Rich Mason writes:
> Any tried and proven techniques for freeing this
> up short of pulling the king pin and beating the bolt into submission?
You got my sympathy, buddy. All I can suggest is lots of penetrating
oil (the folks at my local NAPA say that the little plastic bottle with
the telescoping tube is the best) alternated with sharp hammer blows.
Others will suggest a torch.
> Also...the car had brand new tires on it when I purchased it, and the left
> front wheel has a noticeable negative camber (I installed new rear leaf
> springs in 11/96). The left side rides lower than the right side by 1 to
> 1-1/2".
That's nothing unusual, as several historical threads attest to.
Negative camber, on the other hand, is unusual. Negative camber on one
wheel only is scary.
> There is also some evidence of a scrape with a curb or other
> man-made object along the right side rocker panel and fender - so the
> possibility of something being bent is not out of the question.
But I thought you said "left side"...
> When I removed the left spring pan - there was an extra piece of spring coil
> in there, presumably as a shim to help the ride height. Free height of the
> two springs were within 1/8" of each other and within spec - but as I did
> one side at a time, I did not swap them. The "taller" spring is on the
> right side.
Free height doesn't tell you the spring rate. I'd say the left spring
has lost more torsional rigidity than the right spring. Try moving the
steering wheel over to the passenger's seat...
> Can the coil springs noticeably affect the camber?
Sure. The springs determine the angle of the A-arms relative to the
chassis. When this measurement changes, camber changes, due to the
unequal-length-wishbone nature of the lower-A-arm/shock-arm arrangement.
(If this sounds confusing, I can explain it better via private email.)
One popular way to get negative camber is by using longer lower A-arms.
But another, easier, way is to shim the mounting of the shock with a
solid piece of metal. The higher the shock is relative to the rest of
the front suspension, the more negative camber you get. Of course,
there are limits to this approach, due to clearances inside the shock
itself.
> Are the shims between the swivel axle and the trunnion capable of adjusting
> the camber some?
Not appreciably. They're there so you can get the right thrust
measurement and still be able to line up the split-pin hole (minds out
of the gutter, y'all).
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
If you have appreciable negative camber on one wheel only, I'd say your
suspension geometry is out of spec on that side. Careful measurements
and comparisons with the other, "correct", side should clue you as to
what's out of whack.
--
Todd Mullins
Todd.Mullins@nrlssc.navy.mil On the lovely Mississippi (USA) Coast
'74 MGB Tourer with an ever-so-slight left-side sag (naturally)
(witty quote here)
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