Islanders123
Jul 19th, 07, 9:01 PM
Hi I have a 1967 Chevelle it happens to be my first project car ever. I had it in the shop for a while to get some kinks worked out and we realized that the front wheels seemed to be crooked, or more bet inwards from the top. The mechanic wasn't entirely positive what it could have been. He suggested that it was the upper control arms that needed to be fixed. Can anyone else maybe shed some light on this topic and help me out???
elcamino66
Jul 19th, 07, 10:50 PM
Is the engine in or out of the car? The weight must be on the car to figure it out. There has been some that the A frame has bent slightly to the middle. They make offset upper A arm shafts to compensate for that. Or you can get the frame shop to pull the frame back out to spec. There are measurements in the GM body manual to go by.
Schurkey
Jul 20th, 07, 12:26 AM
The mechanic wasn't entirely positive what it could have been. He suggested that it was the upper control arms that needed to be fixed.
Aside from weight and suspension height issues, you might also look for shot control arm bushings; bent upper control arms due to missing rubber bumpstops; and just plain ol' improper front end alignment.
The place to START is with the suspension height. If the springs are incorrect or worn out, NOTHING is going to make it right except new springs.
If your "mechanic" doesn't know about suspension angles, you need another mechanic.
jaqazi
Jul 21st, 07, 9:47 AM
Assuming that the engine is in the car and that it is properly aligned, frame sag is a definite possibility. But first, as others have mentioned, you have to make sure that all the suspension components are in good condition. Control arm bushings, tie rods, center link, pitman arm, idler arm and ball joints need to be tight.
After you have verified that ALL that stuff is good, align the wheels. Negative Camber is what you are calling "bent inwards at the top". Positive Camber would be "bent inwards at the bottom". (I think I have that straight).
I had a 67 with the same problem. Over time, the weight of the engine bends the frame down in the center, thereby pulling the tops of the wheels in. Big Block cars were more prone to this. It gets to the point where you can not insert enough shims in the upper control arms to get the camber right. Offset control arm shafts are the best solution I know of. They are "twisted" to allow more shims.
Frame sag can also screw up your caster alignment issues because the shims control both caster and camber.
I am not a total suspension expert, so someone may call me on this, but basically you need to check out all your parts and then look at offset control arm shafts
While you're at it, if you have the cash, get some new tubular control arms from global west. You can also improve your geometry with those. Not stock of course, but unless you are going to show it, who cares?