Anyone? I'd like to get this thing right, so I can enjoy the break from the cold!

 

i started a thread asking the same thing and got no answer. i have a hotchkis tvs system, edelbrock shocks, and jc steering box, etc. on my 64 and called hotchkis directly. their answer was:
as much positive caster as i could get.
half a degree negative camber.
and 1/16 total toe.

the hotchkis setup lowered it an inch, thats why i was concerned, but your specs were pretty much right in the ball park so theyre probably good too.

hope this helps

 

This has been discussed before. Use the search and you'll find the most common specs.

What are you using the car for?

 

You'll want a little bit of negative camber, and probably more toe-in.

I'd go

Caster: as much as possible, equal both sides or up to .25 more positive on the right side depending on how much it allows you to get.

Camber: -.25 to -.50 depending on how hard you drive it.

Toe: 1/8" in

 

'69 Chevelle, stock arms, rebuilt with rubber bushings, street-driven:

Caster as much positive as possible (my stock arms allowed +3.0 and +2.75).

Camber 0 to -0.5 negative.

Toe in 1/16th each side, for 1/8 total.

It made a huge difference.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I was just wanting some clarification. :thumbsup:

 

Alignment spec's for 70 Chevelle SS, Elcamino, Monte Carlo
Castor
-1 min
1/2 prefered degrees
0 max

Standard Chevelle
1 1/2 min
-1 prefered degrees
- 1/2 max

Camber all degrees
0 min
+ 1/2 preferred
+ 1 max

Toe-in Inches
1/8 min
1/4 max

all specs taken from my Texaco Service book 1974
Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but had grandkids and 2 car shows this weekend, and work today! Jay

 

This is an example of the stock specs alignment shops may have. They were based on polyglass, not radial tires. Stick with the newer specs given in this thread.

 

um, don't do that.

 

Mine is set at:
Camber - 1/4
Caster + 5
Toe 1/16 in
It's a dream on the highway & autocrosses AOK!

 

Just curious - what does the change in Camber affect? I called an alignment shop and the guy said -0.5 camber will wear my tires and recommended going slightly positive. He said he'd do what I ask, but I'm curious.

 

Depends on what you're doing.

I'm running 1.25 deg negative camber with AFX spindles, and still wearing my outside edges. (wouldn't have believed it if I didn't do it myself )

If you're not driving aggressively in any turns you don't need much neg. camber.

Positive doesn't work with these cars, especially with stock spindles because you wear the outside edges too much... factory did that to keep them very idiot-proof so dumb people wouldn't crash when they experience a little oversteer.

 

I don't race the car or anything. I just want it to handle well. I'd like to run an autocross this spring. I'll go with the specs given. thanks!

 

I just finished the rebuild of my front end and need to get an alignment. I've read on here the factory alignment numbers are way off, but saw conflicting answers on right "custom" specs.

'70 Chevelle
-Poly bushings in stock UCAs and LCAs
-2.25" sway bar
-Varishocks
-Sb springs
-Jeep GC box

Are these the right specs?
Camber = 0
Positive caster = As much as possible
Toe in = 1/16"

Zach,

Here are the specs off of the PDF instructions for our upper control arms (PN:1102) for use with the stock 1970 Chevelle spindle. For a little less tire wear and less cornering traction with your stock control arms you can go with -.25° to -.5°. Get as much caster you can get upto +5°.

Suggested with Control Arms PN:1102
Camber: -1° to –1.5°
Caster: +4° to +5°
Toe-in: 1/16”

Here’s a cool Chevelle specific tech page on the Hotchkis.net website:
http://www.hotchkis.net/gm_abody_faq.html

Don’t forget! Our A-body Open house is on February 12th! That’s in a week and a half!
Here’s the thread with the details about the show, free food, tour of our facility, and tech talks: http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=342209

 

Adding more negative camber keeps the tire flat when the body starts to roll. The best way to determine alignment specs is to get a IR thermometer and measure the outside/center/inside tire temps and adjust alignment and tire pressure accordingly.

Find a good alignment guy, mine charges $55 and goes above and beyond any Midas, Tire Kingdom.....

 

I ended up with 1/16" toe in, -0.2* camber and +1.3* caster. He couldn't get any more positive caster than that with what I had. When I brought it in, the caster was -2.5* on both wheels. It's much better than before. Only cost me $60 and about 30 minutes.

 

That looks like about what i see with most stock chevelles. I used to be a corporate alignment trainer and still love to align cars to this day. I try to get the most caster i can get unless it is a manual gearbox and wide radial tire chevelle then i try to limit it to 1-2 degrees caster. If it is somewhat "sloppy" i try to get the toe a little more towards the 1/16" to 1/8". With stock control arms i like to get the camber very negative. I like 1 degree negative. The camber curve sucks and when u add a little weight the camber goes way out there.
For the GREAT suspension kits out there the specs are way across the board. A great alignment guy will ask alot of questions before aligning anything. If you have any questions on specific cars post them and i will try to say what i like to see.

 

If you have any questions on specific cars post them and i will try to say what i like to see.

BYRONS,
Thank you for your offer! I hope there is no problem in dredging up an old post, but I will be moving back to the states soon and I can't wait to get my car back on the road. I have been doing a lot of digging through old threads so that when I get my car aligned I can go in with some knowledge and some specs to work with.


Here are the specs on the car:
64 Chevelle 2dr HT SB
The car has Fatman Fabrications spindles (taller spindle w/ 2" drop) and reinforced stock U&LCAs. Suspension was freshly rebuilt with polygraphite bushings and a 1 1/8" sway bar. Also, the car does have manual steering, but the tires are 235 for the time being. I drive slightly on the aggressive side, but it is strictly street driven. Also, in your original post does, "sloppy" = worn suspension?

Additionally, the Fatman Fab spindles came with instructions that call for the following:
Caster: +2/3
Camber: +0.5
Toe in/out: 1/8 (total)

However, there is no mention of things like tire size/manual steering/etc. so I thought I might get a more nuanced answer from you guys. From what I gather from various sources and your post in particular, would this be ok?
Caster: +2/3
Camber: 0.5 to -1
Toe in: 1/16 per side (1/8 total)

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!!!