My "new" '74 Duster- or why I need a project like a hole in the head
So after all that I put it back on ground, reset the ride height and did another alignment. It sits a bit lower, not much. The rear springs have settled a little more, like an 1/8" or so. The front I lowered just under a 1/4" compared to where I was. Yeah, doesn't sound like much but it makes it obvious from all angles that the tops of the tires are covered by the fenders, so while it may not sound like much visually it makes a difference. Rear wheel openings are now 25 7/8" from the ground through the axle, front openings are 24 5/8". Oh, and I rolled the front fender lips for more clearance. I was pretty much all out before, so I needed to roll to go lower.
I set the alignment up at -1* camber, +6.25* caster, and 3/32" toe in. That's with the SPC caster/camber bubble gauge and a set of toe plates anyway. I'm going to put a few miles on it, make sure I don't have any issues and then take it to have it checked on a rack to confirm my home alignment. A quick trip around town and the steering feels a bit lighter compared to when I had the +7* of caster, have to see how it is on the freeway. The easier turning effort at slow speed is noticeable though, and with the 16:1 manual steering that may work out good. Just set it to +8* and then back it down till your arms don't hurt right?
So after all that I put it back on ground, reset the ride height and did another alignment. It sits a bit lower, not much. The rear springs have settled a little more, like an 1/8" or so. The front I lowered just under a 1/4" compared to where I was. Yeah, doesn't sound like much but it makes it obvious from all angles that the tops of the tires are covered by the fenders, so while it may not sound like much visually it makes a difference. Rear wheel openings are now 25 7/8" from the ground through the axle, front openings are 24 5/8". Oh, and I rolled the front fender lips for more clearance. I was pretty much all out before, so I needed to roll to go lower.
I set the alignment up at -1* camber, +6.25* caster, and 3/32" toe in. That's with the SPC caster/camber bubble gauge and a set of toe plates anyway. I'm going to put a few miles on it, make sure I don't have any issues and then take it to have it checked on a rack to confirm my home alignment. A quick trip around town and the steering feels a bit lighter compared to when I had the +7* of caster, have to see how it is on the freeway. The easier turning effort at slow speed is noticeable though, and with the 16:1 manual steering that may work out good. Just set it to +8* and then back it down till your arms don't hurt right?
