Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

How much does the camber change when the pop rivet is drilled out on the OEM camber plate and then the camber plate and strut is moved and then the pop rivet is installed in different hole on an 87 T-Bird?

Doesn't anyone know the degree change?

No idea. Are you trying to change camber for some reason? If so your best bet are these: http://www.maximummotorsports.com/Thunderbird-Caster-Camber-Plates-1983-1988-P258.aspx

That pop rivet isn't needed...

Don't waste time reinstalling it.

Alignment check shows camber is -1.5 to -2 degrees. How much movement is needed to bring camber within spec? Is it an 1/8" 3/16" 1/4"? Will drill new hole for a new rivet to keep camber plate from slipping back. If the needed movement to correct camber is greater than what's available with the OEM setup well then the MMS plates with the smaller strut mount will be needed for the added clearance.

If the strut mounts slip, you have other issues besides a missing rivet.

All aftermarket CC plates don't use rivets, either.

we had to can the rivit to put in brand new upper strut mounts.

told my youngest boy Chance that we would leave out the rivit and let the alignment shop pop one in when they see fit to get things dialed in.

now im paying attention to the people here who know the right answer.

I think we first need to know how you got so much negative camber.

Lowered front springs caused the greater negative values.




Metal to metal will slip unless it is serrated. So it's better to play it safe and keep the rivet feature than be sorry from a pot-hole hit or just the car vibrations.

Going to need those caster/camber plates I linked to.

The factory plates won't even get you close.  Ask me how I know.

I have NEVER had a strut mount slip on one of these cars in the past 25+ years I have been messing with them. Be it stock plates or aftermarket CC plates.

Been running the Maximum Motorsports CC plates on my 93 coupe for over 17 years and on the Bird for about the same amount of time and never a slip.  These CC plates are put on all out road race cars with radical alignments and do not slip unless the poor putz did not assemble or torque them correctly.  Here is a shot of them on my Bird:

(http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy142/dbrune_83/6eeb3f02-2ab7-482c-8b78-d1644f634533_zpsf7253be2.jpg)

You can see that the bolting passing through the holes in the strut tower all have a slotted adjustment from right to left to compensate for the camber you want to achieve.  The upper plate (the one you see on top of the strut tower) can be flipped one way to produce a maximum amount of negative camber (racing) and then flipped the other way for a slight amount of negative camber (street).  You will also notice that the top plates have front to rear slots in which you see mine are maxed out to the rear.  This is to produce the maximum amount of caster as these cars need all the caster they can get to help with putting more negative camber into the loaded tire when cornering.  I have corrected for the bumpsteer on both of my cars due to the caster being maxed out as well as how low they are but on a typical street car lowered an inch or two this is not an issue.

Read MM's installation instructions as they do a really good job of explaining the how's and why's.

Do you mind saying what your caster and camber settings are? From the photo submitted it looks the camber is very negative going by the position of the strut shaft. Also can tell your caster setting is at the max negative is this also correct?

If he can't, I will. After my drop, I was able to use the factory plates to go from -2.8 to -2.1. After the MM C/C plates, I was able to set the camber to factory spec at -0.75. I was also now able to dial in more caster than factory, which is highly desirable. My caster is +4.5, with no cross caster. I can do these things myself because I'm an ASE Master mechanic and I naturally have access to the alignment rack. If your situation is different, you'll need to explain what you have and what you need directly to the tech who will be doing your alignment so that you are completely understood. Service advisors are likely to not get what you're asking for.
I would highly recommend using my alignment specs.  Of course, adjusting camber and caster will make it necessary to reset toe, so be a nice guy and make sure your jam nuts are free, maybe spray some penetrating oil before hand.
Last piece of advice, see about sitting in the car while the alignment is being done. This will help ensure that the car is set to spec considering your presence in the car.

Alignment specs are in the MM instructions for street and race.  I took the installation instructions to the alignment shop (Firestone) and the tech put it on the numbers for the street spec.  MM's specs read as follows:

ALIGNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
If you wish, you can simply have your car aligned to Ford’s
specifications:
We recommend that caster be set to 4.5 degrees positive
for street cars - but do not adjust the plate beyond the
halfway point without special attention to bumpsteer
detailed below. For race cars we recommend that the
caster be set to 6 degrees positive, or at the limit of
adjustment on the plate - with mandatory attention to
bumpsteer. The Mustang responds favorably to increased
positive caster. The reason: The more positive the caster
setting, the more negative camber the loaded tire will gain
while cornering.
We recommend that camber be set to .5 degree negative
for street cars, never positive as Ford allows. For race cars
we recommend 1.5 to 2.5 degrees negative camber. Some
cars/drivers need more negative camber for optimum
handling and tire wear. Keep an eye on your own tire wear
and make adjustments as necessary.
We recommend setting the toe to the factory spec of .5
degree toe-in for street use. For race cars we recommend
.5 degree toe-out.

So basically I am running 4.5 degrees of positive caster, 0.5 degrees of negative camber, and 0.5 degree of toe-in.  And I am not an ASE tech but I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night (sorry Foe could not resist).

With that being said I think that Foe and I are really happy with the CC plates and the alignment specs so jump in head first and buy a set.

The only reason for me to claim my credentials was to explain how and why I have direct access to an alignment rack.  I, too, followed MM's guidelines on alignment, but decided that the factory camber was better.  I also found that +4.5 caster was about the maximum I could get from them.

Meant for it to come off as kidding around man. You are a great source of info and I always enjoy your posts.