Alignment Woes
Hello All. I'm looking for feedback on a recent alignment I had performed (yesterday actually). I'm pretty sure I'm not happy with it. I will provide the car details to hopefully head off some questions at the pass.
1) The car I'm working on is a 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger, Factory 318 car with factory AC
2) I just completed a complete front end rebuild using MOOG rubber bushings and MOOG ball joints. There is not one old bushing or ball joint, or idler arm or pitman arm on the car now. The power steering box is a new rebuild unit as well. Shocks are crappy, but new. Will upgrade later.
3) I installed the MOOG offset bushings on both upper control arms, and yes, I was very careful to watch that I installed them in the correct direction.
4) The car had the factory .87 "340" torsion bars because it's an AC car, but they were sagging so I replaced them with Firm Feel. .94 bars. This is the only aftermarket component on the car.
5) Wheels and tires are Mopar rallye 14 X ? Tire size 215/70R14.
6) I set the suspension height within the tolerances of the FSM using their method of measuring point A to point B and having a difference of 1-7/8." My point is, the car is not lowered or raised a weird amount.
7) I went to the alignment shop with half a tank of gas per the FSM, trunk equipped with spare tire equipment, basically in driving trim.
8) NO sway bar. The car didn't come with one. I may be adding one later, but it will be a minute.
Now, for the questions. **Note, I am NOT looking for performance going around turns. I'm looking for straight line, high speed stability.
1) Please tell me that the lobe on these cam bolts should NOT be facing up. It looks weird and they are unsupported up in the air like this. The bolt head position can be achieved by having the lobe face down. Am I just being nit-picky? (I am a Mopar guy, it's a given).
2) I've included a picture of my alignment specs. ***I went in there knowing they were way off. I deliberately set the front cam bolts all the way out, and the rears all the way to hopefully start with as much caster as possible and then subtract some as needed to get the camber correct.
3)*** I went in there asking for ask much caster as possible and got the middle of the FSM recommendation. I told them NOT to use 1974 specs because they were out of date. The tech swore this was the best setup as he had run it on Darts before. I swear it handled better before I took it in even though the toe was so off. Please provide your recommendation for this setup for HIGH SPEED STABILITY/Interstate Travel.
4) The tech told me if he set it up with my my way ( 3 degrees caster, -.25 camber,) "it would drift right." Well, after using his specs...it drifts left. I don't care much about "the crown in the road." I'm on long interstates out West. Is it wrong to have the specs for both sides be the same? Will that cause drift?
Thank you all for your input.
Hello All. I'm looking for feedback on a recent alignment I had performed (yesterday actually). I'm pretty sure I'm not happy with it. I will provide the car details to hopefully head off some questions at the pass.
1) The car I'm working on is a 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger, Factory 318 car with factory AC
2) I just completed a complete front end rebuild using MOOG rubber bushings and MOOG ball joints. There is not one old bushing or ball joint, or idler arm or pitman arm on the car now. The power steering box is a new rebuild unit as well. Shocks are crappy, but new. Will upgrade later.
3) I installed the MOOG offset bushings on both upper control arms, and yes, I was very careful to watch that I installed them in the correct direction.
4) The car had the factory .87 "340" torsion bars because it's an AC car, but they were sagging so I replaced them with Firm Feel. .94 bars. This is the only aftermarket component on the car.
5) Wheels and tires are Mopar rallye 14 X ? Tire size 215/70R14.
6) I set the suspension height within the tolerances of the FSM using their method of measuring point A to point B and having a difference of 1-7/8." My point is, the car is not lowered or raised a weird amount.
7) I went to the alignment shop with half a tank of gas per the FSM, trunk equipped with spare tire equipment, basically in driving trim.
8) NO sway bar. The car didn't come with one. I may be adding one later, but it will be a minute.
Now, for the questions. **Note, I am NOT looking for performance going around turns. I'm looking for straight line, high speed stability.
1) Please tell me that the lobe on these cam bolts should NOT be facing up. It looks weird and they are unsupported up in the air like this. The bolt head position can be achieved by having the lobe face down. Am I just being nit-picky? (I am a Mopar guy, it's a given).
2) I've included a picture of my alignment specs. ***I went in there knowing they were way off. I deliberately set the front cam bolts all the way out, and the rears all the way to hopefully start with as much caster as possible and then subtract some as needed to get the camber correct.
3)*** I went in there asking for ask much caster as possible and got the middle of the FSM recommendation. I told them NOT to use 1974 specs because they were out of date. The tech swore this was the best setup as he had run it on Darts before. I swear it handled better before I took it in even though the toe was so off. Please provide your recommendation for this setup for HIGH SPEED STABILITY/Interstate Travel.
4) The tech told me if he set it up with my my way ( 3 degrees caster, -.25 camber,) "it would drift right." Well, after using his specs...it drifts left. I don't care much about "the crown in the road." I'm on long interstates out West. Is it wrong to have the specs for both sides be the same? Will that cause drift?
Thank you all for your input.