Hey,
im about to install my new suspension (Eibach pro kit + Tokico HP) and im looking for a shop to align my car. I did some call and some say yes there no trouble for a lowered car some say it would take 2 or 3 hours to do it (Wtf?) and some say that there is no possibility to adjust the camber on a chevy cavalier. Im not sure but yes you can ajust the camber in the front right?
How to know if they are slotted?
Left is slotted, right is not.
You can adjust camber on the left one.
That camber plate and not slotted on the bottom. I think mine is slotted, here a pic:
Round hole on the top and an oval one on the bottom. Correct me if im wrong but the bottom one is to adjust camber?
Is that the part that bolts on to the steering knuckle? You don't adjust camber there, you do it on the top plate of the strut.
Hmm you are wrong, when i installed my strut mount there was a in and out play in the bottom of the strut with the knuckle, and thats camber.
You're right, I know nothing about this.
There shouldn't be any play at the knuckle.
I should probably mention that our suspensions are largely neutral, and that you don't actually need to adjust camber on them.
So what i saw on the GM eSI Service information is wrong? Well that come frome GM (Doc ID 640669) Maybe im just crazy..
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2005 chevy cavalier.. that the same procedure for a cavalier 1995 to 2005.
One of the two bolts that attaches the strut to the steering knuckle is cammed, I can't remember which. Eibach sells a set of bolts to replace the stock bolts to adjust camber.
And when I had my car aligned after the same suspension install as you (Pro-Kit and HP's), they weren't needed.
Interesting. My my knuckle2strut holes have absolutely no play.
I had a little bit of a difficult time finding a shop to align my car though. It seems that some places don't want to touch a lowered car because that can't align it to factory specs.
I found an alignment specialist that did it for me though.
2 to 3 hours seems like a bit of a long time, but they still shouldn't have any real problem getting you straightened out, so to speak.
Good luck with it.
where you at ill do it...im in md and i am the @!#$ btw
lets be clear about this. factory or factory style struts (including most of the aftermarket ones availible for our cars) do NOT allow for a proper amount of camber adjustment in the front. maybe .1 or .2 degrees at most. the picture of the strut you posted up has not been modified to allow for any kind of camber adjustment. it looks identical to a factory strut. in order to adjust front camber you need to file or grind out the bottom hole so that you can push or pull the camber within spec. if you're paying for an alignment shop to do that then no, 2-3 hours labor isn't un reasonable. because thats a pain in the ass. most places you pay an hour labor to setup the machine, calibrate the sensors and make the adjustment. if the car calls for any extra work to make adjustments; i.e. our cars with the front camber adj, or rear camber/toe adj. that requires more time to physically do, so they are gonna charge you more. simple as that. a place that is actually willing to do the work may be worth going to, because 90% of the places you go to just wont do it, or will blow you off when you say your car is modified.
that being said, a lot of the time when lowering these cars camber doesn't need to be adjusted. im lowered on Sportlines and D-specs and i personally did my alignment at work last year on the Hunter machine. camber was dead even and within spec both sides. (ive had this setup for 4+ years at this point) unless you're car has been hit, has frame damage or is slammed you most likely wont need to have the camber adjusted in the front to get it within factory spec on you're setup.
now, if you're looking for a camber adjustment for racing purposes there
are options.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Friday, April 15, 2011 6:01 PM
Been lowered for over 5 years, every shop I've taken it to in town has been able to align it. Ironicly, when I went to lower the car, I found 2 Cam bolts on the driver's side strut. Just took them off, and kept them around ever since.
FWIW, its the UPPER hole that needs slotted to adjust camber on our cars. And you can do the slotting along with camber eccentric bolts and have plenty of adjustment.
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I love reading these types of posts, since it always seems like alignments are such a mystery to everyone.
If a shop tells you there is no way to adjust a lowered car, run, and run fast, and never look back at that shop. They don't deserve your business.
Rich Grayo Jr. wrote:if the front struts are slotted, yes. otherwise, camber plates are required.
bradsk88 wrote:Is that the part that bolts on to the steering knuckle? You don't adjust camber there, you do it on the top plate of the strut.
You're both right and wrong. 99% of strut type front suspensions are adjusted by physically slotting one of the holes. Some aftermarket struts actually come pre-slotted to save time. Once the two bolts are tightened down, there is no "play" since the strut is clamped to the knuckle. There is no need to add a camber plate upper mount unless you have a need to adjust camber at the track or something. A camber plate is
not used to set initial camber. This picture shows the slotted hole needed-
binzer wrote:One of the two bolts that attaches the strut to the steering knuckle is cammed, I can't remember which. Eibach sells a set of bolts to replace the stock bolts to adjust camber.
And when I had my car aligned after the same suspension install as you (Pro-Kit and HP's), they weren't needed.
I have yet to see a J body that actually needed cam bolts.
binzer wrote:I had a little bit of a difficult time finding a shop to align my car though. It seems that some places don't want to touch a lowered car because that can't align it to factory specs.
I found an alignment specialist that did it for me though.
2 to 3 hours seems like a bit of a long time, but they still shouldn't have any real problem getting you straightened out, so to speak.
Good luck with it.
Again, it's not that the shop
couldn't align a lowered car, it's because they didn't want to. And as I've said before in other posts, I would never take any business there again.
Jon D wrote:lets be clear about this. factory or factory style struts (including most of the aftermarket ones availible for our cars) do NOT allow for a proper amount of camber adjustment in the front. maybe .1 or .2 degrees at most. the picture of the strut you posted up has not been modified to allow for any kind of camber adjustment. it looks identical to a factory strut. in order to adjust front camber you need to file or grind out the bottom hole so that you can push or pull the camber within spec. if you're paying for an alignment shop to do that then no, 2-3 hours labor isn't un reasonable. because thats a pain in the ass. most places you pay an hour labor to setup the machine, calibrate the sensors and make the adjustment. if the car calls for any extra work to make adjustments; i.e. our cars with the front camber adj, or rear camber/toe adj. that requires more time to physically do, so they are gonna charge you more. simple as that. a place that is actually willing to do the work may be worth going to, because 90% of the places you go to just wont do it, or will blow you off when you say your car is modified.
that being said, a lot of the time when lowering these cars camber doesn't need to be adjusted. im lowered on Sportlines and D-specs and i personally did my alignment at work last year on the Hunter machine. camber was dead even and within spec both sides. (ive had this setup for 4+ years at this point) unless you're car has been hit, has frame damage or is slammed you most likely wont need to have the camber adjusted in the front to get it within factory spec on you're setup.
now, if you're looking for a camber adjustment for racing purposes there are options.
This. Twice.
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