Progress Thread Diagnosis front end clunk (and more)

[JD1964]

I’m glad I’ve gotten a somewhat organized in the last few years because I rarely throw car parts away. Took me about 3 minutes to find my original strut mounts. I’m looking forward to putting these back on to see if it shuts the clunking up.

How can I modify these or the towers to get more alignment adjustment? Even a tad more would be worth the work for me.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Depends on what you need alignment wise. If you need more camber use bolts on the strut to spindle mount to get that.

What brand of CC plates did you have on it?

 

[JD1964]

UPR I think is what’s on there now.

I don’t think my needs are extreme but I’d
like to get some extra positive caster out of the stock mounts. Makes it easier to keep the car going straight

 

[AeroCoupe]

I will just say this as I’ve seen these cars butchered up on the top of the shock towers to get more caster. Just suck it up and buy the MM plates and move on. They are the best and most copied for a reason.

 

[JD1964]

Ive heard the MM plates are good. Although some people out there claim their MM plates are noisy. That rattle noise drive me crazy. If I have to sacrifice extra caster for a quiet ride, so be it.

The first thing I’ll do is put the factory mounts back in (unmodified) and see how it aligns. If I can get the camber right with the factory mounts, I’ll give the caster setting (whatever it happens to be) a try and see if I can tell a difference from raked back position its in now. I mean, right now in the UPR plates the top of the strut is pulled as far back as possible. So if the factory mounts move them forward again, maybe ill know a driving difference, maybe not

 

[JD1964]

I took the UPR camber plates out and put the factory strut mounts back in. I set the rivet in the same position as the factory had it which is as far positive as possible in the factory holes. I measured camber at about 1.5 degrees negative. I think the fact my front end is lowered a bit won’t let the camber come in spec with the factory limits. I’m going to buy the camber adjustment bolts and bring the setting as close to zero as I can and then I’ll reset the toe setting if necessary.

The great news for me is the clunking is gone. It’s factory strut mounts for me, indefinitely

 

[nicholase]

How are you measuring the camber?

 

[JD1964]

How are you measuring the camber?

Using a straight edge placed across the lip of the rim and measured with a digital angle finder

 

[nicholase]

I do my own alignments with a QuickTrick alignment setup. It's really just a digital angle finder on a wheel mounting bracket similar to what your using. If you aren't, make sure you account for the floor. It's probably not level. If your angle finder has a zero function, set it on the floor just in front of or behind the wheel, then zero it, then put it on the wheel. If you don't have a zero function just check the floor and write it down, check the wheel write it down, and do the math.

Unlike a calibrated and perfectly level alignment rack us garage guys have to account for our unlevel floors.

 

[JD1964]

I factored the floor in at .25

 

[JD1964]

Even then the factory variance is .75 + or-

If I can get it close to zero than I’m happy even considering the floor not being completely level. I’ll do my best to factor the floor in but a .25 is not going to violate a .75 allowable variance