Hot Rods caster and camber degrees

getting ready to build a straight axel what are the appropriate caster /camber degrees? for typical street use.

 

Caster needs to be a little positive (top tilted back). Camber close to straight up give or take.

 

To add to that you build camber into the axle but you set the caster when you attach the axle to the vehicle.
How you do it is going to depend on how you mount the axle on the spring (s) and what you use for the rest of the suspension if you don't run parallel leafs as you would on say a 55 Chevy gasser with 2 leaf springs on the front. With split bone you set the caster by either figuring out where to positon the rear mount or cutting and welding the bones at the front to adjust the caster, hair pins or 4 bar you adjust the rod ends.
Some of the stuff they push is rather suspect but the down load on for the California custom roadster plans has a pretty good tutorial on welding up your own tube front axle and would be well worth the 12.95. http://www.tbucketplans.com/california-custom-roadster-ccr-t-bucket-plans/ While we can say do this and do that that set of plans has exacting plans for setting the axle up. You still have to take the spindles you use into consideration if you don't run the spindles in the plan though as the kingpin inclination can be quite a bit different between makes and models of spindles.

 

As48 chev says camber is set from the spindles you use. MAKE sure you get both sides the same. Once welded the only way to change it is by bending the axel. Caster should be in the range of 8* on a street car.

 

I have a home made front axle in my gasser, it has a more camber than most ,but it is very stable at high speed.

 

Caster 7 deg +
Camber 0 or -1 deg

 

There is no one correct answer, depends on who you are talking to. Most people say 4-7 degrees caster, but I have 9 degrees on my 27 and it goes right down the road. I usually shoot for 7-9 myself.

Don

 

The more caster the straighter it goes. But too much and it will not turn well. Look at dragster wheels when they turn. Mine is 8 degrees and at 70 mph it drives itself straight down the road with little wandering. Camber is not readily adjustable on straight axle unless you start bending things.

 

i guess i should have just asked the camber question. I do understnd the lack of adjustment but i am making the whole axel and need to figure in the degrees. I think i have 10' spindles avalible to me

 

Like Don I shoot for 7-9 degrees caster, camber seems to vary from one vehicle to the next.

If you get a lot of caster you have to lean the vehicle to go around a corner but it will handle straight like an arrow on a still day. The problem is that anything with more than two wheels really can't be leaned over.