Was planning on giving FM a call later today when get a chance, but thought I'd throw this out to the GRM crowd in case anyone else has run into this issue.
When installing the rear bracket on my '90, I discovered it was impossible to get the lower shock mount to line up once I was ready to button it all together. The droop seemed to be limited by the UCA forming a parallel line with the upright, at this joint here:
Once I unbolted this, I was able to mount the shock, then use a jack under the LCA to compress the shock enough to get that bolt back in. Unfortunately, now that everything is back together, the rear shock rubs against the tire and I have a bunch of negative camber in the rear. I marked the alignment cams as directed and I believe I did everything else as instructed.
My thought is that although the camber should get more negative as ride height decreases, the lift kit bracket has pushed it so far into droop that the upright has been pulled inwards, creating that camber issue. My fear is that trying to align for this will cause issues throughout the stroke, and also...would there be too much stress on that UCA/upright joint because it's practically in line with each other? Could it theoretically flip and bend the other way if I hit a bump too hard? (eek!)
I'm on stock 1995 shocks/springs. I would not be surprised if my springs are just too long for this kit.
And yes, the kit is only on one side so far. Rusty bolts are a b-word.
Also note that I installed ~3/4" spacers front & rear after I discovered the tire rub issue.
Silly - only diesel trucks can get lift kits.
JK - good luck with getting the answer from the hive.
Is it just me, or do you actually have a berkeleyload more than 3" of lift as things currently sit?
The downside of short/long arm control arm setups. You have to have LONG arms if you want a lot of travel.
If the upper arm is very short, camber will go negative with bump AND droop. This isn't generally a problem as there is usually so little grip near max droop that camber isn't critical in the grand scheme of things.
I don't see what you're talking about with respect to the upper arm being in a line with the upright. Looks like it's at a safe angle to me. Imagining front-view, there's maybe a 80-90 degree angle there.
Knurled wrote:
The downside of short/long arm control arm setups. You have to have LONG arms if you want a lot of travel.
If the upper arm is very short, camber will go negative with bump AND droop. This isn't generally a problem as there is usually so little grip near max droop that camber isn't critical in the grand scheme of things.
I don't see what you're talking about with respect to the upper arm being in a line with the upright. Looks like it's at a safe angle to me. Imagining front-view, there's maybe a 80-90 degree angle there.
That picture isn't mine, it's off the internet.
Maybe having only one side installed is affecting things. I'll try installing the other side today.
Not only that, you're pulling the entire thing over to the drivers' side by not having the lift kit on that side..
Assuming that the mounting points are somewhere around 4' apart, a 3" difference on one side is equal to approximately 3.5763° (I already had a CAD program open...). Even with an independent suspension, you're still going to be affecting your center of gravity, and other factors that could affect the numbers. I'd install the other side then worry about it.
WonkoTheSane wrote:
Not only that, you're pulling the entire thing over to the drivers' side by not having the lift kit on that side..
Assuming that the mounting points are somewhere around 4' apart, a 3" difference on one side is equal to approximately 3.5763° (I already had a CAD program open...). Even with an independent suspension, you're still going to be affecting your center of gravity, and other factors that could affect the numbers. I'd install the other side then worry about it.
Will do. I could also jack up the other side to where it's sitting level and re-evaluate.
