72 front end alignment

[John S.]

Hello all,

I have a 72 SB coupe that I purchased over 3 years ago and have been tinkering, stripping for repaint, refurbishing the interior, all the fun stuff. 2 years ago I did hydroplane and had a significant right front end collision. The shop said the frame was slightly out of spec and they put it on the straightening machine and "said" it was back in but that before getting it back on the road it would need a full front and rear alignment. During the stripping of the old paint I noticed that the right side ( passenger ) where the impact was seems to be off. If you are at the side of the car and looking at the left (driver's) the wheel seems perfectly aligned in the wheel well but the side where the impact was, right side, the wheel is closer to the passenger door than the front bumper by 3/4 of an inch or so. I am no mechanic and my experience to suspension is limited to replacing brake pads, shocks, wheel bearing, and rotors. I have an AIM and many manuals but where would be the most likely place to start looking for the problem? Upper or lower A-arms or their mounting points on the frame itself? Or could it be just that badly out of alignment? Any help would be great.

Thanks so much,

Sully

[Edward J.]

Re: 72 front end alignment

John, sounds like a set back condition, meaning there still something off kilter.take a measuring tape and measure from wheel center to wheel center and that will give you some kind of idea how far the set back condition is, sometimes the upper mounting plate welded to the frame maybe pushed back, or even a really bad case of the alignement specs. are off, but you still should have a really experienced front end shop look at the car first. sometimes things can be brought back into spec. s with the shims that are added or subtracted.

[Harmon C.]

Re: 72 front end alignment

On C-3's that were never wrecked or had the body off the frame I have seen the wheels not the same position. Tires that rub are common and only happens on one side of some cars. I think checking the frame and not how the wheels set will be your best option.