Okay ill start out at the beginning. In the fall of 09 i put 2" drop springs on my car. And the car drove straight with out an alignment and i drove it with the drop springs until summer 2010 when i pulled my motor out the bottom on the k-frame. When all was said and done and i put my freshly rebuilt motor and trans back in along with all the original suspension and k-frame and the 2" drop springs. After witch the car pulled to the right pretty good. So i took it to my local dealership (where i now work) and had it aligned. He said i had a caster and camber issue on the pass side so my wheel pulls to the right. So i just drove the car until i stored it in November. When i got it back out in spring 2011 i bought a new junk yard k-frame figuring i somehow bent my stock one, and installed it. Shortly after finding out it didn't help at all with my alignment. So i bought UMI's adjustable lower front a-arms hoping the added adjustment would help...so the a-arms brought my caster and camber into spec put caused a toe problem. Problem being that we brought my caster and camber in so far on both sides that there was no more room on my inner tie rods to bring my outer rods in any further thus wheels bowed out from one another. So i proceeded to put my stock springs back on hoping that would help. But to my disappointment it did not. So now it sits and i have no clue what to do. But i have contemplated a few reasons why its messed up in my head...

1. Could the new Junk yard frame be bent or bad?
2. Could my chassis be bent or tweaked?
3. Is it possible to mismatch the upper a-arms side to side? thus pulling in on my knuckle causing a caster and camber problem?
4. Would it be worth my time and money buying the UMI k-frame and upper a-arms...and hope it will fix my problem.

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Lately ive just been at the point that i want to sell the car for well under what its worth. Or just part it out and send the shell to scrap.

Thanks fellow tech patrons.
Nick Kerns

 

If it drove straight before you took it apart, and assuming you didn't hit or crash into anything before disassembly, you must have made a mistake somewhere in reassembly. Doesn't seem like a replacement k-member is going to make any difference if it's put together wrong. DON'T go and buy expensive aftermarket parts (que UMI or BMR salesmen trying to sell something you don't need in 3, 2, 1...) until you know FOR SURE somethings bent! Go back and carefully check your work. Or maybe try a different alignment shop. Good luck!

 

Thanks man! I honestly think its something to do with the upper a-arms...im really curious if the upper a-arm assembly's can be accidentally swapped side to side and maybe mess with the alignment

 

I think they can be swapped side to side. I think I remember someone here doing that accidentally. You might want to try a search of the suspension board here and see if something comes up. Edit: If you have the a-arm on right, the ball joint will be towards the back of the wheel well. Leaning the spindle back as well.

 

I think you found the OP's problem!

 

I checked the upper a-arms and they are where they belong. I dont know what else could be bad besides another junk frame and or the body is bent

 

Back in 1971, right after I got hired, my employer sent me to a "Analytic Troubleshooting" course. One of the first things they teach you is to retrace your steps, and ask the question, "What changed"?

In your case, unless you're witholding or forgetting something, you took the engine out of the car for a rebuild, and lowered the K-member to do it. Yes, the suspension/brakes are attached to the K-member, but unless you actually did something to them, they can stay in their respective positions, until the frame goes back into the car.

You took the engine out out of the K-member. This shouldn't have anything to do with the suspension. And, it shouldn't have bent anything, unless you dropped the engine or the K-member while doing the work.

How did you support the car while the engine and K-member was out? Could you have somehow tweaked the structure, by not supporting it solidly?

Although I've never dropped the K-member from my car, I understand that there are "locating pins" as part of the car's underbody that locate the K-member when you bolt it back in. Are you sure that you got the k-member fully engaged, and squarely on these pins?

As far as I can see, unless you damaged something, you should be OK, but you may not solve your problem by just throwing parts at the car, hoping to find a solution. Plus, you'll spend a lot of money. You mentioned that you work at a dealership. Do they have a body shop with a frame machine? If they do, you might want to put the car on it, and check it over, especially the K-member mounting points.