So, teach me about alignment. RX-7 content.

Finally got around to taking the '88 Turbo II to a local shop.  The guy messed with it for awhile, said he couldn't get it close.  I didn't have a lot more time to wait for it, so he took my 80 bucks, informed me that he could put an eccentric bolt in it and have another whack at it when I had time.

So, it's not rocket science.  So far as I know, the alignment was fine until some clown who will remain nameless, working in tight confines without adequate lighting, may have loosened the bolts securing the bottom of the strut to the hub/steering knuckle.

So, obviously, the thing that is most messed up is the positive camber on the passenger side.  I've got it up in the air and I've pulled most of the front end apart on the offending side.  Honestly, everything is in really nice shape.  The fasteners are in good shape and rust-free.  The ball joint is fine.  Nice and tight with no play.  The holes in the struts and the steering knuckle/hub are not elongated and there really doesn't seem to be much adjustment there. 

So, how is my alignment significantly off?   No front-end damage.  Nothing bent.  I've owned this car for nearly 20 years.

Camber/eccentric bolts:  Quick fix or a no-no?

How big a part does the the upper strut mount play in this scenario?

I really expected to find a bunch of rusty, worn-out parts when I got into this thing, but what I'm finding is that everything is in surprisingly good shape.  Benefits to the car having spent nearly all of it's life inside a garage I suppose.  Car is driven very little, so I really don't want to start throwing a lot of new parts at it, like struts.  Current struts have no leaks, are very stiff, and well-damped.

So, looking for alignment wisdom, particularly specific to the FC3S.  TIA!

Something's not in the right place.  Top or bottom of the strut, assuming the lower control arm didn't move.  Crash bolts (eccentric) are a common thing to use.  Are you sure there's not one in there already?  Pull it apart and look.  What exactly did you take apart?  Take the wheel off, loosen that bolt, turn the head and see if the upright doesn't move.

Your upper strut mount is rotated. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get even camber on the front of mine last year, and lo and behold I had one turned 90 degrees. Tops of the struts should be closest to the inside rear bolt on the mount. Camber would certainly help too, but shouldn't be necessary if you're just going for stock-ish specs.

Dr. Hess said:

Something's not in the right place.  Top or bottom of the strut, assuming the lower control arm didn't move.  Crash bolts (eccentric) are a common thing to use.  Are you sure there's not one in there already?  Pull it apart and look.  What exactly did you take apart?  Take the wheel off, loosen that bolt, turn the head and see if the upright doesn't move.

Both lower strut bolts are the stock fasteners.

Furious_E said:

Your upper strut mount is rotated. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get even camber on the front of mine last year, and lo and behold I had one turned 90 degrees. Tops of the struts should be closest to the inside rear bolt on the mount. Camber would certainly help too, but shouldn't be necessary if you're just going for stock-ish specs.

Beat me to it.

Another cool thing you can do if you need more camber on these things is to grind out the lower ball joint bolt holes a bit since they're bolt-ins. That way you can slide it out an extra 1/8" or so.  Just make sure you tighten everything up really well :)

Get the die grinder out and slot the holes, add large washers (or make a large double stud washer) and use locknuts. 

If you can reinforce the area with more metal before doing so, go ahead. 

I assume stock upper strut bearings? 

I always struggled with the front suspension alignment, usually just set the toe and go considering you can't really adjust anything up front beside that (stock) 

Furious_E said:

Your upper strut mount is rotated. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get even camber on the front of mine last year, and lo and behold I had one turned 90 degrees. Tops of the struts should be closest to the inside rear bolt on the mount. Camber would certainly help too, but shouldn't be necessary if you're just going for stock-ish specs.

Interesting.  Okay, this is something I'm quite sure I've never messed with.  The FSM refers to a "white dot".  I see no white dot, but the flat on the center shaft faces to the inside-rear.  The driver side flat faces to the outside-front.  Relevant?

Stock-ish is my goal.  Three of my tires show near neutral camber.  The right-front shows distinct positive camber.

If I determine this to be the cause, do I jack that side, undo four nuts on the upper strut mount, rotate the strut top, then re-install?  Not sure I understand how to determine correct position.

1988RedT2 said:

Furious_E said:

Your upper strut mount is rotated. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get even camber on the front of mine last year, and lo and behold I had one turned 90 degrees. Tops of the struts should be closest to the inside rear bolt on the mount. Camber would certainly help too, but shouldn't be necessary if you're just going for stock-ish specs.

Interesting.  Okay, this is something I'm quite sure I've never messed with.  The FSM refers to a "white dot".  I see no white dot, but the flat on the center shaft faces to the inside-rear.  The driver side flat faces to the outside-front.  Relevant?

Stock-ish is my goal.  Three of my tires show near neutral camber.  The right-front shows distinct positive camber.

If I determine this to be the cause, do I jack that side, undo four nuts on the upper strut mount, rotate the strut top, then re-install?  Not sure I understand how to determine correct position.

 

Yea, the white dots are long gone on mine as well, if they ever even existed. The strut shaft is closer to one corner of the mount than the others, so it is offset both front-to-back and left-to-right, although I think the front-to-back offset is pretty subtle IIRC. Correct position should put the strut shaft closest to the inside rear corner of the strut tower. I do not know how that correlates to position of the flats offhand, but I can check when I get home and I'm sure it matters. There is definitely only one correct position. 

And yep, just unbolt the four nuts, rotate the mount, and cinch it back down.

The upper strut mount is eccentric with 4 distinct positions. 

If you need more camber, measure the strut top from the bolts to the strut shaft.  Make it so the shortest distance is to the inside of the car from the strut shaft.

Okay, I'll pull the strut next time I'm out there.  It's in the upper 30's and raining today.  Weather not fit for man nor beast.  I'll wait for a sunny day in the 50's at least.  I ain't no Yeti.