Hi,

I have a question regarding the vertical angle of the front wheels with respect to one another( camber angle?).
When looking at the front of the car, the N/S wheel looks to be at a greater angle than the O/S one. It looks as though this is determined by the Kingpin angle and is not adjustable. The car steers in a straight line and is stable but one gets the idea that the N/S tyre will wear more on the outside edge?

Any help please?

Chris

Hi Chris,

The kingpin inclination is zero ie the kingpins are vertical as you look at them from the front of the car. The camber angle is dictated by the angle between the stub axle and the king pin bushes and is fixed. As far as i am aware this angle was never changed.

If one wheel is at a different angle to the other then i would suggest the axle eyes where the kingpins pass through the ends of the axle beam may need some attention. They do stretch / wear in which case they need to be shrunk. The end of the axle can also crack, we noticed this problem on my dads box because one wheel had a positive camber (normal) and the other had negative camber. This requires a replacement axle bean

If the axle eyes are stretched i would suggest you contact Ian Dunford (http://www.vintageaustinservices.co.uk/)

Regards

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for that.The N/S has more negative camber and the kingpin is more inclined inward. I have checked for play with the car jacked up but I cant find much.

Is there another check I can do without stripping?

Thanks

Chris

Chris

Not a lot you can do but clean the area well and inspect for cracks.

It might be an idea to undo the pin clamping the kingpin then feel for and play. The kingpin should be tight in the end of the axle with the clamp loose. If slacking the pin allows more movement then its is an axle off job.

The easiest way to get the kingpins out is with a slide hammer screwed into the top. Should be 5/16 BSF.

Regards

Rob

Chris, Sounds as if the axle is bent, if you strip you may or may not know that the clamping pin is NOT a taper cotter as on a bicycle, but a pin with a half circle so cannot be punched out. Undo the nut a full turn and just give it a tap to loosen before extracting the kingpin.

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

I think I am inclined(excuse the pun) to leave alone for a while as it sounds a bit major for me as a novice owner! Perhaps have a look in the winter months and perhaps have it looked at by a friendly expert.

Regards

Chris

Hi

My nearside wheel can be seen to have a larger (positive) camber than the offside wheel, presumably because the nearside end of the axle has been slightly bent by hitting a kerb at some time.

The car rides and steers okay, but there is increased wear to the outside of the treads on both of the front tyres. Despite the wheels having different cambers, the increased rate of wear and the asymmetric pattern occur on both tyres.

Regards

Colin