Extreme camber

[oldschool90]

Hey all, got a question. Got an 81 720 pickup, and I noticed that my front passenger side wheel camber is way out of adjustment. How would I go about fixing this? Taking it anywhere is not an option at the moment, as I'm in the process of finishing up rebuilding the engine. So any advice to at least get it to about the right angle until we can take it somewhere to have it aligned would be great. Thanks in advance! (2wd, if it matters)

 

 

 

 

 

There is some steering stuff taken off in the pic, but it was this way before we took it all off. I dont think it would make a difference anyways.

[izzo]

Check your ball joints, see if anything is broke, check for bends in things that should not be :D

 

On the upper control arm, look under the hood and see if someone put a shit ton of spacers in there. Add/remove to re-adjust. But that is some crazy camber dood...

[jefe de jefes]

Does it look like that when the truck is on the ground?

[oldschool90]

Ball joint aesthetics look pretty bad, but Im not sure about wear. The other ones on the drivers side look just as bad, but the wheel looks just fine. Yes it looks the same on the ground. As for bends and stuff, take a look for yourselves. I cant see anything out of the ordinary, but im not really sure what to look for, other than anything obviously bent. Thanks for the fast replies!

 

 

[oldschool90]

Oh and there is no spacers on them. I did notice that the upper control arm is resting on the shock. (obvious in second pic) Im not sure if its like that on the ground, will have to look when we get it on the ground.

[Laecaon]

try comparing the two sides to see whats what.

[datzenmike]

The tire isn't worn on the inside so I would say that this happened recently, unless you just bought it like this.Have you turned the torsion bars to raise the front? Because normally the upper control arm does not rest against the shock like that when raised.

 

Need more and better pictures with the wheel off.

[sinner720st]

im sure the shock would not hit with the truck on the ground, im also pretty sure that the camber would look worse while in the air. if you set it down, then jounce/ roll forward and backward to unload the tire grip to settle your suspension out.

 

if the camber does not settle down a good test to check your ball joints would be :

stick a long pry bar or steel bar probably three feet long or longer on the ground under the tire and pry up on the bottom of the tire, if you feel a slight "clunck" then the ball joint is worn.... just replace them anyway, i did when i got my truck, NAPA $12 each.. not a bad bill compared to new tires or a wreck...

[]2eDeYe]

You need to set camber with the truck on the ground...

[mellotrongirl]

Wait until I tell the VW folks about this...

[datsun723]

Wait until I tell the VW folks about this...

 

Hahaha :lol:

[Master-O-Turbonics]

Why is the suspension that far extended downward? since the upper control arm is so short compared to the lower arm, its going to go crazy on camber at max droop.

[freekwonder]

Wait until I tell the VW folks about this...

 

:lol: I was going to say, leave it that way, get a 9.5" wheel with a 225 tire and call it hella flush.

[]2eDeYe]

Why is the suspension that far extended downward? since the upper control arm is so short compared to the lower arm, its going to go crazy on camber at max droop.

 

I don't see any droop bumpstops on that truck. My 620 has them, not sure about the 720 but I'm pretty sure it would have them too. Don't know what happened to the ones on this truck....

[Radim]

I Could be blind but does it look like the strut is bent? Blue Part/White Part?

[oldschool90]

Good eye Radim. I'll have to check that out later. Heres a pic with a line through the center. Top of shock is off center. Master-O-Turbonics, its up on stands right now, but the wheel looks the same while on the ground. I'll take more pics tonight when it cools down, and post them as soon as possible.

[datzenmike]

I saw that, but sometimes the camera lens add distortion. That truck has been jumped if that shock is really bent. If it was jumped then look for other bent suspension parts.

[oldschool90]

Hey guys, got it on the ground yesterday, jumped on the bumper a few times and rolled it back a few feet and nothing changed. I can't remember when it started, it wasn't like that when the engine seized, so we weren't driving it like that, I'm at a loss on what it could be, other than the ball joints. sinner720st, with that ball joint test, where do you stick the bar? From the side or the front? Or does it matter? Thanks guys for your input

 

Heres a pic of it still being stupid:

 

 

and heres a pic of the upper control arm almost hitting the shock (still):

[Pacific coast Datsun]

To me it looks like the torsions have been cranked UP to raise the front end. Thus causing the camber.

[oldschool90]

No one has touched the torsion bars. *Gets thought* Could the raised look be from having the front end up on blocks for a year or so? The engine seized a long time ago and we've basically have had it up on blocks since then to work on it.

[]2eDeYe]

Your strut rod is definitely bent. You got some problems there for sure. I would measure both sides to see what is out of whack, this of course is if your other side is ok.

[oldschool90]

Could you tell me what to look for/measure? Thanks

[Farmer Joe]

mkay?

 

is there an engine in the truck?

 

how long had this truck been on blocks?

 

how long have you had it holding up its own wieght?

 

looks like either the torsions cranked the fuck up like mark said, or we got no motor in it and its been sitting at full droop for years...

[oldschool90]

Yes the engine is in. The first time it was up on blocks, I really cant remember, maybe a year? More? I dont remember. It was down after that at least 6 months. The second time it was up, a few months maybe? Its only been down for a day (as of 8/17) And as I said, no one has touched the torsion bars, unless something can magically happen where it does it by itself.

[datsunaholic]

Photos hard to tell, but the shock looks awful close to the upper A-arm. Only way that happens is if the A-arm got bent, and that takes some force. You can test the ball joints by trying to rock the wheel with it in the air- it shouldn't.