mfg Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Is there an easy way to obtain increased 'positive' caster in a Studebaker Avanti's suspension BEYOND the normal factory adjustment?....If so, how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudeNorm Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 StudeNorm says No.....Any other thoughts on this question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Well, I might get push-back on this one..............but I've noticed that when you try to get maximum caster adjustment, the rubber dust seal seems to limit how far you can go. I've often toyed with the idea of cutting the dust seal to see how much extra (if any) caster could be gained. Sure, I know that this may increase the chance of dirt/water contamination, which is why I haven't tried it; but if you grease the pins per the shop manual's recommended frequency, this might at least minimize the contamination. Long story short, my answer is yes, by cutting off the dust seal. Let the flaming begin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Well, the correct answer is indeed YES,...but not because of Paul's 'remove the dust seal idea'....Anyone else have any thoughts on this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 You can mount the top a arm on a piece of angle and then shim the mount for more castor. But you HAVE to also shim ONE side of the lower control arm shaft. If you do not do this the outer bushings will bind during movement. The reason is they only move in a single plane, and you can't force 1/2 of the king pin without compensating the opposite end movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) brad is on the right track here...............Basically, if you want more POSITIVE caster in your Avanti's front suspension (Studebaker frame), one needs to shim the FRONT upper control arm cross-shaft retaining bolt.....and then also shim the REAR lower control arm cross-shaft retaining bolt, with an equal amount of alignment shims under each. If you're looking for more NEGATIVE caster beyond normal factory adjustment....do just the opposite! Edited November 5, 2015 by mfg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudeNorm Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 I've been looking at my front suspension and been thinking that if I had to shim it to get caster I would be adding a torsional component into the alignment because the upper and lower inner suspension mounts are not on the same plane. In a Cheby this is OK because it uses ball joints but with a king pin system would this not change the geometry of the outer pins? Something says that if you need to be shimming the front end of a Studebaker to get caster maybe you should be checking your frame...? Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 'Moderate' shimming to achieve perfect caster specs (which sometimes seem just out of reach on many Studebakers) is probably OK.....but I agree with you that shims shouldn't be used as a 'band-aid' to hide earlier frame collision damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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