Rear wheel leans

[jazzguitar]

I just picked up my first Vette last week, and am very happy to find a site with so much information and helpful people. I spent most of my day looking through the forum! Here's my concern. When my car sit on the ground the passenger side rear wheel lean the top is in and the bottom is out. The other rear wheel is straight. when I jack the leaning side off the ground it goes back to center. What does this mean? What should I do. It is a 1982 Coupe. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Eddie 70]

Next time you jack the car up, look directly at the ends of the strut rods. Sounds like the passengers side is either loose at the center mounting point or the bushings in the strut rod are gone. Either way it is not that big of a deal to fix. Congrats on the new vette. Lots of helpful people here, so any question you may have, fire away.

 

[81 Corvette]

yup, strut rod. check the bushings and make sure its not been bent. There is an eliptical bolt on the diff. side that you can adjust it with.

 

[jazzguitar]

Thanks! I will get under there and give it a shot tomorrow. Should I adjust the wheel so it is straight when the wheel is off the ground?
Thanks,
John

 

[JohnZ]

No, the camber angle changes with suspension deflection; camber must be set with the car on wheels at normal ride height.

 

[Eddie 70]

You could back the car up on a set of ramps and go about adjusting it this way. But to be sure of the adjustments, I would think that you need to roll the car off the ramps and see what it looks like.

 

[Ol Blue]

I've read in magazines that for temporary camber alignment at home you can get two squares of floor tile under each rear tire, put something slippery between the tile, and then adjust the camber. This allows the sideways movement of the wheel/tire and supposedly replaces the rolling back and forth to get the suspension settled.

I'm sure I can't explain this with any understandability, but the VBP catalog has a picture on how to measure camber using a straight edge and a level. It's not perfect of course but good enough to get to an alignment shop.

With the straight edge perfectly vertical and touching the bottom of the rim, there should be 1/8 inch distance between the top of the rim and the straight edge. I tried this once after having a new alignment and it was very close.
Good luck
Ol Blue

 

[Red69]

I never read the VBP article but it sounds something like what I use. Take a carpenters square and put the short leg (16 inches) against your wheel. It fits inside the outer lip on a 15 inch wheel. Lay a level on the horizontal leg of the square and adjust until it reads level. Have your wife or a friend sit in the drivers seat for a more accurate adjustment. The floor tile under the tire is a good tip.