Guest Anonymous Posted August 20, 2002 Share Posted August 20, 2002 this problem is driving me crazy. i have a 77 z that the front of the rear tires points in, towards the car. the driver side points in approxamatly 10% the passenger side is much worse at about 25%, i cant find or dont see any damage to anything that could cause this, but i haven't replaced anything yet. i cant find any info on rearend alingments, but i think the passenger side is way beyond an alingment problem. i have examined some rearends at a salvage yard and i dont see anything different. i have considered the possibilty that the frame and the car have somehow creeped together and caused this problem, the rear of my subframe measures about 25in apart, give or take .5 inches. im lost and could use some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 20, 2002 Share Posted August 20, 2002 There is another thread playing this evening that this type of problem may be caused by bent strut tubes The strut tubes can be checked by a straight edge for trueness. Check the other thread out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 20, 2002 Share Posted August 20, 2002 both of my struts look fine, i havent checked them with a straight edge, but as bad as the passenger side is, i cant imagine not seeing a bent strut. any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Something is probably bent or worn out. If the car's hit a curb sometimes the spindle pins get bent and cause odd toe settings. Of course, if you have offset inner control arm bushings and they are not tight or pinned they sometimes rotate and you end up with the problem you describe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Ya know, I'd sure like to hear from someone also that knows what's the cause of this. Mine is exactly like what your describing your to be like. I put a long strait edge against the outer rim and couldn't belive how much the pass side wheel was pointing in at the front of the wheel. Like you, my driver side was in but not as much. I thought maybe me having so much tourqe at the rear wheels, that maybe it some how tweeked things that way, but their has to be another cause???? Any other ideas anyone?? Thanks joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Check the spindle bushings. If these are worn it will allow for toe change in the rear. If you jack up the rear and you can move the tirewheel back and forth with your hands at 3 and 9 oclock on the wheel then that is your problem. Also check inner control arm bushings for wear and play. If bushings are good then something is bent. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 ya know I'm curious also. My rear wheels are ok toe wise, but my wheel base is slightly longer on one side by 1/2 inch when we measured from wheel centre to wheel centre. I had the car aligned last year, and the guy gave me the readout, and nothing looked really out of wack.. it was actually pretty close to stock settings...even with the car being so low.. If you look at my flares, you can see one wheel is tucked in tighter than the other.. ?? weird huh? I'll investigate more when I pull the diff this winter..I'm tossing my solid mount in the trash..WAY too noisy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Perhaps a silly question, but have you actually had it checked on a wheel aligner? Visual estimations can be misleading. Anyway, what I would do is to have it checked and make a note of the various settings. Then take it from there. On my understanding, both rear wheels should toe out slightly and camber can be altered by bending the strut tubes in place using a special tool. But obviously get pro advice on that, preferably from someone who sets up car suspensions for competition purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 24, 2002 Share Posted August 24, 2002 well i replaced the lower control arm, along with the strut and the spindle, it was easier to pull it like that in the salvage yard. that cured the passenger side problem. i havent taken the car to an alingment shop yet. i purchased it like this and i want to make the car realtively driveable before i start taking it to specialist for fine tuning. my control arm must have been bent and i just cant see it. now if i have offset bushings for the alingment how do i adjust them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted August 25, 2002 Share Posted August 25, 2002 I don't know the exact dimensions, but a Z is significantly wider across the front tires than the rear, maybe 3 or 4 inches. Visually, that makes the rear look toed in. Best bet is a 4 wheel alignment at a shop that likes to work on hot rods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted August 25, 2002 Share Posted August 25, 2002 Old age & too much alcohol are taking their toll. My previous post about the track width being different is WRONG, I just measured my car. Don't know where I pulled that up from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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