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I have had a number of C 3’s over the years, however the 1976 I have now just does not feel right while driving it. The car just seems a little unstable while driving down the roads. I confess I am not schooled on the front end geometry of the corvettes, but I have a feeling something is not quite right. The vehicle is a power steering model and has 70,000 mile and I have checked for undue ware on the front end and all seems tight.
I want to take it in for an alignment and would like to be sure I have the correct alignment specifications. The owners manual has a set of alignment specifications, and I have seen other manuals with similar specifications, but some what different.
So my question is should I use the specifications from the 1976 Owners Manual or are their a better set of numbers from the past experiences of other members?
Thanks in advance from the Forum Members.
Last edited by Capt Mac; Dec 10, 2025 at 04:47 PM.
Reason: Add photo
The biggie I have found as far as not wanting to drive straight is toe-in - both front and rear need to be toed in.
When I drag raced my '59 I toed out my rear axle as under heavy acceleration the wheels want to toe-in.
Later on for dedicated street driving I had to undo some of my "performance" modifications
Couldn't figure why my car wanted to wander until I found GM Tech Bulletin regarding needing toe-in for straight rear axle cars.
Re-bent the axle housing to achive toe-in and voila - nice rock steady - car just drives perfect now
i used the reset factory and very happy street spirited driving.
you need to find a good alignment shop and bring rear shims. Triple check all bushings and traling arm idler arm etc..
i know not part of alignment but check your axle end play for wear. I am still surprised how it improved handling when throwing the weight around from one side to another.
i do not have the van steel settings or experience to compare but again, drives perfect for me no track.
good luck!
this is my 71, drives perfect and I've put over 25k miles on the setup. Car handles great and no abnormal tire wear.
I know there is a slight twist / kink in the frame, but it never affected the car.
Bad Trailing arm bushings in the rear can make the car unstable. After 50 years they are probably toast. Bad rear wheel bearings or bad Strut rod bushings can cause this as well. I'm having these things redone this week. It's a big job.
hi, im in fishers noblesville and found belle tire off 37 and 141st. Guy was named chad and not always there. Hope he still is! i tipped well and he spent a lot of time tweaking.
Yes the rear suspension setup may even be more important than the front.
When it is off the car feels strangely squirrelly.
Everything Stingr69 said in post 9 is spot on.
Check rear wheel bearings for looseness
Check outer rear strut rod bushings for movement / deterioration
Check front trailing arm bushings for looseness / deterioration
Check for loose / missing trailing arm shims
Check inner half shaft yokes for movement in & out of diff
If any of the above is loose, fix that first. No use in doing an alignment.
Only when fixed would I would bother aligning the car.
Bring the guy a new set of stainless rear shims, he won't have them.
A new special long cotter pin too.
Honestly just go ahead and buy new screw adjustable rear strut rods.
Your alignment guy might hug you!
The front is pretty much the same as any other car, but not the rear.
Thanks for you info, I have received a ton of good information today. Yes a 50 yr old has a lot of worn out items……I can attest to that, 😉
time to put together a parts list.
Yes the rear suspension setup may even be more important than the front.
When it is off the car feels strangely squirrelly.
Everything Stingr69 said in post 9 is spot on.
Check rear wheel bearings for looseness
Check outer rear strut rod bushings for movement / deterioration
Check front trailing arm bushings for looseness / deterioration
Check for loose / missing trailing arm shims
Check inner half shaft yokes for movement in & out of diff
If any of the above is loose, fix that first. No use in doing an alignment.
Only when fixed would I would bother aligning the car.
Bring the guy a new set of stainless rear shims, he won't have them.
A new special long cotter pin too.
Honestly just go ahead and buy new screw adjustable rear strut rods.
Your alignment guy might hug you!
The front is pretty much the same as any other car, but not the rear.
This is what it looks like after they tear it down to fix all of that.... Needed my differential resealed. My trailing arm bushings and strut rod bushings were crumbling. Did the half shaft universal joints while we are in there already... nothing left under there now. It's a big job.
Help needed for wheel alignment specifications
