wack camber after crash, lotsa reading :(

[floodo1]

aight so i did some curb surfing. hit the curb HARD with right front of car.
broke lca, slotted rear lca bolt hole on crossmember, oval'd the tension rod around the bushing, bent the tension rod bracket, bent the tow hook, bent the tie-rods, slightly bent the rad support. i think that covers it.

so i get fresh lca's w/ tension rods (japanese clip 40k km (yay for oem brake deflectors!)) and install nismo bushings. get z32 tie-rods w/ spl ends. get powerbrace. get auto-wrecker crossmember from a '95.

so on each side all parts where replaced with the exception of the spindles and the struts/springs (gr2's w/ sprint springs) and strut upper mount (still crappy oem rubber).
both sides had the following parts replaced: lca's, tension rods, tie-rods w/ ends, and tension rod brackets (replaced with powerbrace).

so after i get all the new/newer parts installed the right front tire seems to be cambered out (positive camber!!!!), while the left front is cambered in. obviously this isnt proper!
i dont have the car aligned yet because im waiting on spl's v2 tension rods.

soooo the question is: what is bent NOW!?!?! seems to me that it has to be the spindle on the right front. here is my logic:

the same suspension pieces where replaced on both sides and the left front seems to be rougly proper (cambered in some like it was before accident). assuming that there isnt something odd going on with the parts i replaced (specifically the crossmember or lca's or powerbrace) leaves only the spindles, struts, and chassis.

the chassis im pretty sure isnt bent since the crossmember bolted right up no problems, and the old one has the bolt hole slotted for the lca, so i assume that the frame is fine here.
if something happened to the struts it sure doesnt sound or feel like it. they make no extra noises, they arent leaking, they arent visibly damaged, and the car seems to rid the same.
this leaves the spindle.

sooooo unless im missing something, all things seem to suggest that the spindle got bent somewhere, and this is causing my camber on the right front to be off. esp since its not even 0 camber its def po

anyone have any advice on things to check to find out exactly what is bent?

[The Hamsterball]

WOW.

You know, i crashed in an EXACTLY similar way and broke the same parts (except i didn't break a few of yours)..
<---- oversteered into a curb

I'm doing a crossmember swap as well, along with new (but used) tension rods, and a new front left control arm. (I also have new tension rod brackets, but i bought them just in case, and don't think i need them).


I think I will have the same problem.... anyways, I think it is normal because alignment will go out of spec with crashes.

I say just get an alignment when you get the new tension rods installed.

(Let me also ask you this, after the accident, were the wheels cambered off before the repairs?
Obviously, right?
So it's just the fact that the crash messed your alignment up)

Somebody correct me if i'm wrong.

[floodo1]

I think I will have the same problem.... anyways, I think it is normal because alignment will go out of spec with crashes.

I say just get an alignment when you get the new tension rods installed.

(Let me also ask you this, after the accident, were the wheels cambered off before the repairs?
Obviously, right?
So it's just the fact that the crash messed your alignment up)

Somebody correct me if i'm wrong.

well i coudlnt tell if the wheel was cambered off since it was sitting in the back of the wheel well turned slightly sideways! the tie-rod bent in both weak spots (at the joint on the inside, and where it necks down near the threads) and the lca was broken almost all the way off at the tension rod bolts. so it was hanging back at the end.

the problem with my camber being so far off is that there are no factory adjustments for it (none for camber, caster, or kingpin inclination). and i dont want to buy camber plates and have the shock angles be so far off.

idk i cant figure out any other way than for it to be the spindle.

and i cant see how tension rods are gonna fix it, because i really dont see how the caster could be off so much as to cause camber to be this far off. ESP since when installing the tension rods only required slight pushing of the lca to get the bolt in. not sure if that is normal, but still it wasnt very far...certianly not enuf to suggest that it could affect camber to such a servere degree.

ps- for peeps that think im smoking rock i understand suspensions QUITE well as i've been racing R/C cars for about 8 yrs now.

[m0rex]

Yeah i kinda learned a lot from understeering into a curb. I understand what most of the suspension does. I can see how a bent lower control arm can jack your camber to a positive. I still havent fixed my suspension yet and i still try to drift like that and damn positive camber fucks up your tires worse than negative camber would ever do.

[the head]

get an alignment...if that doesn't fix it then look at your strut mounts you may have ovaled a hole or even damaged the strut or spindle seriously though get the alignment then if it is still whacked start looking at other parts

Morex: where does one drift in a state that is completely flat??

[floodo1]

get an alignment...if that doesn't fix it then look at your strut mounts you may have ovaled a hole or even damaged the strut or spindle seriously though get the alignment then if it is still whacked start looking at other parts

Morex: where does one drift in a state that is completely flat??

i want to fix it BEFORE i get an alignment! alignment should only change caster and toe (and bumpsteer). really cuz alignment is gonna cost like 100 so i dont want to get it algined, then still have the problem, then fix the problem, then have to get it aligned AGAIN.

im trying to figure out the problem beforehad. esp since there are no factory adjustments for camber.

ugh such a pita to try to guess if the spindle is bent since i dont have a good one for reference (other than the driver one that is on the car) :(

[o5i2]

hey, i pretty much crashed the same way you did and broke most of the same parts (understeer in the rain, normal driving with bald tires). im kinda stumped since you replaced both sides with the same parts, so it should be pretty even. i would go for the alignment first, if that doesnt fix it im going with the bent frame theory??

[the head]

reomve and inspect the strut if it looks fine while you have it apart replace your spindle/hub assembly

good point directly above me you may have damaged the mounting point for your LCA

[floodo1]

the mounting point for the lca is the crossmember. my old one was indeed slightly bent and the back bolt hole was slotted (where the bolt pushed REALLy hard on the crossmember).....however i replaced the crossmember....and the driver side is fine. so this in my mind rules out the crossmember.

yeah i'll take the strut off and look at it, which will also give me a chance to try and inspect the spindle. still tho im pretty sure the strut isnt messed up since it seems like it works fine.

thanks for the advice up to this piont, and keep it coming :)

[the head]

it may not be the strut but the bracket that holds the strut onto the spindle

[Kouki]

I work in a body shop so I see alot of this kind of suspension damage. To me it sounds like a bent strut. If you broke the lower control arm, the next thing with the most leverage on it and the weakest point would be the strut, the actual shaft, not the body. I'd make sure to look that over well. The spindle may be bent, but that is alot stronger than the strut, so the strut is more than likely bent. I may be wrong though.

[sw20>>s14]

that just happened to me last night in the rain...bent my lca, the lateral link, and broke two out of three spokes off my rim...mad positive camber!...fawk rain :rl:

[floodo1]

that just happened to me last night in the rain...bent my lca, the lateral link, and broke two out of three spokes off my rim...mad positive camber!...fawk rain :rl:

yeah but this is after i replaced almost all the front suspension.

kouki: yeah i'll thorougly go over the struts this weekend. that does seem more likely the more i think about it....the spindle not being bent that is. i'll check the strut bracket well!

if the shaft is bent shouldnt i be able to tell it when driving?

[m0rex]

This state is flat but you have to look around to find the better twisties. Parking lots around here are really nice too. Theres also a track called the Mid America Motorplex and they have an alright road course.

[the head]

you know I always wondered how that track was...do they do track days or even all day rentals? might actually be worth stopping into next time I am out that way

[floodo1]

wow so nothing is bent.

im gay. after taking like 5 closer looks i realized that one of the strut bolts was diff than the others. turns out the top bolt on the passenger side was about half as big as it was supposed to be. DOH! it was so small it let the spindle slide in relation to the strut bracket creating positive camber

replaced that bolt and now my car is good :)

damn its soooooooo lame i looked at that bolt maybe a million times and it never clicked that it was wrong :(

[sw20>>s14]

obviously, thats another way to get neg camber also...

[the head]

better to miss a detail than replace a strut

glad you got it fixed