Avanti 1963 - 1985 Wheel Alignment specs ---------------------------------- Adjustment at TieRods- Toe-in: 3/16 to 1/4 inch. (This spec is for bias ply tires. If you are using radial ply, then 1/16 to 1/8 inch) (See note below) I've used almost '0' with radials for a long time, but you have to have very good tie rod ends to accomodate this or else you feel a kind of 'wander'. Adjustment at Kingpins, upper outer pin- Caster: (See Note 1) -3/4 degree to +3/4 degree (0' preferred) (Negative caster will augment the 'shopping cart' wobble possibility if your tierods are worn). Regardless of the 'Spec", which was really for ease of steering the heavy front end of Studebaker cars, it's worth your effort to get as much positive caster as possible. Positive caster enhances your car's centering ability when you are recovering from a turn. With positive caster, the front of the car is lifted when you turn the steering wheel. Letting go of the wheel allows the car to settle and will spin the steering wheel in your hands. The more positive caster, the more centering ability but the car will seem harder to turn. Adjustment at Kingpins, upper outer pin- Camber: 0 to 1 degree, with +1/2 degree more on drivers side (Camber can be a problem on older cars. The upper inner control arm pin has an offset mount. It is usually installed with the offset toward the inside of the car, allowing an extra 2 degrees of camber. Check this if you can't get the camber correct. There is also a possibility that the bolts holding the upper inner pin in place have elongated the holes in the frame from being loose at one time. This will result in the arm being pulled outward, creating a POSITIVE camber (Leaning out at top) situation. You can have large washers welded in place to correct the positioning to get it back in line. On the opposite side of the problem, if you have too much negative camber, (leaning in at the top) then in addition to the above, consider that the main crossmember is sagging or may be cracked. Look for cracks around the upper cup holding the spring in the frame pocket or along the top around the engine mounts. This is not unheard of, given the weight of the Studebaker engine. If this is the case and repair is undertaken, be sure the mechanic suspends the front of the car by the center of the crossmember before welding. This will spread the crossmember back closer to spec and give the needed position of the control arms. ====== Stude front suspensions often will not adjust to match the caster specifications in the manual. I have seen kingpins which show signs of having been heated and bent with a pipe wrench to get more caster. I have also seen stacks of washers inserted under the top front and rear lower a-arm to get more caster. Jack Vines Apr 02 =========== The Stude front end...by design (right or wrong!) has very little caster or camber adjustability. The excentric adjuster bar / stud (not sure of the real name!) will go into a bind if one trys to adjust too much caster...one way or the other... into the mix. It's a fairly strong design....just not very adjustabile friendly. The caster is limited by the amount of excentric in the adjuster arm / stud. "IF" your rubber a-arm bushings are in good shape, you can probably get away with "book" toe-in figures( bias ply tires ). If things are a bit warn......you may have to crank in a little more toe-in. And yes... also as the others have said,,,,a wheel with the rim having more offset to the outside of the car, will increase the darting feeling.....and worse if the bushings are in bad shape. A wheel with the rim to the inside of the car will also give a little better "feel" while down the street. Most never notice....but it's there. It's that scrub thing someone mentioned. It's not a big deal by itself....but with everything being out of spec. it does add to your problems. It's also a "no harm...no foul" type thing when driving straight, but as soon as the steering wheel is turned...the more it's turned, the worse it gets. The geometry discipline is that a line projected thru the king-pin, should terminate in the exact mid point of the tire patch, while on the ground. Also check to verify that the a-arm attachment points are tight and crack free. Check the frame at "all" of the attachment points for cracking. =========== King pin inclination: 6 degrees rearward at 0 degrees camber. With the inside wheel at a 20 degree turn angle, the outside wheel angle should be 17 - 18 degrees. Note 1: With Frame HORIZONTAL, forward to back and right to left Note 2: at curb load ( if you're particular, load 150# worth of sandbags in the Drivers side You have to understand that the car must be level to effectively align it. Weak springs (front or rear) have to be dealt with as does the correct AIR PRESSURE in your tires. To adjust the camber/caster, remove the grease fitting from the upper outer rear trunnion cap, loosen the pinch bolt at the top of the kingpin. Insert a 1/4" allen wrench into the grease fitting hole where it will fit into the rear of the upper pin. The upper outer pin is a machined eccentric forging. By rotating the pin one full turn, you increase or decrease the caster by one degree and move thru the entire range of camber. Use your best judgement in selecting a shop to align your car. DO: Ask the shop if they know the procedure above.... AVOID: (A) Any shop that offers to BEND the kingpin to get the alignment correct. This is a method used on some trucks and will permanently damage your car. If there is a problem, consider the information above and get a second or third opinion. (B) Any shop that can't tell you how to align the car before you commit to doing it. Probability is they never did it and won't get it right. If you have a good alignment and raise the rear of the car with air or spring loaded shocks, you'll affect the caster and the road feel will change dramatically. For every inch the rear goes up, you can knock off 1 degree of caster (est) -------------------------------------- MORE Stuff!!!!!!! An old Total Performance article tells where you can attach the top inner A-frame Pin to heavy angle iron and attach the angle iron to the frame. This allows one to use shims like the Chevy Boys. /////Cut a piece of L-Channel (8 inches), block it against the upper inner pin while it's attached to the frame. Mark the centerline of the bolt holes. Tack weld the engine side of the channel. Remove the upper A-arm, drill some holes thru the channel and frame to give areas to spot weld. Also weld a bead now at the outer edge. Drill the mounting bolt holes (high enough to allow the eccentric to rest on the frame) and mount the upper arm in the channel. Use Grade 8 SAE bolts and a good grade of washers to give camber and caster adjustments Ed Apr 02////////// --------------------------------------- NOTE: Toe-in ( You NEED some!) If you could visualize that all mechanical components have an engineered clearance in order to turn, slide, and generally function and this clearance has to be taken up by working loads to operate smoothly. It's better to have a little bit of toe-in to take up any slack in the tie rods, wheel bearings and suspension components. Even as little as 1/16 is acceptable for radials. I've never heard of having no toe-in, even late model cars have about 1mm. Regardless of what the intention was, when first used, the toe adjustment will cause the tire to angle inwards slightly, causing a force vector that removes the free clearance from the operating environment. If you jack the car up and support the A-arm, you can take the tire at 9 & 3 o clock and move the wheel in and out slightly. You can do this even with new components installed. Zero toe can give you an unsettling directional feel in the steering wheel also, when the unrestrained clearances shift back and forth. rj