R32 Gtr Caster Problem (maybe Big?)

[PHATR32]

hey guys,

Went to get some new tyres and a wheel alignment for the r32 gtr, and the guys at the shop found a problem with front left castor, and as a result the couldnt do a alignment.

They done a measurement before doing the alignment, and found the front left wheel was further back than the right one. No doubt in the past, the car had an accident wher the front left wheel was pushed back.

the castor measurments are:

left: -0o11'

right: +3o29'

it slightly pulls to the left, so would it be a problem when i take it over the pits on monday???

ill take a pic of the section toomorw and post it up, hopefully someone can point out some possible problems.

thanks

Steve

Edited May 26, 2006 by PHATR32

[PHATR32]

Also, while the car was up getting the tyres done, i was checking out the front left suspension/steering components.

i was compairing the left and right sides, and found everything to look ok, excpet the thrid link on the left side looked like it may have been bent, then bent back into shape. It had a bit of surface rust forming on the edges, where paint had come off. (e.g when you bend painted steel the paint cracks)

The right side didnt have this.

The tension rods looked fine too.

Also, driving it at 110kph was perfect. no wobble or weird steering feel. It only pully slightly to the left if you let go of the steering wheel.

The pics shows the part that looked bent, do the gtst ones fit?

Thanks

Steve

Edited May 26, 2006 by PHATR32

[r33_racer]

I was gonna suggest looking at your caster bushes and seeing if they are aftermarket offset bushes. Maybe your LH side bush was 180 around and giving an atypical caster setting.

I think normally suspension places will set those bushes up so your D.S wheel is further back then your P.S wheel to compensate for the camber of australian roads. Roads normally peak in the middle and taper away each side for water run off and such.

But if that main arm is damaged then I suppose you cant look past that, it will definetly need some attention, whether you get a new one or a second hand one from wreckers or off someone on here whose wrecking a 32gtr.

[PHATR32]

hey, thanks for the reply.

the castor bushes are definetly stock. So im sure thats not the cause.

The car is currently at compliancing and ill be getting it back this arvo, so ill take some pics of the (what might be damaged) part and post em up.

steve

[andylaurel]

fix it by buying some adjustable castor rods

[Beer Baron]

bad idea, that will just mask it, and may mask other problems. better that you find what the problem is first.

[PHATR32]

yeah id like to find what causing it first.

i havent had a chance to take a close look. hopfully toomrow arvo.

steve

[PHATR32]

hey! blast from the past! and i havnt had time to fix the problem till now!

anyways, to sum it all up, the castor on the left side is full out of wack, as a result of an accident on the passenger side.

steering and suspension parts have been replaced with other stock items but it hasnt helped.

quiestion is what can i do? is it possible to get the chassis straighened (with out having to pull all panels and other crap apart) or should i get and adjustable castor rod put in?

i understand the castor rod is just a patch, but funds will be low for a while due to house renovations, so any help will be very much appreciated!

thanks guys

steve

[PHATR32]

anyone? SK? BB? G? anyone?

[Beer Baron]

they can put your car on a chassis alligner quite cheaply. at least get it on there first and they can check the chassis for straigtness and tell you where and by how much it's bent. I know of a few places in sydney that do it. but I can't remember where you are. It would be worth doing as the castor problem may just be the tip of the iceberg.

[PHATR32]

thanks for that, ill get it checked out.

What do mean by the tip of the iceberg? what else could be wrong?

mind you, ive had the WHOLE fton end of the car apart e.g from the firewall forward was removed, clean, painted etc etc. at one stage it was the bare chassis sitting there. the sub frame was also cleaned and painted, but i didnt notice any damage done to it (replaced) the suspensions componenets have also been replaced, so the only thing left is the chaissis.

thanks BB!

im in perth btw

[heller44]

If you find a place that is decent and cheap let us know.

Thanks.

James.

[R31 POWER]

I have the same problem on my R31. Tell us where you go

[Beer Baron]

thanks for that, ill get it checked out.

What do mean by the tip of the iceberg? what else could be wrong?

mind you, ive had the WHOLE fton end of the car apart e.g from the firewall forward was removed, clean, painted etc etc. at one stage it was the bare chassis sitting there. the sub frame was also cleaned and painted, but i didnt notice any damage done to it (replaced) the suspensions componenets have also been replaced, so the only thing left is the chaissis.

thanks BB!

im in perth btw

what I meant is it may be a symptom of much worse damage, but dont listen to that. it doesn't take much of a bend in any part of an arm, or part of the chassis to give a massive change in alignment. so fingers crossed it's just a small bit of damage somewhere that they can fix easily.