Hello all
After reading all the posts here, I wanted to share a solution I had to an old problem....negative camber on the S-10 conversion (or even stock suspensions).
I converted my 71 to an S-10 setup and had alot of negative camber. I got the offset upper bushings and they helped a bit, but not enough. The front still looked funny with the negative camber. Before deciding to drop $450 on a set of adjustable upper arms, I decided to try and modify the stock arms. Here is what i did:
1. Set the lower eccentrics at the halfway point so they were not pushing the lower arms either way
2. Drove the car a bit to get it to settle at ride height and its current suspension settings
3. Parked the car on a flat level surface
4. Placed a level against one wheel so that the bottom of the level was touching the bottom of the tire
5. pulled the level away from the top of the tire until it was perfectly level
6. Measured the distance between the level and the top of the tire (this was the negative offset.....mine was 5/8")
Based on the design of the front, this meant that the total offset was only about 7/16" because any movement of the top would cause the opposite movement of the bottom. So 7/8 divided by 2 = 7/16". So if I move the position of the upper ball joint 7/16" out, the bottom of the tire will go in about 5/16".
Now the modification. Here is where I decided to cut:
Since the upper arms are not load bearing, they can be easily cut and re-welded. After removing the piece, I tack welded a piece of flat stock to the underside of the arm. Then placed the piece 7/16" away from where it was and tacked it to the flat stock. Once held in place I matched up the outer edges to insure they were in line with the edged of the arms, then tacked those in place as well. Next came filling in the gap with weld. This was done about 1/4" at a time to keep the part from overheating. I welded by alternating side to side until all filled. Once filled, I ground down any overhanging flat stock and filled any gaps in the bottom with weld. Then it was ground and smoothed and repainted. I then did the same to the other side (which was 3/8" off)
The car went for alignment yesterday and the initial "before" measurements for camber were -0.2 (left) and +0.1 (right)
With the eccentrics set in the middle before modifications, I was able to now adjust. I set each side to -0.4 degrees. Caster was +2.0 each side.
Front end is now straight and looks great. Best part was the cost which was nothing but an afternoon of labor.
In the future I might still breakdown and get the adjustable arms, but for now it's great to be able to cruise the streets in a straight ride!!!!!
Put it through its paces and stressed the arms with numerous sharp turns and corners and they are strong with no issues with the welds.