Relocating upper control arm mounts??????

[Jamieh560]

Well I'm in the middle of rebuilding my 4.0 sohc in my 97 sport the 4" superlift.

I got to thinking...... While the motor in out..... I've had alignment issues... I'm out of caster and camber adjustment. I can get one or the other right but not both!

What if marked an cut off upper control arm mounts and relocated them closer to the edge of the frame rail which is about 1/2" to 3/4". That will give plently of adjustment...

Good Idea???
Bad idea???
what do ya'll think??

THanks guys Jamie

 

[IZwack]

The design of the IFS doesnt allow for caster changes (even though technically you could since not both upper-arms are one piece, I think the right upper-arm is a two piece arm).

So I would forget about the caster (as long as its not too terribly off) and aim for good camber. Caster wont ruin tires on the highway but camber will.

On a side note, check to make sure the knuckle is not bent -- I bent one once and it threw the caster/camber numbers off and it was impossible to get it back to spec.

 

[Turdle]

The design of the IFS doesnt allow for caster changes (even though technically you could since not both upper-arms are one piece, I think the right upper-arm is a two piece arm).

So I would forget about the caster (as long as its not too terribly off) and aim for good camber. Caster wont ruin tires on the highway but camber will.

On a side note, check to make sure the knuckle is not bent -- I bent one once and it threw the caster/camber numbers off and it was impossible to get it back to spec.

Ah, but you can adjust caster,even with the one piece arms.

Think of a triangle,if you adjust only one camber washer,you will add or subtract caster. ( I watched 'em do Dan's the other day)

 

[IZwack]

Ah, but you can adjust caster,even with the one piece arms.

Think of a triangle,if you adjust only one camber washer,you will add or subtract caster. ( I watched 'em do Dan's the other day)

But once you tighten down the bolt on the tabs that protrude out of the frame, wont the caster pretty much just go back to where it was since the washers under the bolt is flat and the tabs are flat? I mean I guess I could see it staying since there are rubber bushings but once the suspension is cycled (say a speed bump), I'd imagine that the caster would just go right back to where it was.

 

[Turdle]

Yeah but once you tighten down the bolt on the tabs that protrude out of the frame, wont the caster pretty much just go back to where it was since the washers under the bolt is flat and the tabs are flat?

Oh-
See, you need to get cam washers (camber shims)--2 on each upper control arm. The stock explorer camber washers don't allow much , if any adjustment.
You can let one go in, and take the other out-that will really mess with caster-but it also fudges the camber angle
when they put it on the alignment rack, it does a "sweep". and the computer does the arithmetic, and tells you which camber washer to turn. It's kind of weird, because when you adjust the first one (camber shim), you pass the caster target, and bringing the other camber shim back, moves the caster into target.

so-looking in at the driver side wheel--
If I add camber to the rear upper control arm shim, and subtract camber from the front upper control arm shim, I will decrease the CASTER angle-

 

[Jamieh560]

I've got the camber cams.... still running out of adjustment.. Could I bent the kuckles to get more adjustment???

 

[branger00]

modify upper control arm mounts

I have a 2000 ranger 4x4 and I was thinking about cuttin off the tire side tabs that keep the cam washers in place, moving the cam to the outermost tab and rewelding a tab on the engine side of the cam to keep things in place in order to correct my camber issue

 

[traveler]

Yep, it's time to revive an OLD thread because I feel the original posters question wasn't addressed, besides I have the same question.

I installed a new Upper control arm last Saturday and realized as the OP did that the UCA mounts are set on the top of the frame a fair amount. There is room to remove them from their original location and weld them closer to the outer edge of the frame, on the same line that they are currently on. Granted this would be a challenge to weld due to space limitations but... If a person was a skilled welder (which I am not) and had the right equipment to cut them cleanly and move them (which I don't) would it work? Or is there something involved that I'm not thinking of, like geometry?