[FC] alignment

[Dale Dewald]

At 08:50 PM 3/16/07 -0500, Ben Stiles wrote:

>I am going to take my Greenbrier in for alignment next week to a shop 
>whose owner is familiar with Corvairs mechanically. I know there are some 
>quirks about aligning the FC, especially the rear.

The front caster and camber are adjusted by adding or removing shims behind 
the upper A-arm cross shafts.  It is difficult to reach the 11/16" nuts on 
the cross shaft bolts that are behind the spring towers.  I use a shortened 
combination wrench, but a crow's foot or stubby wrench might also work. I 
found it easier to set the caster first (add/remove shims to tilt the 
A-arms forward/aft), then to set the camber (add/remove shims to move the 
A-arms laterally).

The rear camber is set by spring height and vehicle weight. The toe is set 
by moving the engine/transaxle assembly forward/aft by loosening the rear 
motor mount and adding/removing shims from between the transmission and the 
transmission crossmember/bracket.

>Any tips in general or specifics that I could pass on to him would be 
>appreciated. I want the new set of tires I put on the van in the Fall 
>before the Winter hibernation to last longer and without the horrendous 
>uneven tread wear as the last set.

I suggest the following modified (from factory) alignment specifications 
for radial tires:
Note - vehicle unloaded with 1/2 tank of fuel.

FRONT: Caster: 3-1/2 degrees +/-1/4
              Camber: 1/4 degree +/-1/4
              Toe: 3/32 inch +/-1/32

REAR:   Camber: 1/2 degree +0 -1/2 (fixed by spring height and vehicle weight)
              Toe: 5/32 inch +/-1/32

Dale Dewald
Hancock, MI
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