Camber with new spring

[Roger K]

One thing after another....  I need some advice from the sages with experience again.

Would you expect marked positive camber on rear wheels when fitting a brand new rear spring?  This is the continuing saga of my late non-roto GT6.  I have replaced the rear spring with a Rimmers GT6 spring, as it had a longer Spitfire 1500 spring which had been on nearly ten years but still showed positive camber.  I've reused the vertical links, but changed the diff for a 3.63.  I have fitted new drive shafts, listed as 'long' for late non-roto GT6.

The photos show how it's ended up.  The suspension bolts are still all loose to allow things to settle.  I've jumped up and down on the bumper a bit, which pulls it more level, but this is how it sits at rest - the tyres are taking the weight.  My question is, is this normal with a brand new spring, and it will settle further, or do I have a problem with this new spring?

Thanks all

 

[Clive]

HAs it been drive around yet? If not, it will settle. Even better, drive round undukating roads or hump-backed bridges, with 100kg in the back. Make the suspension work hard, it helps a lot.

[Gully]

When I had a new spring on my rotoflex GT6 I fitted a half inch lowering block initially, anticipating the spring would settle. It did so over the following 12 months or so, whereupon I (eventually!) removed the block. It's not uncommon. Not sure how the lowering blocks work with the swing spring cars, but assume they sit between the diff and the spring in the same way. Mine wouldn't have sat that high with the new spring without the block...

Gully

[dougbgt6]

Roger,

This happens every time you jack the rear end up! Roll the car forward or back a couple of wheel rotations and it will settle and you'll get the right camber. And as the guys say it should sink lower. 

Or it should, if you've done it right! 

Doug

[Roger K]

Thanks chaps, I forgot to say that it has been rolled backwards and forwards 3 or 4 feet a few times to allow the tyres to settle from the jacking.

I've run all the nuts up to contact without tightening to torque.  I was thinking of maybe doing a couple of very gentle circuits of the bypass before tightening, to allow some movement.  Failing that, the obvious answer would be to place an order for a lowering block.  In my experience, the moment I click on 'pay' the spring will move down to the correct position.

You may have spotted the 5.5J wheels... these are the 16mm offset so will hopefully be OK on a swing-spring.  It's a bit tricky to tell just at the moment, though.

[Pete Lewis]

and another thought , is the spring compatible with the drive shafts

having a long spring and short shafts gives excess camber 

late mk 3 should have the long  drive  shafts 

and incorrect toe will jack the converging wheels up to affect the camber , does it vary going reverse /forwards  ???

Pete

[Roger K]

Shouldn't be wrong, Pete - bought all the parts from one supplier (Rimmers), described as late GT6 swing spring and the shafts as long shafts.

No, nothing moves changing from forwards to backwards - at least, not when I'm pushing it.  The toe is not adjustable except by shims and has never been touched.  The old tyres were worn perfectly evenly so I doubt there's a problem there.

Better too high to start and settles correctly, than perfect at the start and settles too low, I suppose.  Wonder if the diff has shrunk?

[Pete Lewis]

2 minutes ago, Roger K said:

Wonder if the diff has shrunk?

Nah  whine or scream but not shrink  

its only the collapsible spacer on late diff that can shrink  Ha 

Pete

[Roger K]

It has one, it’s a 3.63. Don’t think that’s the issue though really. 

[GrahamB]

I changed the swing spring on my Spitfire, bought it from Moss when they had a special offer.  The old spring allowed the suspension to bottom out on anything but the mildest bump it was so weak.  The  wheels  with the new spring appeared to be vertical or perhaps slightly positive  and although I was told it would probably settle, I decided to fit a 1/2 inch lowering block from Canley's to give  a slight negative camber.  It is still fitted several years later and the negative camber is still quite slight.

Every time after I have jacked up the rear,  on standing back on its wheels, there is a marked positive camber as shown in your photos.  Pushing a few feet back and forwards has little effect but the wheels are back to their correct alignment after a short drive.

Graham 

[Roger K]

Thanks Graham, I think I need to wait until I can drive it before I start changing things. I’ve got the front end to do next, before the XK140 comes back from the paintshop.