Brian asked:
>Anyone know a cheapo way to measure front camber reasonably
accurately?
Yep:
1. Park the car on a level surface, preferably a finished
concrete slab. The closer to level, the more accurate your
results.
2. Make a plumb bob using a piece of thread and a small weight -
a nut, a rock, or anything else you can tie the thread around.
3. Affix the thread (masking tape, pop rivets, super-glue, etc. -
I prefer masking tape myself ;<) to the fender so that it hangs
down by the wheel, passing just opposite the hub center, and
neither the thread nor the weight contacts anything, including
wheel, tire, or floor. If your tires stick out beyond the fender
opening, prop a small piece of wood under the thread just above
the fender cutout to space the thread outward so it won't touch
anything. Make sure the thread is free to swing, and let it come
to rest hanging freely.
4. Measure the horizontal distance from thread to wheel rim at
two reference points, one at the top of the rim and one at the
bottom.
5. Measure the linear distance between the upper and lower
reference points on the rim.
6. Calculate camber using the formula: C = atan [(Db-Dt)/Ld],
where
C = camber angle
Db = distance from thread to rim at bottom
Dt = distance from thread to rim at top
Ld = linear distance between top and bottom reference points.
If you use the formula in the order laid out above, you'll get
the correct sign for camber as well as the correct angle.
>I won't be adjusting it, so it doesn't need to be too accurate.
>I just want to see roughly how much I have (say +-0.5').
The above technique can be as accurate as you want. I've gone so
far as to use a water level to ascertain the amount of
out-of-level in my floor and used that angle as a correction
factor in the figures I've gotten.
Jay "hope this helps" Mitchell
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