'75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's

by BAS-Sr Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:44 am

Last year I redid all the front end bushings (poly) and springs (stock), so it is time to have the front end aligned, pulls a bit to the left and the steering wheel is not centered, so it needs to be done. Have not driven it much since the work, but plan to drive it much more this year.

When I did this to my '69 Camaro, there were some guys on the Camaro website that were able to provide some front end alignment spec's that made quite a difference with the way it handled and steered when done.

Was wondering if anyone here knows any spec's on these 4th gen's that would make them steer and handle better. This is for street driving, no racing or anything like that, just would like this to steer better.

I have 15x8 Rally wheels with 255/60/15 BFG TA's on it, front end is tight and seems to be good otherwise, steering box is also in great shape (stock PS setup).

by Joe73 Sun Mar 24, 2019 7:18 am

Well known fact that 73-77 have way better front end geometry than anything prior to that. Our cars handle much better. I know there are some tricks drag guys use to try to lessen rolling resistance down the track but that is achieved when the car is at full power and the front suspension mostly unloaded.

To me, any "tricks" to the front end alignment would just add to premature wear on the tires. I'd just get a quality alignment and enjoy the ride (and better front end geometry).

by bigredlaguna Mon Mar 25, 2019 1:39 am

It depends on the intended use. Autocross is different from drag racing, and both are different from a driver or cruiser.

I suspect you would want the cruiser specs. Factory specs are fine for this, but a good shop that knows what you want to end up doing will set the alignment to compensate for the crown of the road. The man who did my car spoke some numbers to me, but I didn't catch all of them because it didn't make sense to me. When I asked what the specs were, I was expecting to hear x toe, x camber, x caster, but he said plus x, minus x and so forth. I think he was telling me deviation from factory.

Autocross settings generally for 0 toe to slightly toe out for quicker response to turn in. Makes for a darty car on the street. Camber is set for max contact of the tire tread in cornering. Your tires will probably wear out quickly on the street if you set the alignment for this use. But if you live in an area with a lot of curvy roads and you drive in a spirited manner, this might be what you want.

Drag race generally is zero toe and camber with the front end raised 2 or 3 inches (or whatever the ride height is under max acceleration), and max out the caster for keeping the tires centered.

On my car, what I could understand is the camber is slightly different side to side for the road crown, and the caster was increased to about 3 degrees if not increased by that amount. Toe settings from the factory are good, but even that can be adjusted for road crown.

I'm sorry I didn't get specs from my guy, or understand what he told me, but I am confident that he knew what he did. If the tech working on your car understands the different types of usage adjustments and can tell you how he accomplishes this, then go with that guy.

by Sponsored content

'75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's

'75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's

Re: '75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's

Re: '75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's

Re: '75 el Camino - Front End Alignment - Performance Spec's