[deguitars]

Thinking a quick stop at the alignment shop would be the last stop in my quest to solve a couple of issues with my '82 SC, I was flustered that it actually came back worse-off after a four wheel alignment the other day. I have two issues.

Problem #1.) When I got the car earlier this year it tracked more or less straight down the road but had a nasty pull to the right when the brakes were applied. But, strangely, not always! Thinking first things first, I replaced all four flexible brake hoses, flushed the system with fresh fluid, and installed a new set of brake pads up front. The wheels turned freely so I didn't think, at the time, it could be a stuck caliper piston.

Then I had it aligned. And, like I said above, that only made things worse! The car now drifts to the right constantly, and still pulls to the right under braking, but still not always!

As I recall, the alignment shop attempted to get near to 0 degrees camber on the front (saying that was the spec) but the struts were all the way up against the sheet metal so getting zero was impossible. I've talked this over with the shop and he has agreed to take another look at it, saying something about putting the camber back in since that might be aggravating the situation. According to him, everything was within spec when he finished.

So I'm trying to educate myself on this issue before I go back next week. Is this issue typical of these cars, or is there something else that could be contributing to the problem that I'm overlooking? Is there an optimal alignment set up for the street which I should relay to the tech?

One other thing worth mentioning is I believe it's the RH side brake rotor that is worn thinner on one side than the other. I pointed this out awhile back, to a different mechanic, while the hoses were being replaced but he didn't seem to think it a problem. Clearly, this would indicate a sticking piston (at least at some point) but the wheel spins freely now so I'm stumped on this issue.


Problem #2.) This concerns the rear, but may be related to the above issue? The RH rear wheel appears to have significantly more camber than the LH side, even after alignment. As for ride height, measured at the fender lip, there is around 1/4" differential from one side to the other. That doesn't strike me as much? (by the way, front heights are identical) I then measured each side from the bottom of the torsion bar bushing plate to the floor (thinking fenders lip heights might not be the most accurate point) and these dimensions were nearly as identical as they could be.

So with all that said I'm wondering if I don't really have multiple issues? Can the rear wheel issue push the front end around that much? What did my alignment guy align if the rear camber issue remained after he was done? I watched him the whole time and he did adjust the RH rear wheel, I just don't know for what. He's experienced with 911s and came highly recommended. Or maybe it's time to dig into the front calipers?

Any thoughts or suggestions from those who may have been down this road before me would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
David