3" half shafts and toe-in?

TWINRAY · 10-15-07, 10:00 AM

Well finally after getting these in (from Fort Wayne Clutch) along with my emergency brake job, the rear wheels are all cocked. The driver side isn't too bad (it may even be correct) but the pass. side is all ****** up. I drove it a bit and it appears it got slightly better but it's out of wack by quite a bit. Will this get corrected by me driving it as the suspension gets settled back down? I had the car on jackstands with the half shafts off for 3 weeks and while in the air, the wheels were of-course towed in but I thought when the car got on the ground, it would go back to normal. WTF?

Vettehead Mikey · 10-15-07, 12:16 PM

The condition you are seeing is more to do with camber, not toe-in. Toe-in is when the leading edges of the wheels are facing inwards as in pigeon toed.

It appears that your new half shafts are considerably longer than the old ones, if that's what's shown in your middle picture. If so, I'd speak to the supplier and ask why the difference.

If the new shafts are the correct length, your camber adjustment bolts may have enough range to things back into spec.

TWINRAY · 10-15-07, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vettehead Mikey

The condition you are seeing is more to do with camber, not toe-in. Toe-in is when the leading edges of the wheels are facing inwards as in pigeon toed.

It appears that your new half shafts are considerably longer than the old ones, if that's what's shown in your middle picture. If so, I'd speak to the supplier and ask why the difference.

If the new shafts are the correct length, your camber adjustment bolts may have enough range to things back into spec.

Oh, now I remember the difference between tow and camber/caster. I thought it was toe but now I remember about the pidgeon toe. Camber problem it is. I'm going to measure these ******'s tonight. I thought this whole thing was a good idea

but I didn't want this aggravation of getting another alignment after just basically getting one 2K miles ago after I put the VBP adj. strut rods in. Ft. Wayne clutch says they are the same length - or "within" 1/16"

of the originals. Thanks VM. I was also going to buy these 3 inchers for the '67 but forget that idea.

gmjunkie · 10-15-07, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWINRAY

Ft. Wayne clutch says they are the same length - or "within" 1/16"

of the originals. Thanks VM. I was also going to buy these 3 inchers for the '67 but forget that idea.

They must have only measured 1 of them then,That one on the bottom one is at least 3/8's inch longer or better than the other 2!!!

JohnZ · 10-15-07, 03:12 PM

Both half-shafts are too long, and the one installed on the passenger side (which is probably the lower one of the three in the photo) is WAY too long - not even close to correct. I doubt if the strut rod cam bolts have enough radial travel to correct the driver's side, much less the passenger side. They'll have to come out and be replaced with shafts of the correct length.

bmotojoe · 10-15-07, 05:01 PM

JMO,
You should have plenty of adjustment in the strut rods you purchased from VBP and you should be able to true the rear wheels with no problem. Where I do see a problem is that even if the new half shaft is 1/32” longer then the originals now you have pushed the back of trailing arm away from running true with the front tires by 1/32”. Also, you may have created a pinch point at the front bushing of the trailing arm from the increase of length of the half shaft. I’m not sure how much room you have in front to re-shim the trailing arm but without re-aligning the car from front to rear again it’s going to be off. As it sits now, it’s going to take someone that can spend the time to equal out the shimming front and rear so your car travels down the road correct.
Personally, I would remove the new half shafts and ask the vendor for the correct length half shafts for your car or a refund.
Brian

TWINRAY · 10-16-07, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmotojoe

JMO,
Personally, I would remove the new half shafts and ask the vendor for the correct length half shafts for your car or a refund.
Brian

I agree. Kinda hard to get an exact measurement on my back with a tape measure and a flashlight but the shafts are "at least" 14". When I ordered, I asked specifically if they are an exact replacement fit for the originals - and their answer was yes.

bmotojoe · 10-16-07, 09:44 AM

Did the vendor ask you for a measurement when you ordered the new 3" shafts? Unless a previous owner had made some changes you are unaware of then both original shafts should be of equal length. Chevrolet used the same half shafts from 1963 to 1979.
Brian

TWINRAY · 10-31-07, 10:22 AM

The half shafts were too long - one was 14 1/8" and the other was 14". The longer difference matters - it sorta "magnifies" things down the line. It changes the camber and when you change the camber, you'll need longer strut rods. Then when that's fixed, the tow is out etc, etc. Ft. Wayne was advised of the problem and sent me replacements that are correct at 13 7/8". I put them in and it's now OK.