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 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 10:36PM
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CA

Front & rear track will be affected by adding S brakes up front but not at rear and similar.

As for Caster, I like some 4 to 4.5 degrees with a little more (+ 1 degree) on the right than left for street/highway driving on the RHD side...so, say 3.5 degrees left/4.5 degrees right...but that's just me.

For Camber my preference on a street/highway Mini is not more than 1 deg. negative (typically set at close to 0.7 deg. negative) at the 4 corners with zero toe at the rear, std. toe out at front.

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 09:02PM
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Oh, and don't rely on the factory service manual's front and rear track width to be the same on your Mini.  The FSM says 1-7/16" narrower rear vs front, and mine is 2-7/8" narrower (emperically measured).

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 08:48PM
 Edited:  Apr 16, 2014 08:58PM
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DyeLooper, X2 on everything Jeff5150 says.  String method is awesome.  And remember, however, the rear is narrower than the front.  So you must compensate for that by putting stuff under the string where it goes around the rear tire... to make sure you are the same width front and rear.

If your steering wheel is not too far off, just do a half-turn on both steering arm ends - out on one, in on the other - drive it and see if it's straight, and then repeat if it's not enough. 

I didn't read the whole thread, but assume you centered the rack too.

Good job on the adjustable arms.  There have been episodes where the retaining rubber donut in the subframe either pops out, or the nut on the front of the arm that goes thru the donut loosens.  Then the guy went into a center divider on the freeeway.

For caster and camber I rely on this:

//www.speedwaymotors.com/Economy-Caster-Camber-Gauge,2699.html

Only 35 bucks.  There are of course more expensive options.  This one works great for me.

caster camber gauge

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 08:09PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DyeLooper

... I thought I had the steering wheel straight when I finalized the alignment of the tie rods (guess not). The front wheels are straight and the car drives straight, but the steering wheel is crooked.The tie rods have 11 threads on the right, 12 treads on the left. If I adjust either the wheels will not be straight. ...

 

 

I have done many front end alignments on my '73 Mini in the last couple of years.  Camber, caster, and toe and am starting to understand how to correct a lot of the issues.  Most recently (shortly after a full rebuild of the car with a new rack install) I had set the alignment which was fine for months, then after an off-track excursion (track weekend) the steering wheel was no longer centered.  Here's some advice/comments:

1) using the string method (google it, you'll find info on how to correctly set toe in your garage) you can very accurately determine not only the amount of toe in/out of the front end, but more specifically the amount of toe in/out of *each* wheel.  I discovered that my rack had moved slightly because before the issue I had 2/32" toe out at each corner and after the issue I had 4/32" toe out on the left and 0/32" toe out on the right.  So my conclusion was that the rack had to have moved (since all other components were checked to be correct).  To correct this I did another string alignment and, with the rack and steering wheel straight I independently adjusted each front corner to achieve 2/32" toe out.

2) regarding steering wheel center - with the front end off the ground (on jack stands) turn the wheel to left lock and note the steering wheel position.  Then turn the wheel past center to right lock and note the steering wheel position.  If the wheel is correctly mounted to the column the wheel will rotate the same amount each direction (mine is about 1-3/5 revolutions).  If it were me, I would first find the true center of the rack and center the wheel at that position, disregarding the toe in/out of each front wheel.  Then, do a string alignment and set each front wheel to 1/32" toe out or 2/32" toe out (a matter of preference), just as long as they match.  This will, by it's nature, cause the wheel to be centered and the car should track straight ahead (read below though).

3) things that can cause pulling when driving straight (not to be confused with a non-centered wheel that doesn't pull):  differing caster on each front corner, tire pressures not equal, faulty tire(s), too much or too little front end toe, incorrect rear toe (this can cause the car to rotate and 'crab' while driving straight), and of course road crown.

Hope it helps,

Jeff

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 07:19PM
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If you have a later car make sure the turn signal canceller is in the correct position when re installing the wheel.

If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 05:45PM
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Caster is important..and having adjustable rods means that you will need to have it measured and (no doubt) corrected.

The wrong/uneven caster is one of the main culprits if your car pulls to one side..  If you regularly drive on heavily cambered roads you may find that the car constantly drifts down the slope.  This condition can be compensated for with caster...

Caster is also used to adjust the "weight" of your steering as increased caster will increase the self centreing effect.

Cheers, Ian

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 05:02PM
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I should of added, I have not done an alignment yet. I think I have the TOE alignment set, but am unsure of the CASTOR (which I am having checked)

 

"WILLIE", Sounds easy enough. Kind of just like it said in the manual. Thanks for the confirmation. I'll give it a go tomorrow........ 

 Jason

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 04:46PM
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US

Pull the steering wheel and move it to where needed. Loosen the large nut inside the wheel ALMOST all the way then pull or bang the rear to loosen. The nut is not all the way off so it will not come flying off into your face. The steering wheel is not keyed to any one place on the shaft so you can align it to any of the splines.

"How can anything bigger be mini?"

 Posted: Apr 16, 2014 04:18PM
 Edited:  Apr 16, 2014 04:20PM
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So I have torn into the front end of our 84' Austin Mayfair over the winter. I installed red springs with hi-lo's. Re-did the upper control arms (Repair kits)....And it needed it! Replaced the diagonal tie rods ( one was bent). I went with the heavy duty adjustable set. Probably over kill, but I felt with the adjustability it would benefit me, NOT REALLY SURE ON THIS. Replaced the steering rack tie rods, and additional odds and ends. Took it for a test drive and all seems pretty good. One thing that is out is the steering wheel. I thought I had the steering wheel straight when I finalized the alignment of the tie rods (guess not). The front wheels are straight and the car drives straight, but the steering wheel is crooked.The tie rods have 11 threads on the right, 12 treads on the left. If I adjust either the wheels will not be straight. Can I loosen the nuts on the steering wheel shaft, pull it up, straighten the steering wheel and re-install? Or is there something else I should be doing. I would love to start driving the car for the summer as it's getting real nice outside. I have the Haynes manual, but not sure if this is correct what I want to do. Any help or direction would be appreciated......Anyone local to Wilimington, DE /I-95 MD line? I would love to talk shop.

 

 

 Jason

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