Front End Alignment Advice

[msampsel]

Posted this somewhere else - no response

where can one find appropriate bolts that don't have such a HUGE shulder. I don't have a die holder strin enuf to die M* bolts?

Got bolts at ACE, cut them with die from same. Put bolt in vice and used oil, now have long bolts. Never put nuts on them though. I just check the torque.

[ppeters914]

Posted this somewhere else - no response

where can one find appropriate bolts that don't have such a HUGE shulder. I don't have a die holder strin enuf to die M* bolts?

Got bolts at ACE, cut them with die from same. Put bolt in vice and used oil, now have long bolts. Never put nuts on them though. I just check the torque.

Grade 8, I hope.

The purpose of using nylok nuts is to (hopefully) prevent the loosening of the bolts thus reducing the need to regularly check the torque.

[rborison]

Linda - Hi - this is Ron from Louisiana. I just replaced the lower & upper control arms. Now the car is in drastic need of an alignment. My service manual & this website references castor and camber shims. Do you know a source for them?

Hope all is well with you. My roadster project is almost complete. I also did the volvo brake upgrade and got a new soft top on.

Regards,

Ron
70' Roadster 1600

A thread on the upper bolts:
http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... +arm+bolts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Those shims are nice unless the bolts get loose and then you lose them, so something to be said for washers. I found both on my car
Linda

[greydog]

That's sort of the point of having all the alignment shop equipment. These cars vary, especially over years of use so it's a trial and error process to achieve -1 castor on each car. It may take none or it might take 3.
Dan

[bikermike]

Shims should be availble at the alignment shop. The challenge may be finding an old-school shop that knows how to work on these cars. Newer shops all have computerized equipment and our cars are not in the system.

If you want to source your own shims, do an online search and you are likely to find several sources including Amazon and various auto parts stores. Your local auto parts store might even have a dusty box of shims on a shelf in the back.

[Linda]

Yes, I did not replace or add any shims. However Harbor Freight has a shim assortment pack. You could go to an alignment shop and ask them what shims they are likely to need and then source them . Adding the longer bolts to the control arm I needed to keep track of all the shims.
Linda

[bobd]

I use the Harbor Freight shims and when using more than one, I wire them together through hole on top. It makes them easier to handle.

[Linda]

Check out the suggested alignment specs in the Wiki too, as well as discussions in the archives.
A shop will not know the specs.
You can do some of the alignment yourself.
Once you are driving, take some pics of the Louisiana countryside, maybe on your way to a Cajun Cafe somewhere
Linda