Front wheel camber

[Forkie]

Ok so yet another topic, not sure if i am looking for problems to keep draining the savings on purpose here - and dont forget i have only ever had one of these - this one - should there be a real, obvious front wheel positive camber on these on the front wheels, mainly after reversing? I have done no checks on specific stats at this point may i add. I am aware that the Herald had quite stark positive camber ( rear, i seem to recall) but my fronts seem alike to the rears of Heralds, like this eve when all i did was reverse it out of the garage, up the drive, for me to do some remedial work to the garage walls...

[valencia]

I cannot think why reversing should be the cause of it, have you had the weight off the front wheels for some reason. I do recall my mk2 doing this after the engine was re-installed, it took a while to settle down to the correct position and camber.

[Forkie]

I have kind of been noticing it ever since it went back on the road 14 months ago, the positive camber seems really obvious ( front wheels) if the last movement i made was in reverse, before getting out of the car for any reason.... if the last movement i made was forward, it seems nowhere near as obvious? So as in since i drove it back into the garage last week front camber looks kind of normal? Engine never been out. Part of the return to the road 14 months ago included front struts out, CW built struts back in, all new bushes/ bolts/ vertical link/ steering arms/ lower arms/ drag strut, basically all front suspension renewed from CW stock. Just looks weirdly wrong, somehow? ( when reverse was last selected before parking up) I mean if something was drastically worn, i would get it. But everything is new, does not look right to me.

[Forkie]

So whenever i have jacked the front of the car up, the bottom of the wheels always turn inward, as expected. On lowering the car, they stay in that position until the car is moved again, then they seem to 'find their position' as you mentioned. Well, that ' jacked up ' position is how the front wheels appear when parked, after reveresing, if that makes sense. Is that normal, is my question.

[Forkie]

I am starting to wonder if , since i took it off the road in 2008, i have replaced sooo many parts, i am now bogged down in what replacement parts are good , and which parts are not. It is now virtually a rebuilt car, all new from front to rear , with more in between. I think my next thing to do after the gearbox overhaul is to get another member to have a drive to get their opinion. I believe Andy Harrison may be the target

[Clifford Pope]

I get the "Jacked up look changes after you move the car" bit. Surely when you jack the car up the wheels move closer together. So when you lower it again the tyres have to scrub sideways, so if the ground/floor is not slippery they stay in position until you move the car a bit. But that's only the tyres, not the wheels.

I don't understand how the effect can be different depending on direction unless something is worn, a replacement bush is squishier, or perhaps the suspension is very stiff so needs the effect of deceleration in order to re-position it after jacking. Having rusty cart springs would entirely explain it!

[Forkie]

I get it is difficult to see what i am trying to explain. So, if it ever stops monsooning down here, i will try to get some pictures up. Will use a 600mm level as a plumb point from the top of the tyre, and measure in at the bottom, at various stages of parking, after forward and reverse have been selected. I have not done this myself yet, so will be interesting. I have just gone back out in to the garage now, to double take the position of the front wheels as a general look, and they seem right!! ( it was driven forward into the garage). Its only when the car is parked/ switched off after reversing that they look wrong ( bottom of tyre tucked under). I am kind of hoping it is a trick of the light , and there is no problem at all

[Forkie]

Just add to this, it was unusually dry here a few days ago, so jumped on the chance of getting out for a short run - unfortunately my level was at work so couldn't check with that - but, on reversing out of the garage, i asked the wife to look at the front wheels - she was a little shocked how much they appeared 'out of plumb' so to speak, look far worse in person than the pictures i showed her from the week before.
Anyhow - we took it to a fairly quiet location, on tarmac, and drove it slowly backwards and forwards - it was quiet strange to say the least !!!! When stopping in forward , it all appears good and upright....when reverse is selected, as soon as the car starts reversing, the tyres start tucking under the wheels ( inboard). Stop, move forward again, and they come back out to upright again!! We both took turns at this so we both knew the other was not imagining it !! Really is a strange thing to witness. No noises or anything. May have to get the allignment checked, something does not seem right somewhere....

[Forkie]

Been thinking more on this. The manual states not to tighten the lower arm until the car is off the stands and back on its wheels ' in the normal static laden condition'. When the front is lowered back down, now off stands and back with its own weight on the front wheels, because the last movement was jacking up, when re sitting back down the wheels/tyres are in positive camber. They only straighten back up after moving forward one wheel revolution.. At what point is it best to tighten up that bolt - when let down with positive camber from jacking up, or after one wheel revolution to bring the tyre back to upright? The manual does not make this point clear.

[johnnydog]

I would suggest that as on most cars, the lower track control arm should have its final tightening when the front wheels are on the ground, and in their normal position when the suspension has settled, rather than when initially fitted and the wheels are in the 'lower' position whilst the car is still jacked up. Failure to do this causes the bush at the inboard end of the tca to distort unecesarily leading to premature failure or tearing of the bush.
In fairness, the inboard bushes on the Triumph are fairly robust, and I have never seen any fail in this manner on any of my cars.