Well I have just completed a rear wheel alignment which included
removing the axels out of the arms,increasing the camber on both sides
and bending the arm assemblies. I removed the axels from the arms partly
because I wanted to see if they would come apart, and I wanted to do it
at a point before they might be all rusted in there, and as well I
wanted to experiment whether one could put in a plastic shim to change
castor or camber as is done with cars. As far as I was able to
determine, it doesn't work as the sleeve which joins the axel to the arm
is too tight and too long. The fitment tolerances are such that there
is no room to allow the axel to be canted one way or another.The fit is
extremely tight.
Adding camber betwwen the frame and boggey assembly is easy and I made
my own shims up from some galvanized sheet metal. I am pretty satisfied
with a camber on one side of 1/4 degree pos. and other side of 1/2
degree pos.
Bending the arms is a bit scary, and required at least for me alot of
time as I had to keep increasing the pressure on them , then check to
see if it had bent and how much. One sure doesn't want to get too much
bend, so from a certain starting point, I kept increasing the bend by
1/16" increments.
I think I have got them as about as close as one can. (About to a 32nd
of an inch.) However I found that although I think I have pretty tight
rear pins, and the axel bearings are set fine,and I have Alcoa rims,
everything back there is not totally set in cement so to speak. Somehow
between the fractional spacing in the pins and wheel bearings,and grease
being in there, tolerances seem to change very slightly, from
measurement to measurement, even after filling the pins with grease
again after having had the porta power presure of maybe four tons on
them.I found that almost no tolearace at one point,say at the pin pivot
point, using a straight edge,and moving out say some 35" to the front
leading edge of the tire, becomes much more significant and changes
slightly after adding grease into the pin.
I haven't road tested it yet, so don't know whether steering will be
improved or not. It was steering pretty well and I really had no major
complaint, but knew that especially, mid right wheel that gets the
beating by the door was not perfect, so wanted to do the job.As well I
was wanting to increase the camber a bit. Its a good thing I wasn't
doing it for pay as I think that even at 10c an hour I might have lost
money, but I know alot more now, and would tackle it again if I need to.
And it didn't cost me any thing. I'll go for that!!.
Perhaps of interest, and I hope this doesn't start the whole controversy
up again, but I was in the market for a tire, so thought that I would
check with Michelin to see if they still recomended the same all steele
tire in E range or whether material changes in tires had improved to a
point that there might be other options other than all steele.
They said that the all steel, in E range, set at the correct pressure
for the actual, weighed weight of the veheicle with everything in it,
was the most reliable and best way to go. They were concerned that many
inadvertently end up over loading with out sufficient air pressure and
ultimately have a problem. Conversly the comment was that if one is
putting a lot more air in than is required for ones load, one is putting
more stress on the tire than necessary. So I guess it pays to know for
sure what ones total pay load is under all circumstances.
I wonder- has any one had an all steel, E range, tire blow or fail? I
cant recall any one confirming that.I currently have two Michelin and
four Goodyear all in steel and E range; will see which stand up the
best.
Claude in Victoria, on a pretty good day.
removing the axels out of the arms,increasing the camber on both sides
and bending the arm assemblies. I removed the axels from the arms partly
because I wanted to see if they would come apart, and I wanted to do it
at a point before they might be all rusted in there, and as well I
wanted to experiment whether one could put in a plastic shim to change
castor or camber as is done with cars. As far as I was able to
determine, it doesn't work as the sleeve which joins the axel to the arm
is too tight and too long. The fitment tolerances are such that there
is no room to allow the axel to be canted one way or another.The fit is
extremely tight.
Adding camber betwwen the frame and boggey assembly is easy and I made
my own shims up from some galvanized sheet metal. I am pretty satisfied
with a camber on one side of 1/4 degree pos. and other side of 1/2
degree pos.
Bending the arms is a bit scary, and required at least for me alot of
time as I had to keep increasing the pressure on them , then check to
see if it had bent and how much. One sure doesn't want to get too much
bend, so from a certain starting point, I kept increasing the bend by
1/16" increments.
I think I have got them as about as close as one can. (About to a 32nd
of an inch.) However I found that although I think I have pretty tight
rear pins, and the axel bearings are set fine,and I have Alcoa rims,
everything back there is not totally set in cement so to speak. Somehow
between the fractional spacing in the pins and wheel bearings,and grease
being in there, tolerances seem to change very slightly, from
measurement to measurement, even after filling the pins with grease
again after having had the porta power presure of maybe four tons on
them.I found that almost no tolearace at one point,say at the pin pivot
point, using a straight edge,and moving out say some 35" to the front
leading edge of the tire, becomes much more significant and changes
slightly after adding grease into the pin.
I haven't road tested it yet, so don't know whether steering will be
improved or not. It was steering pretty well and I really had no major
complaint, but knew that especially, mid right wheel that gets the
beating by the door was not perfect, so wanted to do the job.As well I
was wanting to increase the camber a bit. Its a good thing I wasn't
doing it for pay as I think that even at 10c an hour I might have lost
money, but I know alot more now, and would tackle it again if I need to.
And it didn't cost me any thing. I'll go for that!!.
Perhaps of interest, and I hope this doesn't start the whole controversy
up again, but I was in the market for a tire, so thought that I would
check with Michelin to see if they still recomended the same all steele
tire in E range or whether material changes in tires had improved to a
point that there might be other options other than all steele.
They said that the all steel, in E range, set at the correct pressure
for the actual, weighed weight of the veheicle with everything in it,
was the most reliable and best way to go. They were concerned that many
inadvertently end up over loading with out sufficient air pressure and
ultimately have a problem. Conversly the comment was that if one is
putting a lot more air in than is required for ones load, one is putting
more stress on the tire than necessary. So I guess it pays to know for
sure what ones total pay load is under all circumstances.
I wonder- has any one had an all steel, E range, tire blow or fail? I
cant recall any one confirming that.I currently have two Michelin and
four Goodyear all in steel and E range; will see which stand up the
best.
Claude in Victoria, on a pretty good day.
