Solid axle camber after new balljoints

[1low4x4]

Hey guys on my 84 k10 I think it's a 4" lift, anyways I replaced the upper and lower balljoints with AC delcos, and also the tie rod ends. The old ones were shot like hell. Well, now I have bad camber. Or whatever it's called when the tops of the tires stick outward. The toe is adjusted perfectly. It has worn the hell out of my front tires within a month and now they need replacing.

I know there is no adjustment for camber on solid axles. It's not possible to switch up the top and bottom joints so it's not that. The only thing I think I could do better is there is a little nut that screws into the top of the spindle, and the top balljoints tapers into that. I think they are too high....because when I tightened the castle nut down my cotter pin hole in the balljoint stud is higher than the castle nut. Like it could have sucked the whole spindle too high and caused the camber issue?

Other than that I guess I'd need upper adjustable balljoints. Has anyone had experience with this before?

 

[theblindchicken]

I always thought that there isn't camber adjustment in the front of our trucks. From the last time I researched about these axles, I do believe that either the spindle, or the spindle mount to the axle tube has a misaligned sleeve. Meaning that as you tighten it, the mounting point of the balljoint rotates.

Far from 100% on this, but it's worth a shot.




I believe the nut you mention is either a misalignment sleeve or it could be an adjustable shim, that as you turn it, it will angle the top of the spindle in or out.

 

[1low4x4]

Ive read that the adjusting sleeve in the spindle doesn't affect camber. Idk. Figured more people would chime in with experience on this. This site has been dead for years

 

[hirschdalechevy]

Let me tell you how I do ball joints , (not saying right or wrong but its worked for me for years).

Press in your new joints into the knuckel , then lift the knuckel to the housing and torque the lower nut to 70lbs , then torque the castle sleeve to 40lbs and then the top nut to 100lbs and then re torque the lower again , done.

The right way really is to do the lower joint then the castle sleeve and then turn the knuckel and it should have a pull weight of 33lbs , but I have no way to check that so I go with 40lbs on the castle sleeve and call it a day.

They do make eccentric sleeves to fix camber problems but I have never had to use them they also make spindle shims as well in different degrees that go behind the spindle for camber problems as well and again I have never had to use them.

You may have to start over and do it again , not sure where the foul up is but if your camber was not that bad before new joints should not change it that much I would'nt think.

Hope this is some help for you.

 

[1low4x4]

Ok, so basically the sequence of the torquing matters. So bottom nut, then the castle sleeve which is the sleeve that screws into the spindle? So you torque that with the balljoint stud already in the spindle? And then the top nut.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

Yes , bottom nut first , then the castle sleeve , (what I call it) , threads into the housing ear where the ball joint stud is , on the top ear , then the top nut , then re check the bottom nut . nothing involving the spindle.

You need to do it in that order .

 

[1low4x4]

I definitely didnt do it that way thank you. Ill try that soon.

 

[1low4x4]

Well last night into today I took the time to disassemble everything and try the proper torque and sequence. I took your instructions and turns out they weren't far off, book says 30 lbs on bottom nut, then 50 on sleeve, then 100 on top castle nut, then 70 on the lower nut. I did that on both sides and unfortunately it doesn't look like it changed anything. I mean, the tires are so worn now from a month of camber that I could've indeed fixed it but they sit so crooked I can't tell. I'd have to swap the rear tires to the front to get an idea if it sits straight or not. I'll do that first and then if it's still wrong I'm going to order the eccentric sleeves. I had to make a socket to fit the sleeves because no one local sells them

 

[1low4x4]

...

 

[1low4x4]

Also, one of my brand new less than 500 miles AC delcos ball joints is toast. Loose as a goose

 

[theblindchicken]

Any luck with getting the camber all sorted out yet?

 

[1low4x4]

Yes, I got 35's last week so I had to get it fixed. I'm in Jamaica for the week, but I had my brother bring it to the local off-road shop and they fixed it. He's supposed to pick it up tomorrow. I talked to their mechanic last week before I decided to drop it off a he sounded like he knew how to fix it, with eccentric sleeves.