Changing strut rods

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coffeedart67

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Got wondering if the aftermarket strut rods(steel ones from Mancinis)could be my issue with my front end, so I have a stock pair coming. Can strut rods be changed with out removing control arms? Or should I have another shop check/adjust alignment and let them change strut rods, if they think that is my problem.
Here is the thread on my alignment problems.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=244652

Thanks
Aaron
 
In your other thread you mention a serious left&right difference in tire location.

coffeedart67 said:
... but noticed tonight that the drivers side tire is only about an inch and a half( or so) from the front lip of the fender while the passenger side is maybe 2- 3 inchs from the fender lip this is with the wheels pointed straight ahead. ...
Click to expand...


I would say either the fender, or more likely your car's suspension has been hit hard on the pass.side which pushed the rightside LCA/K-member/whoknows out of whack.

I would first do some measuring of known points on the suspension parts left & right compared to fixed points on the rearaxle for instance, to find out first what's causing that difference you've noticed.
 
I second him^^^
Or take it to a good frame shop and have them check it out, see if you need to have the frame pulled. We had to on our 70 Mr. Norms challenger, there are some very good frame tables out there
 
Did you have the car re-aligned? And have you changed the tires? And it's still pulling?

The measurement difference to the fender from the tire doesn't concern me. These cars left the factory with a tolerance of +/- 1/4" from the factory, and that's on the suspension. You could have a 1/2" difference from the fender to the tire side to side and still be in spec as far as the suspension and alignment are concerned. With that measurement you're taking into account body tolerances, tire tolerances, alignment tolerances, frame tolerances, ALL of it. Too many variables.

The strut rods, as long as they're the same length, aren't your problem. The only way your strut rods are causing a problem like that is if one of them is bent, or if they're different lengths. Otherwise, they're going to locate the LCA in the same place relative to the K frame. Maybe that's not the "right" spot, but its not going to cause a side to side difference.

The 19 year old tires scare the crap out of me. There's no way I'd drive a car on 19 year old tires at any significant speed for any significant distance. And if the tires are 19 years old, I'd guess they've sat for a long time as well. Could easily cause a pulling issue. The other issue that might be causing the location problem is the lower control arm bushings. If your tires are 19 years old, I'd bet that the LCA bushings have never been changed either. If one side is worn out, that could be your issue. If the suspension has never been rebuilt with new bushings, I'd start there. Its a lot more likely you've got worn out bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends etc, than a frame problem unless you suspect the car was hit.

What are your new alignment specs?
 
I rebuilt the suspension last summer, everything new(PST). The tire placement doesn't concern me as much as the ride quality/handling doesn't seem to be as good as it was before. I am going to call around and try and find a shop to realign it, then have new tires put on. That may sound backwards, but when I had the last tires put on, they did the tires, then the alignment and found the idler arm was bad(discontinued part even back then)so drove it home (40 miles). I ended up ordering a idler arm from Kanter and drove it back to the shop for alignment and they had a fit cause the tires were already showing wear.
 
Until the car is re-aligned I wouldn't change any parts if everything is rebuilt. You have enough cross-caster on your alignment to be causing the car to pull. Changing the tires after the alignment makes sense to me, but keep in mind they could also be part of the problem. So keep in mind if you drive your car after its been aligned to the proper specs, but before it has new tires, it may not fix all of the issues.

Make sure you get an alignment to the proper specs as well. The skosh chart posted on your other thread is a good place to start. Something in the ballpark of -.25 to -.5 degrees camber, +3 degrees caster, and 1/16" to 1/8" (max) toe in would be decent for a street driver with radials.

If your shop won't align to those specs, find a new shop. The original alignment specs for these cars that are "in the book" are for bias ply tires, not radials, and are dead wrong for radial tires.
 
You may want to do some simple cross measurements. Left lower ball joint to "X". Right lower ball joint to "X". "X" being some point under the car that is the same side to side.

Also do a quick wheelbase measurement side to side (front wheel center to rear wheel center).

Grab a tape measure and a friend.
 
Why does everybody think aligning a car is hard? If you can install strut rod bushings, you can align your car. Read up.
 
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