alignment woes ..offset bushings

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highflyer

highflyer

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I have had this car to 2 diff shops and driving it still sucks..i know little of aligning ..what im thinking of doing is to replace the upper arm bushings to offset..has anyone replaced the bushings with the spindle and lcr still connected i can remove the uca cam bolts and i have all the tooling to remove and replace the bushings with a impact gun using tooling iv made with 1/2 13 bolts and all necessary pullers and pusher bushings..anyone done it..do you have to take the load off the t bars..any help..j
 
You don't need to unload the T-bars. You could jack underneath the outer LCA to hold it at the neutral position where it would normally be with weight on the wheel, and to keep the UCA off its bumpers. After replacing bushings, don't tighten the cam bolts until the UCA is at its neutral position, otherwise it could shear the rubber if tightened when hanging down. Since in CA, you won't have all the rust problems others fight with. I coated my cam bolt shafts w/ grease so they can't rust-lock to the bushings.
 
Yeah, most shops don't know what their doing with something so simple, the best bet is to do it your damn self. Offset UCA are a good thing, just got done installing them myself!

The only thing you need a rack for is if you want laser straightness on the toe-in-out, which can be done by eye balling down the side wall to the back tire, while another person gently moves the wheel back and forth with the car on. Youtube alignment eclipse method.

Here is a great article to start.

http://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/front-end-alignment.html

Instruction on the direction to install:

index.php


Tips on installing them:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1803733

Enjoy!
 
They need to be using the new radial specifications below because the original was written for the bias ply tires.
 

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^I followed this chart and did the Typical Performance Street specs on my Duster. Drives pretty good to me, but I haven't had a lot of other cars to compare it to. The service writer at the shop tried to tell me how horrible it was going to drive because it was "out of spec". I just agreed and walked away.
 
i had the same thing happen to me, the guys didnt set the right camber. reason why? when you set your old hot rod straight down off the jack (from tires off ground) your car isnt sitting at ride height. roll it back or forward a couple feet n it will squat down where it needs to.

i noticed this on accident. inside of my tires are completely bald, and you can notice bad camber. i messed with the brakes for some reason, and when i sat it down off the jack the tires were straight up n down, n all perfect lookin. soon as i backed it outa the garage they went back to bein bowed in.

not sure if any of you guys have noticed this
 
highflyer said:
I have had this car to 2 diff shops and driving it still sucks..
Click to expand...

What kind of driveability problem are you experiencing? Did the shop give you a printout with specs? You don't necessarily need offset bushings to fix your car.....

Is there an alignment shop in your area that knows what they're doing....Ask around.
 
..yes tell us what your problem is...it may be a simple adjustment you can do.
these old suspensions are fairly simple.
 
In addition to the above, I would not assume that other bushings and ball joints are in an acceptable condition. It is very likely that everything and anything in the front end that moves shows some wear. If you are young and in shape, you can tear down and replace everything in the front end, all bushings and all ball joints in a day or two.
 
thanks for all the help guys..heres what im dealing.with.73 duster.changed k from /6 to v/8 all componets are brand new moog or e/susp..took it to a chain shop supplied specs.. my son was in a hurry so he could drive[youth]..got it back drove like terrible and having to correct steer..took it to a shop that does old school of which iv had experience with and everyone recomended..got it back and it still wanders and you have to overide it bring it back and it will go the other direction..back and forth.better than the chain shop tho.checked play in st box and its to spec...went back and told them about it and havnt had a chance to take it back... thot id do offset bushings first..HELP...J
 
an easy check would be " toe in "
a couple of straight pieces of steel against your front tires about 7 or 8 inches high on a block
front should be about 1/8" closer than the back
just a thought..
 
That can be an easy check..i can put a square against the tire and check which way the tire tilts [also]...tx..j
 
From an old front end tech. Wander is not enough + caster. Period.
I'll try to explain how to do it at home.

Jack up under lower ball joints, take tires off. Now loosen upper control arm bushings and crank them to the point of the upper ball joint is as far back as possible. This is positive caster.

Now the tricky part. Get a level on the drum or rotor, it may take shims to clear the hub. Straight up and down with the level. Now camber adjustment. Rotate the front cam to get what you want. You may have to rotate the rear com to get there, meanwhile losing some caster.

You can only get so much caster, without mods.

Pu on ground ,roll it. toe-in. A tape from same tread on each side. Back first, then front. Adjust tie-rods to make front smaller by 1/16".

Now your are an alignment guy. and will love the positive caster.
 
Forgot, if it pulls to one side, that side needs less caster. Start all over. I used to work at a Chebby dealer, smack in the middle of old lady's. Moan about the car pulling, until I figured out what crowned streets they used, Then adjusted caster for that.
 
Thanks for that its worth a try,,i can try that with a few questions im sure.loosen upper c a bush..rear bushing or both front and rear..or is it both sides..one side at a time imsure..adjust rear.. in would pull bj back...in on the front will pull bj forward...correct?
 
..you got it HF.
front bushing all out,rear bushing all in
bring rear bushing out until your wheel is vertical, + or - a hair
adjust toe and you'll be pretty close
 
One last thing that might help is set ride height to factory spec, use photo on the left, it's the 'a' body style. Subtracted difference between 'A' and 'B' should be 2 1/2", + or - an 1/8".


heightmeasure1_zpscf5ba2d8.jpg
 
Darn you guys make it sound easy...i cant wait to try it tomorrow or sunday..i knew i was going to have trouble with height, so i made this tool to set it with..tomorrow morning bfgs and wheels..i really really appreciate all the help thanks...j
 

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It is easy. Your gonna work harder driving to staples to get the 'button'. :burnout:
 
WELL..the best laid plans of mice and men....................havnt had a chance yet to crawl under there dr app tues so prolly wed..ill post when i do tho for sure..j
 
Just like that little dog ..here wego..i had a dr app tues drove to berkley to look at a van on wed then to the local bait shop and booked a fishing trip for thurs and today..PULLED OUT THE CAR...started to align that beast and man was it easy..just like you all said..followed the insructions as best i could..had trouble jacking at the lower ball joint.so i supported it at the front of the hub with jackstands in two spots in case it slipped.left one side on wheels and worked on the other side moved front forward ball joint moved .pulled rear back and it moved back some more..put a precision level on it and moved the rear forward till it was perpindicular straight up and down and tightened all bolts..had a much more difficult time adjusting toe in.. not easy..very little adjustment moves front and rear dimension not just the rear.. got it but doing it myself while trying to hold and support the tape was a chore..finally put some two by fours to support the middle of the tape while measuring.. it has not driven this good ..i just went around the block havnt had a chance to go driving but i will..wander is gone massive corrections are or seem to be gone..i think i can lay my elbow on the door and drive with one hand..THANK YOU ALL....THANK YOU ALL...J
 
Yep, most shops will NOT put enough caster in. The original specs are for bias ply tires.
 
I'm a big fan of the eclipse technique, get one person to turn the car on, and gently move the steering enough to take any slop out, while keeping it centered. Eye ball down the sidewall plane, adjust until they are both lined up with the rear, then suck the front in a 1/16 in on the front average on both sides as the tires will move slightly of course.

There is a video on youtube about it.

Sounds like you have it though. I don't think these cars are picky, if it drives nice and flows well, roll it, if you listen you can hear a good alignment, the tires don't "rumble", and when you take a corner they don't lag (toe out) or dart (toe in). I can't wait to drive mine with the new offset bushings.

Glad it worked out for you J. :burnout:
 
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