Im looking for advice on how to adjust the wheel alignment on my Model A. Visually they are very much out of line. It has vega box type cross steering? I have just purchased it and it’s my 1st hotrod so treat me as clueless! Thanks Mike
Is the pitman arm centred for even travel, left to right? How is the box mounted to frame, horizontal so pitman arm sweeps across frame or angled down sweeping in an arc, are steering rods parallel at ride height? Split bones? I don't see any panhard bar. Incorrect camber, too much caster, too much toe-in or toe-out? Is there sufficient travel in the shocks, do they bottom out? A few variables to consider. Ideally shackles should be at 45 degrees off the vertical, do they contact axle during suspension travel? Headlamps are crooked and need adjustment. Photos of problem(s) would ***ist
looks to me at first glance that the toe is way off. Shoot us more specific pics of the overall setup. Wheels seem to be offset too much. Looks like in the pics that the scub radius is off. How many miles are on this build?
The build is new as far as I am aware, it’s not yet registered, the speedo is only showing 170 miles The camber is very negative to me but don’t know what to do about that, I thought I would start with the tracking as I can see standing above each wheel that the right side is toeing in by a country mile. I will post some more pictures.
I guess I would start with some basic stuff. Drop a plum bob off the center of the frame near the rear and off each side of the front axle. Then check to see if the front axle is squared to the ch***is. Unhook the steering box from the drag link, center the tires and set the toe in. Center the steering box and adjust drag link as needed to reconnect draglink.
For starters I would attack the toe. Center the steering box first then adjust the toe to 1/8 inch total or get it to where it looks better than present and take it to an alignment shop for adjustment. Can you get the car up on jack stands to take some good pics under the car of the steering and front end set up so we can see how this was built.
If I didn't know better, Id say that is one of those Hoffman Chinese axles. That alone is scary. Casts a big cloud over the rest of the build. I know, I can't see all of it but... Well, I can see the poorly welded steering uni.
An alignment shop will have no idea what specs to shoot for. Ask them to try for 1/16" to 1/8" toe in. The camber is not adjustable. To adjust your caster will either require changing the rear wishbone mounts, or piecutting them and rewelding. The caster should be around 7 degrees.
Find an old school alignment shop. If its a forged axle the camber is easily adjustable. Sitting here and trying to guess the problem from pictures and actually expecting a quick and proper fix from same pics is a waste of time. Kinda like me taking a pic of my roof and asking where the leak is. Sure we can give advice but if you want it done right find a good alignment shop. Ask local racers and hit rodders who they use. Thats how we get 75% of our business.
Excellent point about the axle being Chinese origination. I know you are new to this game but do pay attention to the suggestions made by the above participants. Anything out of the Hoffman group would or could be hazardous to your health. Search for them here and you will find a lot of threads and input regarding the cheap **** they sell. One of the items is of course axles. Known to be inferior and junk. Imagine what happens at road speed when you suffer a fracture and lose part of the axle....not a pretty picture. I would be contacting the builder and asking a lot of questions about who made certain items on the car and that would certainly include the steering, axle, spring, spindles etc. before you invest a bunch of money in trying to adjust these things that appear to be wrong. On a side note if you give us your location there may surely be other members who could visit with you to provide some insight.
I have receipts for most of the front end and it’s either speedway or another place I can’t remember off the top of my head ( it’s a guys name) However I have nothing for the axel. If I have to replace it so be it, not what I wanted to hear as this wasn’t a cheap car. Ifan Millar has a speed shop near me ( I live in Wales U.K.) I think I will drop him a line to get it checked. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
There is something there but can't make it out. Just gone through my receipts and the leaf spring, split wishbone bracket, shock kit, solid axel spring perch kit are from Jonny Law Motors LLC All the brakes ,spindles, kingpins, steering column, vega box, pitman arm tie rods, hubs, rear spring, shocks etc are all from Speedway.
If you look at the smile of the axle, it is smiling too much. The radius of the axle is too great causing your wheels to have too much negative camber and that might even explain the spring shackle angle. It looks like the car took a hard landing. Compare your axle to the ones in the pic and see if your axle is smiling more, less or the same. -Abone.
Yep, that's the one. One of the brands in the many headed Hoffman Hydra. If not a dropped original, replace it with an axle from Magnum, Superbell or SoCal.
Searching for photos of Helix (Hoffman group) axles it does seriously look like a Helix axle. Note the shape of the dropped ends and the shape of the area around the spring perch. The holes drilled next to the spring perch on the p***enger side say that it came off another car at one time and got used on that build. Now to the alignment basics. 1. slide your fingers across the tread side to side. are the tires feathered either to the inside or outside to where your fingertips catch on the tips of the feathered tread? Feathered in is too much toe in, feathered out is too much toe out. You can set the toe in by raising the car up so the tires are off the ground a little bit and scribe a line around the tread with a pencil that you are holding to the center of the tread (something to steady that hand helps a lot) while rotating the tire with the other hand slowly. Put that pencil line on both treads. That gives you and accurate point to measure from that compensates for any wheel or tire runout. I've done it hundreds of times when I was doing alignments on a rather bare bones alignment rack in a shop I worked in for a few years. Let the car down and bounce it a few times to settle the suspension. Get a helper to hold the end of the tape to the line on one tire while you measure the distance to the line on your side. I always start on the back side first and then measure the front side. Calculate the difference either in or out (less in the front is in, more in the front is out) loosen what ever locks the tie rod from turning on the tie rod ends and turn the tie rod an appropriate amount to adjust the toe to that 1/16 to 1/8 in for starters. bounce the suspension and measure again and repeat until you have it where you want it. A level or framing square held up to the side of the tire will let you know if you have excess camber and an angle gauge will tell you how much. As others said that is not an adjust at home item and if the axle is cast rather than forged it is most likely not adjustable. You can check the caster with an angle finder but there is no simple way to adjust it. The wheels and tires sticking out that far are going to affect the handling and I am thinking that you have 36 wires with spacers behind them to get them to fit those drums. Not much you can do about that if you are really hung up on keeping those wheels.
One note here: Are those the past-popular Chevy spindles on the 'Ford-type' axle? I see GM Bendix brakes...IF the spindles are the '54 Chev type, that's why the camber is low. Check that before doing anything else... <<Edit: Just noticed the front shot of the axle! #FlamedABone noticed a 'smile' in the axle I didn't see...Hoffman axle, yes; that 'smile' is very excessive. If the axle was a real forged one, it could be bent to specs.
The backing plates and fins on the drums say Lincoln style Bendix brakes to me. @Horse46 says he has a Speedway receipt for the brakes and they do sell a Lincoln kit.
Either to run the drag link (that is the drag link not tie rod) parallel to the tie rod or because that is what the builder/***embler came up with that fit. There may be a clearance issue that we aren't seeing too. I'm thinking that is a standard issue rod end and it shouldn't have any negative effects.
First you need a new front axle, anything from the Hoffman companies is dangerous. Then you need to find someone local to you who knows how to set up a straight axle. Once you get that fixed you can safely enjoy your new rod.
Look up Mart here on the HAMB, he's from over your way. He has lots of experience with old Fords and should be able to lend some over the shoulder advice.
***uming your garage is close to 90 degrees to the planet, this picture tells you what you need to know. Your axle is bent to hell and is causing your negative caster and your shackle angle issue. Was this car transported any kind of distance before it got to you? It looks like it was tied down by the center of the axle or they dropped the car getting it off the boat or something. That axle is ****ed. -Abone.
As far as your axle is concerned it looks pretty out of wack. It needs to come out. Since it may be one of the junk Johnny law axles it will not be repairable. But on the off chance it’s not one, take it out and take everything off of it leaving just a bare axle. Now hold it up in one hand and smack the middle of the axle with a ball peen hammer. If it is a forged STEEL axle it will ring like a bell. If it’s not it will just make a thud. If it is a steel axle it can be repaired but straightening it out in a press.
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