pederl Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 OK I have gone to two different shops, they both say they cannot align my tires. Both shops say I have to get adjustable ball joints. According to the techs my frame is fine and my axle is straight however the frame is "sagging" to the point where they cannot put it into specs. Are they giving me BS or should I just pay the extra and get the adjustable? If so I was going to get them at RockAuto, unless someone else has a better supplier. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 If your frame is sagging, there isn't a ball joint, adjustable or fixed, that's going to do you any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 You should not need to adjust camber, as it is technically not adjustable. You probably just need new ball joints. Or your axle is smiling :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flint54 Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 If you want to validate the "sagging" claim, good body shops have frame racks and can check the frame at the control points to see whether it is deformed at all. Seems to me it would take a rather significant event to cause that kind and amount of frame deflection. If it is out, they can usually tweak it back to relatively straight. I crunched a Firebird once and the left rail was two inches higher than the right rail at the front control points. They were able to pull it back to within 0.010". Unlike the human body, I don't think these frames just sag over time on their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 The vehicle FRAME has NOTHING to do with camber adjustment. Like was said, two main things cause bad camber.... ball joints , or a bent axle. The frame does not play into that adjustment at all. It could affect caster if there is a frame issue, as the frame mounts could effect the control arm positioning, and thus axle positioning. I'm not sure if you and or your alignmnet shop are getting these terms mixed up, but it all needs to be clarified for you to understand what is going on correctly. I'm not trying to be an azz here, I just don't want to see you get taken to the cleaners for a lack of understanding on the terms used in front end alignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I've decided that shop-alignments are overrated on our trucks. a tape measure and a level piece of concrete are all you need to set your toe and align your steering wheel. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now