I finally crawled under my '83 2+2 for the first time since I bought it last year. The treade on the left front tire is completely worn on the inside. My understanding is there is no adjustment for this. How can I fix it/ what should I look to replace?

 

Is your car lowered?

 

What makes you think it's a camber issue? Sounds like a toe problem to me.
There are so many misconceptions about alignment out there... I'll try and clear some up.

Toe: toe is the direction your tires face while going down the road. Most people think that if the car goes straight, that the toe is good. Not true. You will almost NEVER feel a toe problem unless it's very drastic. The car is GOING TO GO STRAIGHT... IT WANT'S TO. If your tires are toed in... the outside edges will scrub off, Toed out... Inside edges will scrub off. You won't feel it happening. This is also mainly true only of the front tires. The rear tires when toed in or out will tend to "Cup out", or get high and low spots in the tread. This is because they're getting dragged down the road, and can not make a complete revolution without having to "hop" at some point. If one tire is toed in/out, and the other isn't... you have one badly worn tire.

Camber: Camber is the way the tires lean. Negative camber means the top of the tire is leaning in. Positive camber means that the top of the tire is leaning out. In excessive amounts, it will cause tire wear on the edge carrying the most weight. If both tires are cambered in/out at the same amount, they will both show the same type of wear, but once again, the car will go straight. If however only one tire is cambered in/out while it's opposing tire is not, you will feel it. Camber can cause a push if one side is negative (Feels like a pull to one side). If you had enough of a camber issue to wear the edge of one tire significantly, you would feel it in the car.

Caster: Caster is the one that most people don't know about. It's the one that almost always will be the source of an alignment related pull. Caster is measured by creating an imaginary straight line from the upper ball joint to the lower ball joint. \ = negative caster, / = postive caster, l = even caster. A lot of cars have this angle fixed at the factory and it's not adjustable. If the caster angle difference is more than about .5 degress from side to side, the car will pull. You're right front tire will always be a little more positive than the left side due to the crowing of road surfaces and the fact that we here in the US drive on the right side of the road. This is designed in. If both sides were equal, your car would drift right on a crowned surface. Caster will not cause any adverse tire wear. It will make the car pull. If you smack something dead on with one wheel, and shove it back... that's a caster problem. You now have one wheel "Ahead" or "Behind" the other wheel. Bad news.

Lastly, the dreaded radial tire pull. More than half of the "alignment" problems I've encountered over the years, were not alignment related. The single most common reason for a car to pull or drift... is a tire. The technical term is "Radial Conicity". A lot of tires when new are notorious for pulling. It usually wears itself out after a while. Some tires are just not flat across the tread, or round no matter what. if the one sidewall is slightly taller or shorter than the other, the tire is now "Conical" and it will pull. Air pressure differences can cause a pull, Differences in rolling resitance from one tire to another will cause a pull also. ya got a Michelin on the right front and a Goodyear on the left front... it's gonna pull to the side with the most rolling resistance. Got the same tires on both sides, but one has 1/2 the mileage of the other one because you had to replace it... gonna probably pull a little because of the difference in traction/rolling resistance.


The moral of the story... sounds like a toe problem.

Alright my fingers hurt now so, school's out!

Rod.

P.S.
the tie rod ends on these cars are notoriously weak. You may very well have a loose tie rod end on that side, which would cause the tire to toe-out while driving. Jack up the front end and shake the tires side to side and check for play or movement. If you get side to side play, you probably have a bad tie rod end... or loose idler arm. If you have up/down play... it's usually a bad bearing or hub and can also cause tire wear. Check it out and see what's up. The fact that it's only happening on one side leads me to believe that you probably have a worn part.

Rod.

 

Wow, that's a lot to soak up!! Thanks for the good info Rod. There is a significant pull to the right and the car will "follow" road ruts. I will replace the inner and outer tie rods, bearings, and get the car alligned too. Should I replace the ball joints too just to be pro-active? The car has not been modified as far as I know.

 

It's not a bad idea to replace the ball joints while you're at it. They are relatively cheap, and fairly easy to replace. In fact, all of the front end parts... bearings included are pretty inexpensive. Also, it's common for the front subframe bolts to loosen over time and cause some really eratic handling, I.E. darting and following grooves in the road. Make sure you tighten them all up. If your car has a steering gear box instead of a rack and pinion, check the worm gear adjustment screw on the top of the gearbox for tightness as well. Ah, I see it's an '83, so you have rack and pinion. never mind the gearbox thing. But, for anybody with a '79-'80 with a gearbox... don't overlookk that little tidbit. Also CW, Don't forget to check the rest of the front end parts.


Rod.

 

I just found out that I have the weekend off so I'll have tons of time to tear into the front end. I noticed the torsion bushings were rotten so I replace them with the poly bushings I bought last fall. Sounds like I'll have a good time coming up!!! Thanks for the info.

 

No problem at all. Hope all goes well.

Rod.

 

i have a 79 and its rack and pinion

 

It was an option only in '79. Most '79 and '80 cars don't have rack and pinion. in '81 it became standard.

Rod.

 

O ok thanks rod

 

I've got a late 81 with a gear box. I prefer it to the rack and pinion due to the fact that I don't have to turn my wheel as much to make my turns and U-turns.

 

Changed the Rh side ball joint, inner & outer tie rods, and replaced the torsion bar, control arm, and end link bushings with poly. Can't wait to get the other side done with an alignment. The car will drive like new. Thanks for all of the good advise.

 

Rod,
With the caster, will the torsion rods affect this on the ZX? It seems that the poly bushings have less compression capability and would push the lower control arm rearward. Any validity to my theory?

 

Yeah, they will affect Caster. I've seen ZX's where in order to fix a severe caster issue, they had to put an extra bushing on one side, and one less bushing on the other side. The amount of tension per side will also affect caster to a small degree. It's still technically a "non adjustable angle"... but there's always a trick. Where there's a will, there's a way. If you lower your Z or put wider wheels on it, you'll need to invest in some bump-steer spacers as well. They can be found on ebay for about 60 bucks. They will make a huge difference in how the car tracks. Without them, it will have a nasty tendancy to go where it wants to upon hard braking and when hitting ruts or uneven pavement. Before I put mine in, it would almost take the wheel out of my hands. I've got the double whammy going on... car is lowered, and has nice wide 17" tires on it. It had a mind of it's own for a while.

Rod.

 

I'm not lowered but I did put some 225/65/14 on all the way around. That may explain the tracking issue. It can be downright dangerous if your not paying attention. Would the wider tires also explain some of the difference in wear?

 

No, the wider tires won't account for the diferences in wear. It's all about proper alignment. Once you get all your new parts installed, take it to a good/reputable alignment shop and get it straightened out. You'll be surprised at the difference.


Rod.

 

Sweet! I'll keep you posted.

 

All of the poly bushings are in with two new ball joints and one outer tie rod end. Still waiting for the other OTRE to come at the parts place. I can hardly wait to get the car on the road again. I didn't realise how much I truly enjoy driving it.

 

Tell me about it man, over a year, and not driving either one of my Z's!

 

Going in for the alignment tomorrow morning. Wildman, dude, that's brutal. Both cars in the driveway screamin' "drive me, drive me!!" How do you do it?!?!

 

It is rough man, believe me. But I just have to keep telling myself, patience is a virtue. He will live again, and hopefully in less than 2 months. If I plan it out right, I will be driving him hopefully before Thanksgiving or much sooner. Only time will tell, and money of course. Of course I have taken them around the block, just to keep them in order. And while I was trying to get my '82 running decent. I think I have determined that my fuel pressure regulator is bad. So I need to catch up on my Mortgage, and bills, then I can slowly start to dump more money in my Z. And then it will be before I know it. Hopefully!

 

I feel you on the mortgage and the bills. Same boat here. My 2+2 is my daily driver so I have to invest the non-disposable funds into it.

 

Any updates on this C-Dub?


Rod.

 

Too may distraction right now to get the alignment done. Should be this week.

Otherwise, with the new bushings, outers, inner, and ball joints the front end definately feels tighter. The tracking issue is almost completely gone. In the Detroit area the roads are really bad and there are some serious wheel ruts in turn lanes and such. I set the toe as best I could and have eliminate all but a slight feathering on the driver's side. I'm sure I could get it to go away if I re-read your post and followed it to a T. Again a big "Thanx" to everyone who has helped me with this and to Rod "bombdiggityshiznettoblamzam" Moyes, - U DA Man!!!!! -

 

I'm happy to help man Sounds like you've got it under control.


Rod.