camber??
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,611
Likes: 5
From: Thousand Oaks California
How are you going to measure caster and camber?
Loosen the lower control arm cam bolt nuts.
Rotate the cam bolts to the required caster or camber specification setting. Refer to Wheel Alignment Specifications .
Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.
Maintain the caster or camber setting while tightening the cam bolt nuts.
Tighten the front lower control arm cam bolt nuts to 170 N·m (125 lb ft).
Important: Check the toe setting AFTER changing camber or caster.
Check the caster and camber settings after tightening.
Adjust the caster and camber setting if necessary.
Loosen the lower control arm cam bolt nuts.
Rotate the cam bolts to the required caster or camber specification setting. Refer to Wheel Alignment Specifications .
Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.
Maintain the caster or camber setting while tightening the cam bolt nuts.
Tighten the front lower control arm cam bolt nuts to 170 N·m (125 lb ft).
Important: Check the toe setting AFTER changing camber or caster.
Check the caster and camber settings after tightening.
Adjust the caster and camber setting if necessary.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,837
Likes: 4
The cam arm bolt nuts (what a mouthful) are quite tight, access to the adjusters is limited, and the darn things move when you try to tighten them. And the camber and castor adjustments interact. So you really need an alignment rack in order to make this anything other than an excercise in frustration and skinned knuckles.
That being said, here's the field expedient method - say you're at the track and need to change it right now.
Lift the car and get it level by shimming the jackstands. Measure the level across the machined areas below the suspension mounting bolts using a 4-foot level and a pair of 1 inch or so guage blocks.
Mark the original position of the adjuster cams. A Sharpie works well for this. You may need this if things go squirrely!
Remove the front wheels. Reach over, under around and through the suspension parts in order to loosen the cam arm bolt nuts. Adjust the cam bolts to get the camber 0.5 degree more negative than what you want. Holding these firmly, tighten the cam arm bolt nuts and torque them.
You'll note that the front has two adjusters, the rear only one (on the forward A-arm). The adjuster cams have marks on them; each mark seems to be around 0.2 degrees. Start by adjusting the front cams by the same amount to minimize the castor change, or give the rear front cam another half a tick because you probably want more castor anyway.
You can probably do the rear without removing the wheels. If not, well, what's 10 more nuts.
Now lower the car and check the camber. It should be pretty close, if not raise it and repeat the above procedure. Whee.
Ignore the Wheel Alignment Specifications unless the car is only driven by your grandmother to church on Sundays. About -1.5 to -1.8 degrees front and -1.0 to 1.2 degrees rear seems to work pretty well for moderately agressive driving. Front toe in seem to work well at around 0.10 to 0.15 degrees per side, toe the rear out about half as much as the front is toed in. Go with the factory caster specification of 7.9 degrees or maybe a little more.
There are some other specs posted on the forum, you might want to search for them.
You'll want a 21mm deep socket, a 21mm socket or wrench (socket works better), rachet, torque wrench, and a nice long breaker bar. And a 22mm crows-foot and 13mm wrench for the tie rods.
The front nuts are torqued to 125 lb-ft, the rear to 107. The tie rod end bolts are torqued to 50 lb-ft.
The tie rods seem to adjust around 0.5 degree per turn. Roughly speaking, a degree of camber change makes a degree of toe change, so you definitely have to adjust the toe after doing the camber.
The cams actually make this pretty easy compared to some cars where you just slide some fool thing around in two dimensions until you get frustrated and just set it all the way negative. Or have to cut metal to get enough camber. But it isn't easy getting in there where you can see things and turn them unless you've got pretty good clearance under the car.
Good Luck!
That being said, here's the field expedient method - say you're at the track and need to change it right now.
Lift the car and get it level by shimming the jackstands. Measure the level across the machined areas below the suspension mounting bolts using a 4-foot level and a pair of 1 inch or so guage blocks.
Mark the original position of the adjuster cams. A Sharpie works well for this. You may need this if things go squirrely!
Remove the front wheels. Reach over, under around and through the suspension parts in order to loosen the cam arm bolt nuts. Adjust the cam bolts to get the camber 0.5 degree more negative than what you want. Holding these firmly, tighten the cam arm bolt nuts and torque them.
You'll note that the front has two adjusters, the rear only one (on the forward A-arm). The adjuster cams have marks on them; each mark seems to be around 0.2 degrees. Start by adjusting the front cams by the same amount to minimize the castor change, or give the rear front cam another half a tick because you probably want more castor anyway.
You can probably do the rear without removing the wheels. If not, well, what's 10 more nuts.
Now lower the car and check the camber. It should be pretty close, if not raise it and repeat the above procedure. Whee.
Ignore the Wheel Alignment Specifications unless the car is only driven by your grandmother to church on Sundays. About -1.5 to -1.8 degrees front and -1.0 to 1.2 degrees rear seems to work pretty well for moderately agressive driving. Front toe in seem to work well at around 0.10 to 0.15 degrees per side, toe the rear out about half as much as the front is toed in. Go with the factory caster specification of 7.9 degrees or maybe a little more.
There are some other specs posted on the forum, you might want to search for them.
You'll want a 21mm deep socket, a 21mm socket or wrench (socket works better), rachet, torque wrench, and a nice long breaker bar. And a 22mm crows-foot and 13mm wrench for the tie rods.
The front nuts are torqued to 125 lb-ft, the rear to 107. The tie rod end bolts are torqued to 50 lb-ft.
The tie rods seem to adjust around 0.5 degree per turn. Roughly speaking, a degree of camber change makes a degree of toe change, so you definitely have to adjust the toe after doing the camber.
The cams actually make this pretty easy compared to some cars where you just slide some fool thing around in two dimensions until you get frustrated and just set it all the way negative. Or have to cut metal to get enough camber. But it isn't easy getting in there where you can see things and turn them unless you've got pretty good clearance under the car.
Good Luck!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,146
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta
wow...i really appreciate all of the help guys! after reading your advise im just going to bite the bullet and take it to a good shop to have all 4 wheels done right once and for all. i didnt want to spend the money but i need to get new front tires anyhow so might as well do them both at the same time. thanks again!
