Positive camber on front wheels?

JP147 · Post by **JP147** » Tue May 13, 2014 8:50 pm

My '84 Subaru has the front subframe replaced not long before I bought it.
When I got it, it had quite a bit of positive camber on the front. I took it to the alignment shop and they got it down to just over 1 degree by adjusting it as far as it could go.
Are there different sizes of subframe or LCAs, or what is causing this?

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Tue May 13, 2014 9:48 pm

The old MY's all have terrible positive camber, I think because the LCA's are too short and also the radius rods on the front. Not much you can do about it without serious mods I think, although adjustable/longer radius rods are quite easy to make.

Unrelated but, only just realized I saw the wagon in your sig backing out of U pull it Gillman car park not too long ago

JP147 · Post by **JP147** » Tue May 13, 2014 10:25 pm

I don't mid if that is how it is supposed to be, I just want everything to be how it should.
I go to all the u-pull-it yards pretty often getting parts for my Subaru and Datsun, Gillman is very near my house and work. There are some interesting Subarus there, including a 1st gen Leone and a wagon with a 2" lift and weber conversion (all the useful stuff was gone though).
Were you in a Subaru when you saw mine?

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Tue May 13, 2014 10:33 pm

Yeah I've seen that green Leone, very tidy even for a wreck car if I had the space I'd buy it from them. And that 2 inch lifted wagon was raided by me, got the lift and 14's, bull bar

Weber was already gone.

Yer it was me and Dad, in his L series.

Proton mouse · Post by **Proton mouse** » Wed May 14, 2014 1:05 pm

If you want to go down the modded track of negative camber freedom, you can use L series LCA's and steer rack, but you'll need to make
up custom radius rods, I've used XD/E/F ones which have been cut/redrilled to suit.

John

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Wed May 14, 2014 6:59 pm

I am curious how the wheel alignment place made any adjustments to camber. I thought the only adjustmant on the fronts of these was toe in and toe out ?

Ages ago someone (search Brumberty) used an early Camry tie rod on std MY rack with L LCA's, CV shafts and maybe even L Series brakes ? Used the modded Falcon radius rods. Claimed it handled like an old Mini Cooper S once a wheel alignment guy had things sorted.

He had an EA81S to make it move, from fading memory....

Proton mouse · Post by **Proton mouse** » Wed May 14, 2014 7:34 pm

steptoe wrote:I am curious how the wheel alignment place made any adjustments to camber. I thought the only adjustmant on the fronts of these was toe in and toe out..

The only other way I can think of, is if they adjusted the spring height adjustments that were on the original Subaru spring to strut seats, effectively lowering it a little but decreasing pos camber angle??

JP147 · Post by **JP147** » Thu May 15, 2014 6:28 pm

Weird, I am not sure how they did it. The springs were always at the lowest. Maybe something was put together the wrong way before and they fixed it. It had lots of positive camber (probably over 10 degrees) and now it is just around 1 degree. They told me they could get rid of the positive camber by modifying the struts on a machine they have but I told them not to worry about it.
I won't worry about changing it now, the only issue now is that it doesn't drive quite straight but I will blame that on odd front tires.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu May 15, 2014 9:03 pm

Funny, I have heard someone suggest bending these struts before. Looking at the struts, they are tubes with the 'shock absorber' unit built in. You go and bend something, surely the shock thing is gonna not work correctly? get punctured ??? maybe they can bend the strut at the top of the shock shaft above where it sinks into the housing ??

sublime · Post by **sublime** » Thu May 15, 2014 10:41 pm

Ultimately Subaru designed these models with postive camber so there is really no need to make any changes.

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sat May 17, 2014 9:34 am

I seem to recall my parents 93/94 L series had front strut issues and the strut(s) were bent to correct this when they had a wheel alignment carried out.
I know it is a bit dodgy but what about elongating the holes where the top of the strut bolts in ?
Anyone had this done and was it successful ?
I too have camber issues with the MY wagon and wouldn't mind looking for a means of correcting.

Proton mouse · Post by **Proton mouse** » Sat May 17, 2014 12:34 pm

Cliff R wrote:I know it is a bit dodgy but what about elongating the holes where the top of the strut bolts in ?

Yean not a bad idea Cliff, that is essentially what adjustable strut tops do, could be a goer!
Years ago a suspension place, apparently after trying all other options, 'had to' (their words) bend up one of the main blades
of the torsion bar in the rear end of my 84 wagon, to get it into alignment.

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sat May 17, 2014 12:49 pm

Proton mouse wrote:Yean not a bad idea Cliff, that is essentially what adjustable strut tops do, could be a goer!
Years ago a suspension place, apparently after trying all other options, 'had to' (their words) bend up one of the main blades
of the torsion bar in the rear end of my 84 wagon, to get it into alignment.

Good grief, sounds extreme

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat May 17, 2014 6:54 pm

All you gotta do is look at a standard MY as its front wheels turn from straight on to then turn left or right. The bottom of the wheel tucks inwards, ready to fall over. It doesn't lend towards a performance handling set up in the first place ! A Kiwi rally fabricator once told me he had rejigged MY stuff to be set up way better, took a lot of work, different componentry - Honda stuff ?? I sort of did not take it all in at the time.

Might have to try L shafts, hubs,brakes, LCA's when I have time for a challenge

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sat May 17, 2014 8:06 pm

Maybe someone needs to make a set of custom adjustable LCA's, with the right equipment it wouldn't be that hard but good luck ever getting them engineered well in SA at least