Temporay Alignment

MFB · 09-04-2002, 11:11 AM

Hey All,

I'm almost done with a brake/suspension overhaul. Just need to put on new shocks and struts. When I put the rear suspension back together I just bolted the spring plates onto the control arm without much regard for alignment. Now that I'm almost done with everything, I need to get the rear alignment set so I can at least safely drive it to a shop. I replaced my stock spring-plates with factory adjustable ones (thanks Noah!), so I don't have a reference to start from. Is there a good starting place for the eccentric bolts' positions (relative to the most eccentric part of the bolt)?

I'm not too concerned about the front since I installed the turbo tie-rods at the same length as the old ones and I didn't touch the uppper strut mounts.

billwagnon · 09-04-2002, 11:21 AM

I just had my 73 all apart for ride height.

The way I adjusted toe in was to look down at the rear wheel, and see how straight it is (very subjective).

I had marked the eccentric bolt before I took it out, put it in the same place, then noticed later the wheel was cocked way out. So I adjusted it to look right and the car tracks okay. I'm due for an alignment now I just need to get to the shop.

MFB · 09-04-2002, 11:29 AM

Thanks Bill...

I haven't played with the eccentric bolts, yet (except to remove and install them). Will there be a discernable movement of the wheel/hub as I turn the bolts?

KTL · 09-04-2002, 11:34 AM

When I "eyeballed" mine, the end result was a setup with way too much negative camber in the rear. The toe adjusters (the forward-most/small eccentric) were centered in the vertical slot and I adjusted the camber eccentric such that the trailing arm rose up just a little as I rotated the bolt. Like I said, I ended up with gobs of negative camber. Currently the toe eccentric is at the top of the slot and the camber eccentric is just slightly bearing on the trailing arm. It's still eyeballed as I haven't had it aligned yet.

Don't be overly concerned about the settings if you're taking it to the shop right away for the alignment. Just do your best to set both sides the same. It's not like you're going to lose control and crash going 50 mph to the shop. Mine's been eyeballed for longer than i'd like to admit and it tracks straight and quite steady at higher speeds. Handles like crap, but drives straight after disassembling the entire front and rear suspension!

billwagnon · 09-04-2002, 11:36 AM

yes, you'll definitely see it with the wheel on

it's hard to see the angle without the wheel on it, but when you are turning the toe-in (the small eccentric bolt) you'll see it pulling the trailing arm/wheel hub forward

I think it would be fairly simple to measure side-to-side after you get the wheels back on and then make additional adjustments. If the two are equal you'll be okay, but the car might look like it's moving at an angle down the road. The thing to avoid is unequal widths at the front and back of the back tires because then you'd be scrubbing the tires.