Assembled the front end, took it in for alignment, mechanic said the tops of the wheels are too far in and it'd take far too much adjustment. Says the lower control arms must be too long. Visually, the upper and lower arms match another set from a 67 I have. Spindle looks good. Frame is completely restored, cross measurements are accurate. Any ideas?

If the car sits higher than stock, the upper arms will pull the top of the spindle inward... extended balljoints, or balljoint spacers may be required.

If it is stock height, you could try offset cross shafts, which correct for frame-sag... Frame sag is a common problem, especially on BigBlock cars, where the frame bends over time pulling the upper A-arm mount inward.

If lower than stock, this shouldn't be a problem... usually they require a lot of shims when lowered.

That's GOOD info.......anybody else want to weigh in?
I'd like to gather as much info as I can before I tear everything apart.
Much thanks Derek.

Stock height on the front would have the top of the tire and wheel well lip about even.

It would help to know if on your particular '67 if the front is high, at stock height or low. Which is it? Any modifications from stock parts? Did the mechanic say that it would take too much adjustment or that there wasn't enough adjustment available? If the tops are too far in, you typically have to take shims out not put shims in and you can only take out so many shims before you have the cross shaft bolted flat against the frame mount which can also lead to the problem of not being able to get enough caster.

I'm going to venture a strong guess that you need offset upper shafts as Derek said above.

After further inspection:
The cross shafts are against the frame, no shims.
Frame rails are perfectly horizontal and vertical (no frame sag?)
stock height (not lowered or raised)
All factory stock spindle and control arms.

The tops of the wheels still inward. How far is shimmable?
Any other questions/ideas?

All of this help is greatly appreciated.

Rich, by the way, if you're in L<incoln, I'm about three hours north of you in the Sioux City area.

Rich, by the way, if you're in L<incoln, I'm about three hours north of you in the Sioux City area.

We have a few club members from Sioux City, IA. I live in Waverly, a little town about 5 miles north and east of Lincoln.

The frame sag won't be something you can see, exactly, but I'm going to guess that you've got it if the shims are all out and you still have too much camber. The upper control arm offset shafts are what you need, pretty easy fix but you do have to remove the upper arms to remove the old shaft and install the new one. One other more radical option would be to visit the frame shop and have them bend that sag out of the frame. I did it that way but I had it done when I had the car down to a bare frame, no engine and no body.

If you don't address the problem in one way or another, you will have a car with unsafe handling and which will cause excessively rapid and uneven tire wear.

Rich,
Thanks for your help. Next summer I'll have to visit you at a show. Is there a schedule yet for '07?

Oops, '08.

I've no particular plans for next summer. I'm pretty much done showing the coupe and the wagon won't be done by then. I usually go to the MidAmerica Regionals in Olathe, KS in August however.

One last thing. I just talked to my shop guy about offset cross shafts.
He said those will still cause dangerous handling and the frame shop is the way to go.
Do you think that's true? If so, then why is the part even available?

One last thing. I just talked to my shop guy about offset cross shafts.
He said those will still cause dangerous handling and the frame shop is the way to go.
Do you think that's true? If so, then why is the part even available?

That makes no sense whatsoever. Perhaps you should find a different alignment shop altogether. If he doesn't know what an offset cross shaft is or why and how they are used, he doesn't have a clue about working on these old cars. If the cross shaft corrects the alignment issues and is properly installed, there is absolutely no reason why it would cause "dangerous handling" on an otherwise stock set up. The end result would be an alignment just as effective as on a car that didn't have frame sag so it's pretty clear he doesn't know what he is talking about. His earlier comment that the lower control arms are too long only reinforces the impression that he shouldn't be allowed near your car. I hope he's not a friend of yours after what I just said!

Now, if the frame sag is so severe that an offset shaft wouldn't address the issue fully, that's another issue altogether. Ultimately, the frame shop visit is a more direct fix, but it can be a fairly serious move, especially if you have the car fully assembled.

The offset shafts have been around for years and they made out of forged steel (like the original cross shaft) or billet steel. They are every bit as strong as the part they are replacing, maybe even moreso. There are thousands of these old cars running around with offset shafts without any problem (in fact, they FIX a serious problem). Just don't buy cheap ones and you'll be fine. Stick with Moog or another name brand.

Here's what you need: http://www.napaonline.com/masterpages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=NCP&PartNumber=2805485&Description=Control+Arm+Shaft+Assembly+-+Upper+-+Front+Suspension

Rich,
Thanks for the support in my thinking. Your immediate responses are phenominal. Thanks for all your help. I'm rolling with the part you suggested and #1, I'll post pix of my '67 SS396 convertible and #2, I'm sure we'll meet sometime next year.

Thanks again!

Jim