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I resently did a DIY alignment.
It went well except I found the driver's side Camber adjustment stopped at +1 degree and is specified to be +1/4 to +3/4 degree.
Maybe someobe can help me understand what I have and how to "fix" it.
I'm the original owner. The car has had 3 curb wrecks. 1 on the passenger side and 2 on the driver's side. 2 due to lose of traction and 1 due to being blinded by the sun and turning across the end of a concrete medium at and intersection. All of them busted tires.
The last one on the driver's side was nasty - dented the wheel, twisted the control arm and bent the ball joint pushing the wheel into the back of the wheel well and requiring a tow. I had to cut the control arm into pieces to get at the ball joint bolts. I did not notice any other parts damage. Since then I have new suspension bushings, stabilizer bar links, control arms, tie-rod ends, ball joints and front shocks (strut inserts).
Observations, after failing to be able to adjust the driver's side Camber, show the driver's side strut well to have a bit of a crown to it. It is not obvious. The only other possibly related onservation is that the gap between hood and fender is greater on that side. The Camber adjustment has about an inch and a half of play and the difference between Dimple to Notch dimensions, at top of strut well, passenger side to driver side, is about 1 1/4" ... there nothing I'm seeing anywhere twisted or dented to that degree. Note also that the Camber adjustment is as set by the Factory or Volvo Dealership (assuming the dealer touched the camber last it was ever aligned).
If I make the distance between top of strut mount and ball joint longer will it create more positive Camber despite the lack of angle adjustment? Or will I only be raising the ride height - or both?
It does not seem that slipping washers between the strut mount and top of strut well is a good idea since it would reduce the bearing area of the strut mount. A custom plate to act like a huge washer seems in order but would be substantially more work.
The only other place I can see to shim the strut is between the ball joint and control arm. It looks like it may only angle the control arm more and not induce more negative Camber at all (?).
Any insight or suggestions?
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