offset bushing
As far as I'm concerned, the k7103 offset bushings are a mandatory upgrade if you run radial tires. The factory parts put your alignment into a range of adjustment that is suitable for bias ply tires, and ONLY bias ply tires. That range of adjustment barely overlaps anything that I would consider tolerable for a radial tire alignment.
Seriously, take a look at the factory specs
Positive camber. Positive. Negative caster. That is what the stock parts are designed to get you for an alignment. That's a disaster for radial tires. You literally need the opposite. And when you make the camber negative, you limit the amount of positive caster you can get.
By adding the offset bushings you can get into using the SKOSH chart I posted above for setting your alignment. It's an older chart and honestly it's a little conservative as far as I'm concerned, especially for caster. But if you're just trying to build a street car with decent handling it works well. And with the offset bushings you can usually dial in a little negative camber and still get a few degrees of positive caster. And for a cruiser that's fine, the car will track much better and you'll have some return to center. Obviously the alignment specs also depend on the ride height.
So, I look at the offset bushings as a stock rebuild part unless you're running bias ply's. They're the minimum. You're not going to get to corner carver status with them, but you can get to what the factory would have spec'd if they'd built these cars for radials.
With a power steering set up you should have some "return to middle" from the steering box itself. What kind of numbers are you getting for your alignment?
As far as I'm concerned, the k7103 offset bushings are a mandatory upgrade if you run radial tires. The factory parts put your alignment into a range of adjustment that is suitable for bias ply tires, and ONLY bias ply tires. That range of adjustment barely overlaps anything that I would consider tolerable for a radial tire alignment.
Seriously, take a look at the factory specs
Positive camber. Positive. Negative caster. That is what the stock parts are designed to get you for an alignment. That's a disaster for radial tires. You literally need the opposite. And when you make the camber negative, you limit the amount of positive caster you can get.
By adding the offset bushings you can get into using the SKOSH chart I posted above for setting your alignment. It's an older chart and honestly it's a little conservative as far as I'm concerned, especially for caster. But if you're just trying to build a street car with decent handling it works well. And with the offset bushings you can usually dial in a little negative camber and still get a few degrees of positive caster. And for a cruiser that's fine, the car will track much better and you'll have some return to center. Obviously the alignment specs also depend on the ride height.
So, I look at the offset bushings as a stock rebuild part unless you're running bias ply's. They're the minimum. You're not going to get to corner carver status with them, but you can get to what the factory would have spec'd if they'd built these cars for radials.
With a power steering set up you should have some "return to middle" from the steering box itself. What kind of numbers are you getting for your alignment?