Need help! working on camber issue / '48 Coupe

Doesn't look like a monoleaf spring to me or am I mistaken?? Might not possibly be the first time................
Paul in CT
 
If you Google "camber, toe & castor- the difference" there is quite an explanation mostly for early Fords including an illustration of a bending device. Then immediately following this there is another write up with further details. One of the problems is measuring what you have done. If you go to Amazon there are camber and castor gauges for sale at varying prices.

Peteva
 
George/Maine said:
...I would buy the right front end parts and bring it back to standard.
Click to expand...

I think George has your best option here. While kudos are due the enterprising engineer that attempts a project like yours, unfortunately they are usually unsuccessful no matter how much time and money is invested. Importantly, the public highway is not a suitable proving ground for innovation in this day and age.
 
I haven't a clue as to how they have got the steering arms on the top sticking forward. They haven't turned the spindles 180 degrees because the camber would have massive amounts of negative camber. I suspect the steering arms may be welded on and these should be carefully inspected for integrity.

The conversion to r n p is not a great idea, the way it has been done.

To be honest, the angle of the front wheels does not look that far out of whack in the pictures, but it could be just be the angle the shot is taken from.

I would be very wary of driving that car as you have to trust the work carried out by someone else.

The 46-48s steer very well as stock with the panhard rods fitted front and rear.

If donor parts are available I would consider converting back to stock.

Mart.
 
Some of the possibilities on the spindles are frightening, but look at the R&P first. Attached to frame, with short rods angling down to the spindles...this thing looks like a demonstrator for bump steer! The installation is fundamentally screwed up, a severe design problem and not an adjustment problem.
Ditch it first thing...either original steering or one of the many GM replacement steerings that go in stock location will be MUCH better.
 
Looks like someone flipped the spindles upside down to achieve forward facing steering arms. By doing this you would get more positive camber.
 
In order to have the steering in front and on top the spinles were reversed and installed upside down. This is definitely going to cause problems.
 
Well, on this the steering was installed without ANY attempt to get it to work with suspension movement. Whoever did that had major gaps in his understanding of steering.
Tossing the R&P and reversing whatever happened to the poor spindles will get the suspension back to functional, and there is no problem getting either original or aftermarket cross steer boxes to fit a 48.
 
Ralph Moore said:
Looks like someone flipped the spindles upside down to achieve forward facing steering arms. By doing this you would get more positive camber.
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That's exactly what some ignant SOB did, and I DO mean IGNANT! The king pin angle built into each spindle explains the goofy camber result. Lord help us, and keep that junk off of any public road. DD

223907
 
And there will be no Ackerman with this setup. Not to sure you have to worry too much about this being on the road, this is so messed up not sure it would be drivable!
 
Guys, if the spindles were installed upside down there would be about 15 degrees negative camber (top in, bottom out). I can't see that in the pics.

Who knows what has been done without some detailed pics of all the parts concerned.

The rack installation has some serious (deadly serious, maybe) design flaws.

The angle of the shackles would also seem to indicate the panhard rod is not holding the axle central.

Mart.
 
Thanks for the reply. It looks like kingpins. The 11 inch brakes look original as well.
If we can't fix what's there then we'll have to decide which way to go.....
 
Those are 12" early ford hydraulics (stock brakes for that car).

(Not trying to be a smart ***.)

Mart.
 
V8COOPMAN said:
That's exactly what some ignant SOB did, and I DO mean IGNANT! The king pin angle built into each spindle explains the goofy camber result. Lord help us, and keep that junk off of any public road. DD

223907
Click to expand...


This is the can of worms I was handed !!!
The same so called SOB installed a Ford 302 V8, o/d C4 or 5 trans , (not sure) and a ford 9 inch rear end all from a '85 !
I was surprised not to see chevy running gear on this old of a car, but that's another topic.
Now that we've got it running and driving (not out on "public" roads !! )
this whole front end mess has to be fixed !!
 
Fix spindles...if cut and welded, the street rod bolt on steering arms may save'em. Go back to cross steer---either Ford or one of the many streetrod replacement steerings with CH boxes. The placement of the R&P guarantees LOTS of bumpsteer and is completely wrong...it MUST go.
 
I also suggest coverting it back to cross steer. Should be fairly easy with a set of bolt on steering arms. That may be what's on there, may be able to remove them and bolt them on there correctly.
 
This is a totally different issue than "excessive negative castor" and how I advised a fix. It looks like you have a stock axle, pan hard bar and spring, I don't see a mono leaf unless you just installed it after these pictures. I would basically start from scratch. Remove all the stuff you know won't work, as most have advised on this site. Get the spindles on their correct sides and hook up the ty-rod. I would then figure out what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want power steering, power disc brakes etc.,if so there are many kits available. You can't make chicken salad from chicken S**t.
 
Buddy backup time,
As Mart said if you swap spindles down side up, you will get a bunch of negative camber. Top in bottom out.
Your gonna have to tug the front to bits to find out what nasty stuff has been done. I'm wondering if it's got Econaline spindles on it or such like.
That rack setup needs to be thrown over the nearest hedge, and anything else Fonzy did to this car. The whole steering is a botch job. A rack like that, mounted like that will never maintain anything like a decent geometry.
Cross steer box, power or stock with stock spindles and steering arms will work perfectly, on the late 40's Ford like you got there is possibly the ultimate setup, you got an anti roll bar, and panhard rod stock, it really is a very good driving setup.
You won't regret doing it properly.
please be good to your word and keep it of the road till sorted, don't want it going all wrong and you hitting something/someone. Might even hit me, it's that bad.
Martin.
In England.
 
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