Rear wheel angle

[winnipeg69]

I am working on getting my 69 back on the road. I am a little worried about the angle the back wheels are at. Seems to be more than most Vettes you see on the road. No visible tire wear over the years and no noise. There is no front to back play but some top to bottom play on both sides. I can post pictures if it helps. Sorry about the long question but we have no real Corvette shops or "experts" to discuss stuff with up here.

Thanks in Advance
Mike

 

[SG4206]

Mike-
Not having side to side play tells you your bearings are OK. Top to bottom will show you how much end play the stub axles have.
Sounds like you need to adjust the strut rods to correct the camber. You can do this yourself; and check your work with a carpenters square.

 

[John Kuzman]

Mike,

When you say the "angle" of the back wheels, are you referring to the camber, or toe angle? How long has the '69 been off the road, and how was it stored, i.e. on jack stands under the frame, wood blocks under the tires, etc.
SG4206 is right on with the wheel play. If you detect more than 1/8" movement of the stub axles, there is cause for concern (I just went through this with a worn stub axle).
Again, SG4206 is correct in that adjusting the camber is not that difficult, assuming that the hardware is in good shape and that someone did not bend the strut rods.

 

[70 RED 454]

Mike:

What you discribed is exactly what I just experienced. I ended up replacing both axles. The 'Vette only' mechanic I use when it comes to more involved repairs made a big deal about Chevrolet not telling Vette owners to use more additive in the rear end. He absolutely swears that twice as much additive is needed to prevent excessive wear on the axle ends. In my case replacing both axles made a tremendous difference.

As a note, I pulled the car off the road when it started to fishtail going down the highway. Scared the crap out of me. Hit a bump and the car naturally goes up and down......but then it was also swerving left and right. Scary at best. When he jacked it up and grabbed the tire at the top and bottom.....it moved an inch!!!!!

Yours doesn't sound as bad, but you should probably check the axle ends.

Good luck.

ms

 

[winnipeg69]

John

Car has been out the last 2 or 3 summers only a couple of times. I do not lift it off the ground any more when in storage. It is the camber that is excessive in my opinion. I will get it up on the hoist and try the strut rods on both sides.
It still handles like a dream and feels tight.

Thanks
Mike

 

[winnipeg69]

SG4206

Should the camber be adjusted to "square" when the rear of the car is in the air??

Thanks
Mike

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

SG4206

Should the camber be adjusted to "square" when the rear of the car is in the air??

Thanks
Mike

No. The camber must be adjusted to be correct when both wheels are at the normal ride height. All alignment shops have the correct specs. This is not an area to go cheap or Bubba on.

 

[SG4206]

Mike-
After making the adjustment; roll the car 3-4 feet to normalize the suspension.
You need to be on a flat surface ; take a carpenters square and slide it perpendicular up to the side wall of the tire. Look at the gap at top or bottom of the square to the sidewall. Shoot for about 1/8 -1/4" gap at the top. You can play with this to make the car corner like you want. It's all personal preferance on camber.

Doug