Tweet
I am nearing the assembly of my rear suspension. I am going to start by first installing the diff. and all attaching brackets,trailing arms, strut rods, 1/2 shafts then the spring. Any thoughts or suggestions? In regards to my trailing arms, how many shims on both sides should I start with? Dick
-
-
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
Dick:
You have to put in a sufficient amount to completely fill the gap. The last shim should go in with a hammer. I would put an equal thickness on both sides, as a starting point, then get her over to the alignment shop pronto.
Joe -
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
Joe: I forgot to mention I am doing a body-Off. So my chassis is all apart and I am reassembling it. Do some people take their restored rolling chassis in for alignment?? Also, in regards to the front alignment, what is best way to align when everything is new and rebuilt? I have seen where people use 2x4 blocks of wood on the rim of the front wheels in order to take their measurements. Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks!Comment
-
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
Dick -
The chassis has to have the body on it and be at full curb weight, with the suspension at design height, in order to be aligned properly. You can do a rough approximation of camber at each end using a couple of spacer blocks and a vertical level (enough to get you to the alignment shop, anyway), but front caster is a crapshoot until it's on the alignment rack, as caster and camber are interdependent and must be set together. Toe can be rough-set with a yo-yo measurement across the front and rear of the tires.Comment
-
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
No (aligning raw rolling chassis)...you need the full weight of the body on the frame to execute a correct alignment. However, once the body and most of the weight components (seats, steering column, dash) are installed, you can get it 'close' in your shop before you drive to the alignment shop. Just take a plumb line from front to rear 'kissing' the outside edges of the tires and shim until they're straight/true (front and back side of front tire to front and back side of rear tire). Let the alignment shop do the final tweaks for you....Comment
-
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
You can probably get the toe-in set up quite accurately if the body is off.
The important thing to remember is that the total rear toe-in must be equally divided between each wheel.
To accomplish this, block the rear suspension up (spring disconnected) to the proper "D" height per the AIM or service manual. Measure the center points of the frame front and rear, then lay a string across these points to define the centerline. Place some bobs at the front and rear edges of the tires, and shim each wheel to obtain 1/32" toe-in per wheel. Your measurements will be between the front/rear centers of each tire and the bob strings hanging from the center string. Also take some total toe-in measurements between the tires as a cross check.
You should still have the alignment checked on a good four-wheel alignment machine after the car is completed and you will get some feedback on how good you are at DIY alignment.
I would recommend you set the toe-in with at least one thin shim on each side of the trailing arm bushing. The last shim to install should be thick and it should require tapping in to be sure the clearance is completely taken up.
If a minor toe-in adjustment is required on the alignment machine, it can be accomplished simply be swapping thin shim(s) from one side of the trailing arm to the other.
DukeComment
-
Re: Rear Suspension Assy./Trail. Arm Shims
Helpful hint for someone that's doing this for the first time. Mark the shims during disassembly. I wrap them in masking tape and mark by side and location. During assembly you can or replace with same thickness new shims. This will give you a good starting point for the realignment. This also goes for the upper control arms.Comment
Comment