Front wheels leaning

[tommytmopar]

I had lower ball joints installed when I had disc brakes installed on the front end. Ever since front wheels lean in at the top. At the alignment shop they said I would have to get adjustable upper a arms. I getting ready to buy them and install myself.
Does anyone know what made my wheels go crooked. Ball joints? Also why does the car need adjustable a arms? Is this normal? Thanks in advance

 

[493 Mike]

I had lower ball joints installed when I had disc brakes installed on the front end. Ever since front wheels lean in at the top. At the alignment shop they said I would have to get adjustable upper a arms. I getting ready to buy them and install myself.
Does anyone know what made my wheels go crooked. Ball joints? Also why does the car need adjustable a arms? Is this normal? Thanks in advance

No, it's not normal. Unless the car has structural damage, which should be corrected by a frame shop, alignment should be possible with factory components. More investigation is necessary.
Mike

 

[Bill76]

Did you have the spindles changed when you converted to disc ?
Was it a conversion kit?
Need more info

 

[PRND21]

Does your alignment shop know how to align your car? Seriously, not a lot of alignment shops know how to align these older Chrysler products.
As Bill76 says, more info needed.

 

[w.Hudson]

It has been my experience that the lower control arm bushings need to be replaced when I see the top leaning inward. Actually it is the bottom of the tire that has moved outward.

 

[chtampa]

Offset upper A-Arm bushings. Works on factory arms.

 

[RJRENTON]

Does your alignment shop know how to align your car? Seriously, not a lot of alignment shops know how to align these older Chrysler products.
As Bill76 says, more info needed.

TRUE STATMENT....most alignment shops deal with typical GM type suspension adjustment methodology using shims and the newer cars with factory strut suspensions sre totally different. Mopar used the adjustable eccentric cams for years, to position the UCA assemblies. The trick or possible "fix" to get more adjudtability is to use the eccentric cam bolts which afford more range of "adjustablity" of the UCA. With the trend to use wide tires and wheels, sometimes this creates difficulty in achieving reasonably acceptable caster and camber angles. There is always the possibility of structural damage especially in the area where the eccentric cam bolts rotate. It only takes a 1/16" (+/-) deflection/deformation in this area, to inhibit accurate cam angle settings. This is beside the obvious bent UCAs. Anyway...just my opinion.
BOB RENTON

 

[493 Mike]

TRUE STATMENT....most alignment shops deal with typical GM type suspension adjustment methodology using shims and the newer cars with factory strut suspensions sre totally different. Mopar used the adjustable eccentric cams for years, to position the UCA assemblies. The trick or possible "fix" to get more adjudtability is to use the eccentric cam bolts which afford more range of "adjustablity" of the UCA. With the trend to use wide tires and wheels, sometimes this creates difficulty in achieving reasonably acceptable caster and camber angles. There is always the possibility of structural damage especially in the area where the eccentric cam bolts rotate. It only takes a 1/16" (+/-) deflection/deformation in this area, to inhibit accurate cam angle settings. This is beside the obvious bent UCAs. Anyway...just my opinion.
BOB RENTON

Bob, did you mean "bushings"?
Mike

 

[RJRENTON]

Bob, did you mean "bushings"?
Mike

The cam bolts fit thru the UCA bushings and the eccentric cam part of the bolts are retained in the welded on external "slots" and by pivoting the eccentric allows the bushings (the part that the UCA pivots on) to move laterally, in and out, to achieve the caster and camber settings. Perhaps its a matter of nomenclature as to the description I used. I believe there are also offset bushings available to help get proper alignment. Sorry for the confusion or interpretation on my part.
BOB RENTON

 

[tommytmopar]

Thanks for all the replies. Ill try the ideas y'all have given me.

 

[MoparLeo]

So tommytmopar, what type of disc brake set-up did you have installed ? That is really the first question to answer. If it didn't have negative camber before the install and everything was installed correctly there is another problem. What exactly got installed ??

 

[Kern Dog]

I don't believe the claim that I see about the UCA alignment cams having more adjustment than the stock cams. There is only SO much space for adjustment and the fat, thick washer typically rubs both sides of the metal flange. The through bolt can't be offset much more than the stock ones are.
Regardless.....
The OP has some NEGative camber. This is actually GOOD for cornering and stability as long as it isn't too much. I have 3/4 of a degree.

Is it more than mine?

 

[Rusty 72]

Yes I think more info is needed. Did you "upgrade" to front disc's? or just get new front brakes. Also I don't see how changing the lower ball joint with another "like" ball joint would change your tire alignment unless the shop screwed it up. There isn't any reason to remove or change the position of the upper a-arm at all when doing lower ball joints?

 

[tommytmopar]

Yes I think more info is needed. Did you "upgrade" to front disc's? or just get new front brakes. Also I don't see how changing the lower ball joint with another "like" ball joint would change your tire alignment unless the shop screwed it up. There isn't any reason to remove or change the position of the upper a-arm at all when doing lower ball joints?

 

[tommytmopar]

Hey y’all haven’t got to work on my Roadrunner in awhile. I’ve got the tire standing straight but I haven’t got to drive yet. I adjusted the a arm bolts and moved the tire out at the top. I had disc brakes installed and they are 74 a body. Seems easy so we’ll see.

 

[YY1]

In my experience it's the upper control arm bushings that are worn if the wheel is leaning in at the top.

Visual inspection of that should be easy.

Are the bolts through the center of the bushings, or are they more towards the frame horn?

I've found it's actually fairly common to see them worn through completely, and rubbing metal to metal on the inboard side.

 

[MoparLeo]

OK. The goal is not to just get the tire straight up. You never did say how much the tires tilted inward. A small amount of negative camber( inward tilt in at the top ) is wanted.
On a Mopar eccentric cam set up when you change the camber angle you are also, at the same time changing the caster angle. The trick is to get as much caster as possible while at the same time getting the minimum amount of camber.
An experienced early Mopar alignment specialist can do this in a few minutes. Someone with no/little experience with the can take hours to finally get it right.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

https://www.youtube.com/c/HunterLearningChannel/videos
There are so many videos here. Explaining the effects of caster camber and toe.