Wheel Alignment

B

Bobby O

Member
Need to get my front end aligned on my 55 Victoria. Don't know what the Caster, Camber, And Toe-in is. If someone has these I would appreciate them. Thank you so much.
 
from shop manual:
Caster; 1/2 degree to 1 1/2 degree The max diff between wheels should be 1/2 degree
Camber; 1/4 degree to 1 1/4 degree The max diff between wheels should be 1/4 degree
toe; 1/16" to 1/8"
 
I realize this is an old post but I'm also trying to do an alignment on my 56 Fairlane. Those specs in the shop manual don't say whether they are positive or negative. I'm confused
 
Thanks for the reply Kultulz but where I'm confused is most everything I read calls for negative camber and positive caster
 
Dave V said:
That article is contradicting stating negative camber. Still confused
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Caster is a little less obvious. If you look at a bicycle from the side, the top of the spindle is angled rearward toward the rider. This is an extreme example of positive caster that creates high-speed stability-the effect that allows the rider to let go of the handlebars while the bike tracks straight.

Positive caster creates an aligning torque by positioning a portion of vehicle weight behind the tire, which helps position the tire straight ahead. It is this same torque that requires more effort to turn the whee.

The opposite situation is negative caster, where the top of the spindle is tilted forward past its vertical center-line.

This creates a grocery cart-like situation, where the wheel center-line is behind the spindle center-line. Negative caster reduces steering effort because the weight moves forward of the spindle vertical center but also detracts from high-speed stability.

Virtually all vehicles employ positive caster, but excessive amounts can lead to camber problems, since these two angles directly affect each other.
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See if that helps.
 
Dave V said:
Thanks for the reply Kultulz but where I'm confused is most everything I read calls for negative camber and positive caster
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Caster is the tilting of the wheel front to back. Camber is the tilting of the wheel side to side. If you have negative caster your car will drive skittish and tend to wander with positive caster your car tend to steer straight ahead. Camber is to keep the tire flat on the the thread. Negative camber is used to aid in keep the thread flat to pavement in turns. Too much and the tire will wear on the inside
 
Now I'm even more confused from your last article. I totally understand caster and camber. My concern was about the shop manual not stating + or - specs. This last article states - caster and + camber on older vehicles. I'm assuming my 56 Fairlane is considered to be older
 
Dave V said:
Now I'm even more confused from your last article. I totally understand caster and camber. My concern was about the shop manual not stating + or - specs. This last article states - caster and + camber on older vehicles. I'm assuming my 56 Fairlane is considered to be older
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Do cars have positive or negative caster?

Modern vehicles are provided with a positive caster angle while a negative caster was used in old vehicles.
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Do you have an actual 1956 FORD WORKSHOP MANUAL and if so it doesn't indicate POS or NEG CASTER?
 
Now this is WORD OF MOUTH but is correct (IMO)-

According to the 1958 edition of Motor's Repair Manual, the specs are as follows:

caster : +1/2 to +1 1/2 desired: +1

camber: +1/4 to +1 1/4 desired: +3/4

toe-in :1/16 to 1/8

degrees toe-out on turns :eek:uter wheel 20 , inner wheel 24 1/2

degrees steering axis : 7

These specs are the same for all models, hope this helps.
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SOURCE - https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1956-ford-wheel-alignment-specs.350158/

Next step will be me low crawling down my basement stairs to find my WSM.
 
Appreciate all of your help and yes I have the 1956 shop manual for my car and it does not specify + or - on the specs. That's where I am confused. Again thank you for your help
 
Follow up on my alignment. I did find the info needed in the Motor Parts Manual. All readings are positive which surprises me. I'm now attempting to do some adjusting. Thanks all
 
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