setting camber question??

[69vettester]

I just joined the forum so Hi to all on this board...
I recently bought a 69 convertible 350/300..Its a real beauty..
It had a cracking strut bracket that I removed had welded and reinstalled until I can get a new one. My question is The specs call for a 1 degree neg. camber for the rear wheels. Does the negative camber mean ,the bottom of the wheel is out or in at the bottom? I set the cams 3 different times but cant seem to get the tires back on the ground without the tire being noticibly out at the bottom. The car handles great at cruising speeds at or below 75 . above that , it sounds pretty loud and rough, is that normal? Im getting a repair manual asap but until then Ill shoot some dumb questions out on the list!
Any feedback, comments , ect will be appreciated..
Thanks..
Tom

 

[Stingray6974]

Hi Tom,
Welcome to the Corvette Action Center!
Negative camber means the top of the wheel is leaning inward.
1 degree negative is a little excessisve, the old specs have been revised. 0 to .5 neg is preferred.
Anytime you make a camber adjustment you need to move the car back and forth a few times to get the suspension to relax.
Hope this helps
Mike

 

[classicguy]

well frist i like to say hello Iam new as well, acording to my manuals for 82 to year dont think they be much differnt. camber is said to negative when the wheels tilt in at the top. and positive when tilt out from the top. this would be vice versa from the bottom. Acording to my assembly manual rear wheel camber should be adjusted as follows.
camber should be adjusted with the rear suspension set at hieght of 81.7mm this demmmision is the hozontol line from the center of cam to the center of horzontal line of strut bolt (on the opposite side of the cam)wish i had a way of showing you a diagram but hope this will help you anyway

 

[69vettester]

thanks for the feedback

yes all this helps , thanks..
Just knowing there are folks available that know what Im talking about helps..
I have a new plan, Im going to keep turning the cams a hair at a time then test until the rear wheels appear perpendicular to the ground..I beleive this should be 0 degrees, and is the place to be for a non racetrack car like mine..thanks again..
Tom

 

[DDLS3]

"0" is the on street spec from what I read in the 2 manuals that I have. When you check out a tire shop or garage see if they have a computerized alignment machine. If they do, then the alignment specs are stored in memory at factory settings. Even Bubba could line it to spec. Make sure they check for worn parts though, otherwise your wasting your time and money.

 

[69vettester]

Thanks Dale..
There were some non stock parts in the rear suspension..Anti sway bar, and "long" spring bolts. I removed the anti sway bar(bad setup) it was just a potential problem waiting to happen.
Im thinking The "long Bolts" are setting the rear up an inch or so and may be why I cant get the wheels to 0 degrees. Im going to get an entire poly bushing kit soon and at that time get those bolts back to stock!
Glad for the feedback..its helping me to get on track with what to do..

Tom

 

[redmist]

Agree with Tyla. Most alignment shops are worthless with c-3s. Find a corvette speciality shop.
I had a nightmare experience with Midas which I won't bore you with.
Also as Tyla mentioned ditch those cam adjusters and for $100 get some real stuts from Vette Brakes and Products.
FYI I run 1/2 degree negative camber and 1/2 degree toe in in the rear...sticks like glue.

 

[69vettester]

Yes..thanks ,
Im taking the non corvette shop info to heart,and wont even start on that path .
Im just now talking with what appears to be an excellent repair and restore shop in Sacremento..
Im more and more encouraged that Ill be able to get my car to "top of the line driver" status. This is my goal with it!
Tom