Alignment Q: bending struts to alter negative camber

[Guest Anonymous]

A well intentioned friend was borrowing my car and evidently hit a curb or chuckhole. Without my knowledge, she took it to a tire store to get the front end realigned. I found the paperwork indicating a toe adjustment and bend struts to correct negative camber.

As I had not driven the car in months, it is hard to say that anything has changed. The car tracks straight and I am not aware of any abnormal tire wear, but I can make out the marks on the struts where some force had been applied. Since the upper strut bearings are anything but new my fear is that the struts may have been bent to correct what could have been corrected by replacement of the bearings/busings with new ones.

My alignment gauges are long gone and even if I were to read some bizarre readings, anything I can do about this now? Leave things alone? Thoughts are welcome.

[incrETAble]

ground control camber/caster plates?

[Guest Anonymous]

At this point I may have asked a question that answers itself. I wanted to keep this 71 as stock as possible. I'm eager to take my own measurements to determine if there really is something out of whack. Yet, since everything "feels" pretty good, I may just keep an eye on the tire wear and drive.

Just wondering though how many of you out there actually bend your struts on daily drivers to increase negative camber?

[incrETAble]

if there was damage to the rails or whatever it mounts to, the strut tower itself could be slightly bent, even having lots of miles the car starts to warp and will be uneven.

A strut tower brace brings out the true slignment as well. Thats probably out of the question if you want to keep it original.

Cant you just take it to an alignment shop?

Some shops can bend the strut towers back to original symmetry.

[Guest Anonymous]

Yes, I suppose I can take it to an alignment shop, but you know the old saying if its not broke? I did use my old trammel gauge to determine that the toe is "0" and since it tracks straight . . . ."

Before I take it to an alignment shop I'd just as soon replace all of the suspect parts, such as the "old" strut mounts before paying for what might be false readings. I would also assume that while struts can be bent and maybe even unbent, at the end of the day, it might be easier to acquire another pair of unmolested struts.

Call me lazy. But thanks again for you consideration.

[incrETAble]

what exactly do they bend in the strut?

they cant bend the shaft because the inser would not be able to fit....steering knuckle?

[Guest Anonymous]

My experience is fairly limited with strut bending. If you take a straw in one hand and attempt to bend it between your thumb and two or three opposed fingers you get the idea.

Typically, with the strut assembled and on the car, a hydraulic clamp (much like the hand example) is attached to the exterior of the strut. Where and exactly how much bending takes place depends upon the geometry you are trying to achieve and the expertise of the operator. Suffice it to say, the hydraulic clamps I have seen used take a very short time to set up and use. The problem occurs when the operator doesnt know what s/he's doing. (Reminds me of the idiot who replaced my front struts with a hydraulic spring compressor and managed to have both struts expand making contact with and DENTING BOTH fenderwells. 15 years later it still makes me ill.)

I mentioned my experience is limited. I have seen it done. I have handled the equipment and I have had a devil of a time removing a cartridge from a bent strut. I just read the companion post above where I asked about the lifespan of a cartridge contained in a bent strut. I guess that question begs another question i.e., how much was the strut bent? I am sure there are built-in tolerances, but I just dont know what they are.

HTH

[tjones02]

I just quoted my other post from the above thread.... Strut bending and alignment info.....

I know a few shops in the SF Bay Area that bend struts on a regular basis. One does racing alignments and the other will offer to if there's a need to adjust camber that's really far out of spec. A friend of mine had it done to his '02 and loved it (1.5 deg.). The "fixed" camber plates give you about .5 degree neg. while the K-Mac and racing plates will give around 2 to 2.5 deg.

My friends bent struts did straighten out some over time. The metal at the base of the strut does get weakened from the bending process. When they (Alpina, Schnitzer, and the hoards of other racers out there) used to bend struts they welded reinforcement tabs between the base of the strut tube and the spindle to help strengthen that weak area and keep the bend. Back then it was a racing trick to get around the rules, today we have the technology to add camber w/o having to bend them.

Keep in mind the geometry at play here. When you bend a strut on an '02 you are bending it at the bottom near the spindle causing the tire to tip in towards the strut tube, thereby loosing some tire clearance. When you add adj. camber plates you're tipping in the whole strut thereby only increasing tire to fender clearance. That's the reason I haven't had mine bent, I run 205/50-15's w/ 15x7's w/ et28 and a 1/8 (3mm) spacer in the front (= et25 in the front) and I do not have the tire to strut space to have my struts bent for neg. camber. Once I finish building up an adj. rear subframe I'll be using that and the K-Mac adj.. mounts I've been saving.

_________________

If anyone has further questions, feel free to ask....

[tjones02]

Using a strut bending tool, or machine for bending the base of the '02 strut housing used to be done regularly at specialized and high end alignment shops and DEALERS that had the equipment. In that past, bending the struts was used to get accident victim cars back into alignment and for cheating at the racetrack where the rules in some classes don't allow the use of adjustable suspension.

If the rest of the suspension is in reasonable shape then no harm done. If not then I would replace the suspect parts and go have it aligned at that same shop or another that can bend the struts to get that "perfect" alignment. Don't forget about possibly changing the rear subframe mounts, diff mount bushings AND especially the trailing arm bushings. The trailing arm bushings can wear to the point of being out of alignment.

I one wants a "street" or "stock" '02 there's no harm done in having the struts bent to gain a perfect stock alignment. Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with having the struts bent to a "street happy" .5 deg. neg camber or instaling .5 deg "fixed" camber plates for better but certainly not race handling.

[Colin]

Does anyone know of a shop in the Bay Area that could bend struts?

[M3M3]

is shingle springs in the bay area?

Ground Control

[cj]

Roger Kraus in Castro Valley

[Colin]

Roger Kraus in Castro Valley

Thanks, Boss. Do you know if the bend the struts on the car?

[tjones02]

Roger Kraus in Castro Valley

Thanks, Boss. Do you know if the bend the struts on the car?

Yes