Adjusting rear camber on swing arm

Can anyone explain how the rear camber is adjusted on a swing arm axle? I have searched the forums and the knowledge base and found what the settings should be but was unable to find definitive information on how it is done.

My current rear settings from the print out are:

Camber left +2.0
Camber right +2.0
Toe in 1/32"

I had the alignment done at a reliable line-up shop but after researching this forum I think they should have set the camber (-) and not (+).

I plan to go back to the shop to have the work redone but I would like to be able to speak knowledgably when I do.

Thanks, Rich

"Relaible line up shop" Rich--my experience leads me to wonder in ANY of them are reliable. I have my alignment done at two shops. After the first one and it still didn't drive corectly, I took it to a second one. After about $100 and $20 in tips it was still not right.

I bought my own alignment tool and did it myself. The camber was way out and I adjusted it perfectly. My garage floor checked out almost perfectly level so the tool did it job well. What I found was that
both sides were set incorrectly vs the sopecs for my '68 pan and front eng. I had an odd tire wear and squealing when turning tight, slow turns.

It makes sense to me that a person who was intensly interested in getting the specs right will do a better job than a bozo with the latest equipment who doesn't give a s***. Looking back, I don't think either shop had a clue as to what nut turn to adjust the degrees of camber.

Thealignment tool was simple to use with a clear bubble iddication of + or - degrees of camber and even for a poor mechanic like me the specs were easy to dial right in.

My toe in checked out exactly ---just pure dumb luck I'm sure.

This is one DIyYjob anyone can do.---Jack

ps--I could be wrong but I don't think you adjust the rear camber in fact I added a rear camber compensator to keep the wheels as vertical as possible. Anyone know more about rear camber?

Adjusting rear camber is NOT a simple process.....If you are not mechanicaly inclined, I would reccomend purchasing a Haynes Manual and read up on the process.....It involves selecting spline locations on possibly both ends of each of the two torsion bars used in the rear suspension.....It also involves the relationship with a level floor.....Certain instruments, or their equivalent, are required....

Suffice it to say, You can do it at home, but its not fun.....Check the clearance between the torsion bar cover and the inner body pannels to be sure the torsion bars can be removed if required....Things get in the way on some cars....

If you can find an OLD V W mechanic, talk it over with them and establish what needs to be done.....

Larry Jowdy has probably done hundreds of these in his sleep....:-)

Adding a secound thought.....If you have adjustable spring plates you can achieve a limited amount of camber change....When finished, both sides should have adjustment bolts/screws adjusted the same amount....If they don't match, your handling will be different in right and left turns, and other situations....

Rich:

It's not nearly as complicated as these guys make it out to be, but you have to be patient to get it right. I believe that Jack is referring to his trying to get his FRONT wheel camber set, for which he needed some special camber adjusters to get it right. I might be wrong.

Setting the REAR camber on a swing-arm car is directly related to the ride height of the car. Stand away from the rear of the car and look at the angle of the wheels and you'll understand the next info. As the car height goes up, the rear wheels will angle closer together at the bottoms and as it goes down the wheel bottoms angle farther apart. that's the way the geometry works. Mostly, Speedster guys don't care nearly as much about rear end camber as they do about ride height, so they just set it to the height they want and then have to live with whatever camber they end up with. They have no choice because of the suspension geometry. They can alter it a bit with a camber compensator, but often the compensator will move the car up or down a bit to get the wheels straighter, or provide a stiffer spring rate above and below a set height to keep the suspension in a "sweet spot".

OK, so if you really want to adjust your rear camber, all you have to do is decide if the car's rear height must go up or down and by how much on each side (both sides are set independently). Then, go to the knowledge section of this site (tab up at the top of this page) and find this:

"ID214 Setting rear end height on a pan-based Speedster"

That should provide enough info to get you going. This is not especially difficult to do, but it's easy to get it "not quite right" so it might be better to take it to an older VW mechanic who has set ride height in the past - NOT an alignment shop. If you live close to Larry Jowdy, then go there. I doubt if anyone who'se under 40 years old and running an automotive alignment rack would know how to do it - they never see pre-1975 beetle sedans any more and they'll probably tell you that rear camber cannot be set on an early VW. What do THEY know, anyway?? ;>)

If you need a step-by-step pictorial and explanation on exactly how to do it, I have a bare pan I'm working on and can do a quick article for you - just let me know.

gordon

Gordon,

I didn't realize that the rear ride height and camber were directly related.
I printed ID214, read it twice and think I understand. However, if you have the time a step by step pictorial would really help.

Thanks, Rich

Rich:

I'll be putting the rear suspension back together on my pan today or tomorrow. It is an IRS, but setting ride height is exactly the same on both, so the pictorial should still be of benefit. I'll pop some pictures along the way, but I've also written an article on doing this on an IRS car, which is over on the Speedstershop website, pictures and all, so you might start there.

gn

Gordon,

Thanks for the tip about the Speedstershop website. I tried the search function but couldn't get it to work for any topic. Do I need a password?

Rich

Gordon,
I wasn't able to view your pictorial but I did find this video on another WEB site. It gave me a much better idea of what's what to do and it may be helpful to others contemplating this task. I've posted part 3 of a 4 part series because it deals directly with the act of rotating the spines. The link will also get you to the other 3 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA5jYrkwewg

Good post Rich! Thanks, SS