times. I used to change the settings on my Cobra to try different things for handling. Works very well. Same idea as the cans above but a little more sophisticated.
Hey, Leigh...
Is there a certain brand of soup cans you recommend for the straight edge supports...? Does it matter if you have French Onion of the left and Tomato on the right?
Seriously, Leigh's setup as shown is remarkably accurate. The only thing you want to make sure of is that both sides are pointing straight forward: You can get the toe measurement "correct" yet have both wheels pointing towards one side or the other, inducing a "crab walk" condition.
You do want to use the larger family size cans. Just to get above the tire sidewall bulge at the bottom of tire. Also make sure tire pressures are the same.
How Do I Correctly Setup The Trailing Arm Shims
hey, your gonna have left over shims. Just throw em in the car. What can it hurt. And yes to get it dialed in precisely you may need a different combination.
