Ford Thunderbird 1966 - Suspension Adjustments and Repairs; Camber Adjustment; Caster Adjustment; Toe-In Adjustment

PART 3-1
-SUSPENSION, STEERING,
WHEELS AND
TIRES
GENERAL
SERVICE
35
ALIGNMENT
MARKS
Tool
-
T65P
-
3000
-
B
F
1268-
A
FIG.
1
Alignment Spacer
Installation-Front
F
1269
FIG. 2 Alignment
Spacer
Installation
-Rear
1.
Drive the
car
in
a
straight
line
far
enough to
establish the
straight-
ahead
position of the
front
wheels,
and
then
mark the
steering
wheel
hub
and
the
steering
column collar
(Fig.
3).
Do
not
adjust the
steering
wheel
spoke
position
at this time. If
the
front
wheels
are
turned
at
any
time
during
the
inspection,
align
the
marks
to
bring
the
wheels
back
to
the
straight-ahead
position.
2.
With
the
car in
position
for the
front
end
alignment
inspection and
adjustment,
install the
suspension
alignment
spacers as
follows to
es
tablish
the
curb
height.
Lift
the
front
of
the
car and
posi
tion
the
suspension
alignment
spacers
between
the
suspension
upper arm
POSITIVE
CAMBER
1213-A
FIG.
3
Typical Straight Ahead
Position
Marks
and the edge of the frame
spring
pock
et as
shown in
Fig. 1. The
lower end
of
the
alignment
spacers
should be
placed
over
the
head
of the ball
joint
retaining
nut.
Position
the
alignment
spacers
for
the rear of the
car between
the rear axle
and
the frame
side rail as
shown
in Fig.
2. Lower the rear
of
the car
so that the weight
of
the
body
will
hold
the alignment
spacers
in
place.
3. Install the wheel
alignment
equipment
on
the car. Whichever
type
of
equipment is
used,
follow
the in
stallation
and
inspection
instructions
provided
by
the equipment
manufac
turer.
CASTER
Check the caster
angle
at
each
front
wheel. Caster
is the
forward or rear
ward tilt at the
top
of
the
wheel
spindle (Fig. 4). If
the
spindle tilts
to
the
rear,
caster
is
positive. If
the
spindle tilts
to the
front,
caster
is
neg
ative.
The "correct caster
angle,
or
tilt
is specified in
Part 3-5.
The
maximum
difference
between
both
front
wheel
caster
angles
should
not
exceed
1/2
.
However,
a
dif
ference of
not
more
than
1/4
is
pre
ferred.
CAMBER
Check
the
camber
angle
at each
front
wheel. The camber
angle is the
amount the front wheels are
tilted at
COMMON
ADJUSTMENTS AND
REPAIRS
WHEEL
ALIGNMENT
ADJUSTMENTS
After
front
wheel
alignment
factors
have
been
checked,
make
the
neces-
CASTER
CL
OF
TIRE
POSITIVE
CASTER
JjLl
CAMBER
FR0NTr
ANGLE
CAR
F1216-A
FIG.
4-Caster and
Camber
Angles
the
top
(Fig. 4).
If
a
wheel tilts
out
ward,
camber is
positive.
If
a
wheel
tilts
inward,
camber
is
negative. The
correct camber
angle,
or
outward
tilt,
is
specified
in Part 3-5. The
maximum
difference
between
both
front
wheel
camber angles
should
not exceed
1/2.
However,
a difference
of
not
more
than
1/4
is preferred.
TOE-IN
Alignment
height spacers
are not
used
to check and adjust
toe-in.
Toe-in
should
only
be
checked
and
adjusted after the caster
and camber
has
been
adjusted to
specifications.
Check
the toe-in with
the
front
wheels
in
the
straight-ahead
position.
Measure the
distance
between
the ex
treme
front and
also
between the
ex
treme
rear of
both
front
wheels.
The
difference
between
these
two
distances
is the
toe-in.
Correct
toe-in,
or
inward
pointing
of
both
front
wheels
at
the
front,
is
specified in
Part
3-5.
FRONT
WHEEL
TURNING
ANGLE
When
the
inside
wheel
is
turned
20,
the
turning
angle
of
the
outside
wheel
should
be
as
specified
in
Part
3-5.
The
turning
angle
cannot
be
ad
justed
directly,
because
it
is
a
result of
the
combination
of
caster,
camber,
and
toe-in
adjustments
and
should,
therefore,
be
measured
only
after
these
adjustments
have
been
made.
If
the
turning
angle
does
not
measure
to
specifications,
check
the
spindle
or
other
suspension
parts
for
a
bent
con
dition.
sary
adjustments.
Do
not
attempt
to
adjust
front
wheel
alignment
by