What the heck am I doing wrong here? How can something so simple be so difficult to accomplish?
All I want to do is get this thing aligned so I can ENJOY it......is that asking too much?
Geeeeeez.....does someone, somewhere have a Kenny voodoo doll or what?
There are a few here that kinda know what I have been up to with this car, and to those I truly apoligize for the repeat rambling. But I feel in a way I am getting some closure to this predicament I find myself in. I am not trying to be a drama queen here.
A quick recap:

I have the 86 4+3 Z51 with new Bilsteins on all four corners and my goal is to get a softer ride. The related suspension and drivetrain work completed prior to getting an alignment:

Rear suspension
• replaced the Z-51 (NYU) spring with the base (NYR) spring for softer ride
• replaced the Bilstein shocks with the OE Delco shocks for a softer ride
• all new Superpro bushings
• new outer tie rod ends
• new spring lowering bolts
• new sway bar end link mounting kit

Front suspension
• replaced the Z-51 spring with the base (HKX) spring for softer ride
• replaced the Bilstein shocks with the OE Delco shocks for a softer ride
• all new Superpro bushings
• new sway bar upper link bushings
• new sway bar lower link housings w/ bushings
• sway bar poly frame bushings
• new hub and bearing assemblies
• new tie rod ends
• new upper & lower ball joints

Rear differential
• new bearing & seal kit
• new yoke axle bearings & seals
• new pinion nut & washer
• fluid drained & refilled with Royal Purple MaxGear with synerlac 75W-90 gear oil w/ friction modifier additive
• new Superpro batwing bushings
• new u-joints

Drive-train
• 4 speed fluid drained & refilled with Lucas 80W-90 heavy duty high performance gear oil
• overdrive transmission new filter, new output shaft seal, & fluid drained & refilled with Valvoline DEX/MERC automatic transmission fluid (non synthetic)
• new driveshaft u-joints
• c-beam bolts & nuts replaced with new driveline reinforcement plates

Turn One rebuilt stering rack w/ new inner tie rods, boots and bushings

WooHoo...off to the alignment shop. I get it aligned as good as it can be because the RR camber bracket was ‘wallered’ out too much to get closer than -0.3. All other specs look good. I missed this when I put things back togeather:


So I drive it for a while and one day while in the garage I happen to check the date code on the tires and they are nine years old. So in lieu of the few choices of 16" tires available, I decide to upgrade to 275/40ZR-17 FALKEN AZENIS FK460 A/S SL tires with American Racing 17X9.5 VN515 TORQ THRUST II POLISHED rims. I chose these rims just because I did not have to use any spacer or adapter. I do also like the look.

So, with the change of tires and rims, and the rear lowering bolts, I head off for what I am thinking will be a simple re-alignment. Oh how wrongggggg I am.
Alignment guy says that the exhaust is rubbing on the center jack part of the alignment rack and he will not be able to do an alignment. The exhaust on the car is all new but it is installed the same as the original exhaust.

So, to try to eliminate anything that will prevent me from getting this thing aligned the third time:
• I replace the RR camber bolt and bracket
• I changed the orientation of the saddle clamp that attaches the front y pipe to the main catalytic converter. The nuts are now more on the side rather than the bottom.

• I tighten the rear lolwering bolt nuts an additional 1/2 inch.

OK, so I am fairly confident that I can get it aligned this time, but oh how freaking wrong I am again. I am in the waiting room and I see the alignment guy going back and forth and then the manager walk back to the car and now I am really getting worried. The waiting room door opens and he brings me out to the rack and shows me why they can not align the car this time. The RR camber bracket that I replaced actually looks worse than the one I freaking replaced:


I remember this from Tom400CFI:
It seems like a lot of "Fuss" over little. You can buy the bracket and camber bolt, and shut the alignment shop up. But functionally, all the alignment shop NEEDS to do, is move the lower arm in....or out. It doesn't matter if there is slop in the mechanism that moves the arm in and out; that mechanism is not what holds the arm in place, once adjusted and tightened. It's the tightening of the mounting ears onto the inner steel sleeve in the bushing, that "locks" the arm's position in place. I'd think that w/a little effort, the alignment shop ought to be able to make the original cam and bracket work "fine", for moving the arm in and out.

When I mentioned this to the manager of the shop, you'd think I threatened to kill his dog, he was not listening to any of that, and in fact, in so many words he was telling me I was wrong. When I told him that I torqued that nut down to 185 ft/lbs, he told me that there was no way that was correct and that sounded more like an axle nut to him. He went onto AllDATA and could not even find the torque settings for that. There is not one thing I can do but take the damn thing back home.

I drove down the street about a mile to another shop that has been around since I was a kid, and had the guy come out and look at the car and get his opinion. He tells me that what Tom400CFI states is exactly correct, and that he has ways to get that to work. So I am taking it in for the forth time and hopefully I can "git er dun".

So to go back to the very beginning of this post.........What the heck am I doing wrong here? What did I do or not do that made that new cam bracket I installed get like that in just the drive up to the alignment shop? (about half a mile)

I am beginning to think, it would have been, maybe not easier, but definitely quicker if I would have taken the exhaust off from the front y pipe back before taking it to the alignment shop. Take that, Mr. Alignment guy, try to tell me the exhaust is rubbing now. Better yet, show me where the exhaust is rubbing. I seriously beleive the guy never wants to see me or my 'Vette' ever again.

At this point I'm thinking I need to be taken out behind the barn and shot and put out of my misery.
But wait, I don't even own a gun....you can call home and ask my wife. Oh, wait a minute, I don't have one of those either. SOL for sure. Charlie Daniels ain't got nuttin on me.

So to wrap up the worst thing about this in MHO.....I live in Central Illinois and I am getting my alignment done on September 29, two days from October. Almost time to put the thing away for the winter.

Looking around, I have noticed that the rear strut rod camber bolt kit that everyone is selling comes with a spring lock washer. If I were to replace one of these, would I use that lock washer? The FSM or the GM parts book does not show a lock washer.

With all of this work completed, I do want to mention that I have kept the OE wheels, springs, new Bilstein shocks, and anything else Z51 related for this car. The car can be changed back to the Z51 at any time.

I appreciate any and all comments.

Kenny