Project Greyscale 1971 Trans Am

[bsharpe]

Originally Posted by Vince@MSperfab

did you try it with the spring?

I did but before I did the alignment. As you can in the picture above, I used my new quick trick gauge. It had around 0* camber and 4*caster. I had used washers to space out the control arms because the did not fit the subframe without them. I had to widen the control arm slots to get them to fit. I will try and align the car again today and get some pictures of the coilover clearance.

[bsharpe]

I was able to get 1* of camber after grinding the control arm mount but I only can get 4.5* of caster, which actually makes sense. Since I am using a small body mount at the rear of the subframe and a full size mount at the firewall my subframe is angled down. I did the math and it is around 3*. I now have to decide if I want to level out the subframe and lose ground clearance or adjust the control arm mounts to get the car aligned correctly.


I am disappointed after using the Quick trick alignment tool a couple of times. It does not seem to be very precise and it does not work well with the C5 Z06 wheels.



Most of the measurements come from a 90* bracket which is bolted to the tool. The bracket can twist and maybe bend. When I put the digital gauge on the bracket I get .4* camber but if I put vertical on the tool I get 89*. I will try and give them a call today.
To measure the caster you need to be able to turn the wheels 20* both directions. I don't have turn plates so I had to get creative. I clamped a scrap piece of angle iron to the top of the spindle. I then placed a piece of paper with several line at 20*. I turn the wheels until I am parallel with the reference lines. Unfortunately this will only work with the inner fenders off.








You can see I have plenty of clearance with the coilovers. I think I have shorter shocks compared to others which helps.

[grendel]

Originally Posted by bsharpe

I was able to get 1* of camber after grinding the control arm mount but I only can get 4.5* of caster, which actually makes sense. Since I am using a small body mount at the rear of the subframe and a full size mount at the firewall my subframe is angled down. I did the math and it is around 3*. I now have to decide if I want to level out the subframe and lose ground clearance or adjust the control arm mounts to get the car aligned correctly.


I am disappointed after using the Quick trick alignment tool a couple of times. It does not seem to be very precise and it does not work well with the C5 Z06 wheels.



Most of the measurements come from a 90* bracket which is bolted to the tool. The bracket can twist and maybe bend. When I put the digital gauge on the bracket I get .4* camber but if I put vertical on the tool I get 89*. I will try and give them a call today.
To measure the caster you need to be able to turn the wheels 20* both directions. I don't have turn plates so I had to get creative. I clamped a scrap piece of angle iron to the top of the spindle. I then placed a piece of paper with several line at 20*. I turn the wheels until I am parallel with the reference lines. Unfortunately this will only work with the inner fenders off.








You can see I have plenty of clearance with the coilovers. I think I have shorter shocks compared to others which helps.

Yep, you have much shorter shocks.

[bsharpe]

I really want to get the subframe setup and DSE subframe connectors welded in so I can start to do the final assembly. I used a laser level to level out the car on jackstands and started to get some measurements. I have been reading Ron Sutton's suspension threads but I don't want to get carried away. I just want to make sure everything is straight and centered.

I used a plumb bob and marked every reference point I could find on the floor (outside flares, pinch weld, alignment holes, etc) I then measured from these points to mark the center point. I put a chalk line down the center. I should be able to use this to center and square up the front and rear suspension.

[bsharpe]

I haven't made any progress since my last post. The car shifted slightly when I tried to adjust the subframe. The marks on the floor don't line up with the body anymore. I need to redo the process but I decided to take a break and enjoy the summer for a few weeks.

I did get 2 of these from Strange yesterday.

[bsharpe]

Im on vacation this week which means I actually have some free time. Unfortunately, I am no where near the car but I will try and post some of my previous progress.

I have never liked how the rear bumper wraps around the qtr panels on the Firebirds so I trimmed mine.




Its sad to load and look at these pictures. The car looks almost done and they were taken almost a year ago.

[bsharpe]

I also modified a shallow g8 trans pan to work on the 6l90.

[bsharpe]

I spent another day trying to square up the rear axle and the front subframe. The rear is in a good spot except the driver side qtr panel is 5/8" wider.

Sadly, I cant get the front subframe where it needs to be. The wheelbase is shorter on the driver side and my cross measurements from corner to corner are longer from front passenger to rear driver side. This tells me I need to move the passenger side back but it seems like I am maxed out.

Im also having trouble believing the measurements since the subframe looks to be angled to much already.

Something is wrong and I am having a lot of trouble pin pointing it. The subframe has its issues but i don't think its that far off. The body has been banged up but it is solid and seems straight.

It is difficult to get good measurements on the car when the tolerances were so bad originally. I have been going off the rear frame, the pinch weld(are they supposed to be parallel?) and the body.

[Build-It-Break-it]

Have you tried mounting your stock subframe ( if you still have it) and seeing what measurements you get from that one?

[bsharpe]

Unfortunately, I don't have the original subframe anymore. It was one of the only things I was able to sell.

I wish I measured everything before I removed all of the original suspension.