79 Camaro clip alignment specs?

[Ralph]

I've been looking on the net (without success) for the front end alignment specs for a 79 Camaro. That's what's under my '40 Plymouth coupe. I just installed narrowed A-arms and got a local shop to align it. They finished at .89degrees positive camber, and .9degrees pos caster, with .16" toe-in. From what I've read (no experience at all here) I would have thought they'd use about 3degrees caster, and I'm concerned. Any thoughts about the settings I ended up with?
Ralph

[Bob Paulin]

I've been looking on the net (without success) for the front end alignment specs for a 79 Camaro. That's what's under my '40 Plymouth coupe. I just installed narrowed A-arms and got a local shop to align it. They finished at .89degrees positive camber, and .9degrees pos caster, with .16" toe-in. From what I've read (no experience at all here) I would have thought they'd use about 3degrees caster, and I'm concerned. Any thoughts about the settings I ended up with?
Ralph

The shorter A-arms are going to create a different motion ratio and camber gain situation.

I believe we discussed motion ratio and spring rates a little while back.

With the shorter arms scribing tighter arcs, you will, likely, gain more camber per inch of A-arm travel than a stock setup would, but OEM Camaro alignment specs will probably be close enough....unless you plan to race this car on the road course or oval - or unless you're as anal as I am about street cars handling well.

As far as caster goes, caster is not a tire-wearing angle. More caster usually results in better straight-line tracking.

I wouldn't worry too much about the caster setting unless the car tends to wander....in which case more caster should be introduced.

At .16", the toe-in feels a little heavy for my liking. I usually like my toe to run between 1/16" (.0625") and 1/8" (.125"). You are a skosch over 5/32" - one thirty-second MORE than one-eighth-inch.


My guess is that this was done on a computerized machine which......

A.) ....might not have had such "old" specs as a 1979 Camaro installed into the data base.....

B.) ....might have been operated by a younger person who had little in the way of front-end alignment theory knowledge.

C.) ....I'd have to look, but is it possible that they found an old book and aligned your car to 1940 Plymouth specs?

All my alignment specs are out in the shop, and I'm in the office right now getting ready to head out to a race car show.


B.P.

[Ralph]

Hi Bob
I was hoping you'd look in on this one. Yes, they used a new-fangled computerized setup. The guy doing the work was my local general service garage. He's my age(48 ). That's young-ish still, isn't it?

He likely doesn't have a lot of alignment experience, but he said his machine did have the Camaro spec.My finished toe-in was .7 left, and.9 right. They're usually expressed as a total, .16, aren't they? I'll drive the car a bit more and see how it tracks and returns to center.

It's a bit nasty for testing hot rods here right now. the temperature is hovering around freezing, and the roads are covered in sand-and-salt muck. Everybodies daily drivers are filthy. Milder weather than we're supposed to get this time of year, but the muck on the roads and cars is the price.

Thanks as usual for your help, Bob. It's great to have somebody to turn to for advise.
Ralph