Wheel Alignment Definitions; Ball Joint Inspection; Front Suspension Riding Height Measurement; Front Wheel Position For Checking Alignment - Lincoln Continental 1964 Shop Manual

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PART 3-1- SUSPENSION, STEERING, WHEELS AND TIRES GENERAL SERVICE 3-5
area should be level within
1;4
inch
from front to rear of the car and
within ~/s inch from side to side. It
might be well, if portable equipment
is used frequently, to mark off a
known level area on the shop floor.
Prior to checking or setting the
front wheel alignment, be sure all
front suspension and steering sys-
tem nuts and bolts are properly
torqued. It is especially important to
have the drag strut nut and the upper
arm shaft bolts tightened to the
proper torque specification, as a loose
nut or bolt can directly affect the
caster or camber reading. The items
which follow also should be checked
and, if necessary, corrected before
aligning the wheels.
1. Be sure the tires arc inflated to
the proper pressure at all four wheels.
2. Be sure the front wheel bearings
are adjusted properly and that the
wheels turn freely.
3. Check the shock absorbers for
leaks. Replace the shock absorbers
if necessary.
4. Check for looseness at the tie-·
rod ends. Looseness can affect the
toe-in readings and adjustment. To
inspect the front suspension for
looseness or wear, it will be necessary
to raise the car.
CAUTION: Do not raise the car
by means of the lower suspension
arms. This will release the tension
on the lower ball joints.
CHALK MARK IN THIS POSITION
WHEN CHECKING TOE-IN AND TOE-OUT
ON TURNS
CHALK MARK IN THIS POSITION
WHEN CHECKING CASTER AND CAMBER
LOCATION OF POINT OF GREATEST
LATERAL RUN-OUT ON FRONT
WHEElS WHEN CHECKING
ALIGNMENT FACTORS
F1215-A
FIG.
5-Front Wheel
Position for Che(king Alignment
POINT ON UNDERSIDE:
OF CROSSMEMBER
POCKET
THRU
JOINT
F1217-A
FIG. 7
-Front Suspension Riding Height Measurement
5. Be sure the wheels are balanced.
6. Check the runout of each front
wheel and tire using a dial indicator
against the rim outer band. If the
runout exceeds 1 /s inch, correction
may be made by rotating the wheel
on the drum. When the minimum
runout has been obtained, mark the
point of greatest runout so the whee Is
can be positioned as shown in Fig.
5
when checking the front end align-
ment. Hold a piece of chalk against
the wheel rim or the tire sidewall
while spinning the wheel. The chalk
will mark the rim or tire at the point
of greatest runout.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT
DEFINITIONS
An understanding of the factors
involved in wheel alignment is neces-
sary, before an accurate job of align-
ment can be performed.
CASTER
Caster is the forward or rearward
tilt of the top of the wheel spindle.
If the spindle tilts to the rear, caster
is positive.
If
the spindle tilts to the
front, caster is negative (Fig. 6).
CAMBER
Camber is the amount the front
wht::els are tilted at the top. lf a
wheel tilts outward, camber is posi-
tive. If a wheel tilts inward, camber
is negative (Fig. 6).
TOE-IN
Toe-in is the turning inward of the
front wheels, so that they are closer
together at the front than at the rear.
BALL JOINT INSPECTION
LOWER ARM
1. Raise the front of the car.
2. Adjust wheel bearing to no
end play (see Part 3-4 for bearing
adjustment procedure).
3. Attach a dial indicator to the
lower arm. Position the indicator
POSITIVE
CAMBER
_.!
w
NEGATIVE-,
i
~POSITIVE
I :
CASTER
~Lj
CASTER
3.~G
OF TIRE
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+
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'
. / CAM~Ek
FRONT
OF
~
ANGLE
CAR
FIG.
6-Caster and
Camber Angles
F1216-A