Front Alignment; Caster And Camber; How To Determine Caster - Chevrolet CHEVY VAN G10 SERIES Service Manual

furnished w ith each particular m achine should be follow ed. In
all cases, how ever, checks should be m ade on a level surface
w ith th e vehicle at curb weight.
Before checking and adjusting alignm ent, such com ponents
as wheel bearings, spring height, tie rods, steering gear, shock
absorbers and tire inflation should be inspected and corrected
w here necessary.
Caster and Camber—Figure 3
Positive caster is th e am ou nt in degrees o f the backw ard tilt
o f the knuckle. Positive cam ber is the am o un t in degrees that
th e fro n t wheels are tilted o utw ard at th e to p from a vertical
position. Both angle adjustm ents are necessary for steering
stability and safe vehicle handling.
Caster and cam ber adjustm ents are made b y means of shims
located betw een th e upper con tro l arm shaft and th e m ounting
b racket attac h ed to th e suspension crossm em ber.
Measure caster and cam ber as follow s (refer to Figure 3):
FRONT A LIG N M E N T
10-30 Series
All caster specifications are given assuming a fram e angle o f
zero. T herefore, it will be necessary to know th e angle o f the
fram e (w hether "u p " in rear or " d o w n " in rear) before a
corrected caster reading can be determ ined. Camber and toe
can be read " as is" from the alignm ent equipm ent.

How to Determine Caster

1. W ith th e vehicle on a level surface, determ ine th e fram e
angle, " B" in Fig. 5, using a bubble pro tracto r or
clinom eter.
2. Draw yourself a graphic as in Fig. 5 th a t is representative
o f the fram e angle (either " u p " in rear or " dow n" in
rear).
PIVOT SHAFT OUTBOARD OF FRAME
CASTER
Fig. 4 —Caster and Cam ber Shims
- OF WHEEL
POSITIVE
DIRECTION
CAMBER ANGLE
LEFT FRONT VIEW
Fig. 3 —Fron t End A lignm ent
D eterm ine the caster angle from th e alignm ent equip­
m ent and draw a line th a t is representative o f the caster
reading.
To determ ine an " actual (corrected) caster reading" w ith
various fram e angles and caster readings, one o f the
following rules apply:
a. A
"dow n in rear"
from a
positive
b. An
"up in rear"
positive caster reading.
c. A
"dow n in rear"
negative caster reading.
CAMBER
FORWARD
FRO NT SUSPENSION 3-3
OF WHEEL
CASTER ANGLE
LEFT SIDE VIEW
TOP VIEW
fram e angle m ust be
subtracted
caster reading.
fram e angle m ust be
added
fram e angle m ust be
added
C H E V Y V A N SH O P M A N U A L
POSITIVE
DIRECTION
to a
to a