Thread: Front end alienment on a '32 Ford???

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....my tires are totally worn on the outside edges so I got two more front tires {inside of the tires if still in excellent shape}. So I want to have my front end aliened when I have the new tires put on. What do I set the toe in at??? And from what I remember between camber & caster you can set one but not the other. But I don't remember which one you can set. Which one is it & what do I have it set at??? THANKS Bill

Caster is the lean to the rear the kingpin takes......think bicycle front fork, it has lots of caster. Usually on an early Ford frontend, between 4-7 degrees is considered a good starting point.

Toe in is if you look down on the tire from above, the front of the tires are closer together than the rear of the tires........think Pigeontoed. They say 1/16 inch to 1/8 is normal, but I have also heard up to 1/4 toe in. ( I actually had to toe OUT my 27 slightly to clear up a shaking issue........a tip I read in one magazine) But I always start at 1/16 and go from there.

Camber is the one you can't change easily. If you looked dead on at the front axle, it is the inclination of the kingpins toward each other. They lean inward at the top. The only practical way to change camber is to have a shop that knows solid front axles (like a truck shop) put it on a rack and bend the ends of the axle using jacks and chains to hold it down while bending.

As for your tires wearing on the outside, I think two things could affect that....too much toe in and too little camber. The car is riding on the outside of the tires or scrubbing the outside edge off going down the road. I'm not a front end expert, just a casual observation.

I bet Denny has one of those nifty charts that shows all of this.

Don

Camber or worn shocks


http://aa1car.com/library/tire_wear.htm

.....THANKS Don & Big Truck Driver, It drives down the road straight as an arrow. Let go of the wheel & it still goes straight. Put on the brakes & it doesn't pull at all. After going over a bump it still goes straight so no bump steer. Everything seems to be tight when I turn the wheel, push on the front wheels, etc.. Actually the entire front end is brand new; shocks, ball joints, tie rods, etc... After reading the front end article it sounds like camber & I am really leary of letting anyone bend the front axle to try & fit it... And now that I think about it one thing that is probably off is the caster. I put front tires on that were at least an inch shorter & rear tires that are at least an inch taller. So that would throw off the caster... But then caster wouldn't wear the sides of the tires.... So it's probably to much toe in, I'll take it in & have it done... Thanks again, Bill

Most manufactured I beams are close to the money with camber angle. Usually the toe in or out is the culprit of tie wear issues. The tie rod can usually adjust the problem. Slightly in or out equally on both tires is what you want. That 's just enough to keep the wear even and also keep the front end from wandering. You'll hear two arguments on which is preferred, in or out, but either work. You can adjust it easily yourself with a tape, your eye and trial & error.

Bill, just to clarify something.........you mention "ball joints". I thought you have a straight axle front end. If it is an independent front suspension (which would use ball joints) the camber IS adjustable on those, generally with shims or turning an eccentric.

The ball joint thing threw me a little.

Don

Are you runnin pizza cutters ?

Thanks Don, Big Truck Driver, Shawn & Offy, Wow! my toe in was set at 3/4 of an inch!!! So the tire shop set it at 1/8" to start with. I'm going to check it myself within the next few days so I can just adjust it myself in the future. I noticed after I left the store that I now have wrench marks on my tie rod. Looks like the place put a pipe wrench or channel locks on the tie rod to hold it & it put scratches on my chrome .... If ya want some thing done right, DO IT YOURSELF!!!! Oh & they said the caster was ok..... Bill

....Don, whoops no ball joints! It's a dropped I beam axle...

....Shawn, yep 4 x 15 Gasser ET III's w/ 125R x 15 tires...

It should have handled lots better with the toe in reset. Ouch on the chrome. That's the problem with some garage type guys, they don't understand how to be careful with plated and painted parts, and treat them as if they were doing somebody's daily driver Honda.

That amount of toe in would cause the premature wear you had, I would think.


Don