'58 Front End Alignment

[David B.]

You guys have nursed me through a brake light fix and a bad stalling problem in the past two weeks. Now I need wisdom on front end alignment, please. I'm getting significant tire wear.

How can I find someone who still does alignment on these old cars and what should I know and be careful about?

Thanks again!

Dave

[John H.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

You guys have nursed me through a brake light fix and a bad stalling problem in the past two weeks. Now I need wisdom on front end alignment, please. I'm getting significant tire wear.

How can I find someone who still does alignment on these old cars and what should I know and be careful about?

Thanks again!

Dave

Dave -

Most of the guys who aligned C1's are taking dirt naps or using walkers, but there's nothing difficult about it - techs who haven't done one just need to be shown where the caster/camber adjustment is made; it's covered in Section 3 in the ST-12. The eccentric adjuster is inside the rear of the upper outer control arm bushing after removing the grease fitting (and loosening the clamp bolt at the top end of the spindle support, which isn't mentioned in the ST-12); take the ST-12 and a 1/4" allen wrench with you.

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Thanks, John. I do have a 1/4-inch allen wrench and an ST-12. :-) I'll check with my guys in the local 'Vette club about who's a good C1 man in my area.

>>dirt naps<<: When you really need a good night's sleep!

Dave

[Joseph L.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Another "pearl" to offer on the front alignment is to have the wheel & tire ( after their balancing together; etc.static balancing ) placed back on the suspension on driven rollers to balance the wheel & tire to the often non-centric brake drums (dynamic balancing)

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Thanks, Joseph. Good thought.

Incidentally, speaking of tire wear, how many miles do you guys get from your replica tires? Which brands of replicas seem to be the best value?

Is it my imagination, or are the replica tires softer than "modern" tires? I haven't compared hardness ratings, but it seems to me that tires for everyday cars seem to wear much better.

Dave

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Thanks again, everyone, for all your helpful suggestions. FYI, for anyone searching this thread in the future, I found an excellent description of the alignment process for solid-axle 'Vettes: [B]Aligning Your Solid Axle Chevrolet Corvette - The Mystery Alignment: How To Align Your Solid-Axle Corvette

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_0206_aligning_solid_axle_chevrolet_corvette/viewall.html

Excellent pictures of the key parts.

Dave

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Just curious: How are the rear wheels aligned?

Dave

[John H.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Just curious: How are the rear wheels aligned?

Dave

Dave -

They aren't, unless the axle has been damaged or has moved on the springs as a result of damage.

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Thanks, John. I learned that rear-wheel camber and toe-in are built into the axle housing. Apparently, the frame and rear springs control individual toe-in. If, as you note, the axle is damaged, the car will dog-track because the axle isn't square with the frame. Interesting.

Dave

[John H.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Thanks, John. I learned that rear-wheel camber and toe-in are built into the axle housing. Apparently, the frame and rear springs control individual toe-in. If, as you note, the axle is damaged, the car will dog-track because the axle isn't square with the frame. Interesting.

Dave

Dave -

By design, there is no camber or toe built into the rear axle; both are zero. If the axle is damaged or the springs don't locate the axle fore-aft exactly the same on both sides, it'll dog-track. We built some '69 Camaro rear axles for Trans-Am racing that had 1/2* negative camber on each side (remember the "Unfair Advantage"?), but they were very expensive and had some pretty fancy axle shaft and side gear spline broaching; the SCCA didn't like them (once they found them).

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Those are interesting insights, John. I'm learning quite a bit about alignment from you and the other guys here.

I Googled "Unfair Advantage Trans Am Racing" and got a ton of various hits and some YouTubes. Why did your Unfair Advantage irritate the SCCA?

Dave

[John H.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

I Googled "Unfair Advantage Trans Am Racing" and got a ton of various hits and some YouTubes. Why did your Unfair Advantage irritate the SCCA?

Dave

Because it was an illegal modification to a production axle.

[David B.]

Re: '58 Front End Alignment

Curiosity question: How many miles do you guys get from a set of tires? What's your rotation schedule and scheme? Do you rotate according to the manual or just go front to back?

Dave