HELP: Rear camber/toe adjustsments - can't adjust once in the car?

[george graves]

OK - so I bought a subframe from MarshalM(?) with the eccentric bolts and stuff for both camber and toe. I re-did all the bushing and installed the subframe.

Problem is that once the sub-fame is in, the outer eccentrics can't possibly be adjusted once it's in the car? Or am I doing something wrong?

There isn't even enough room to get a wrench on it. So I bought a spare wrench and ground the thing down to almost nothing, and even then there isn't enough room to tighten the nut (I have the nuts on the outside towards the sub-frame bushing)

What the deal? How am I going to take my car to get an alignment and have them adjust it if you can't even get a wrench on it? Help!

[deutschman]

i have the same problem with my 2002. in for the help.

[dsm2002]

I used a crescent ring spanner as a base for my 2002 which I ground down. It was a little easier to adjust/tighten. I'll soon need to do thisw with the e30.

[jlevie]

Replace the nuts with 12 point aircraft nuts. They are much smaller will give more working room. Then use starter wrenches or home bent long box end wrenches. While not real easy, those items make it possible to adjust the eccentrics.

[j0oftheworld]

What about cutting holes from above?

[bimmerteck]

I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the bolt. . .

















Or you can just cut some slots in the floor pan under your rear seat.



Image courtesy of RobC

[george graves]

^Hmmmm. Those slots are tempting - those seem to be slots for the inside - not the outside part of the arm. Did he do those as well? I don't even think there is room too.

I'm almost thinking of taking it to them with the bolt tight enough to turn a bit, and then have them tack weld the eccentric to the follower (just for the toe - that's the outer part of the arm I'm having issues with.) Then drive back home, drop the sub-frame a bit, and tighten it all the way. I'll loose toe adjustment though. Thoughts?

[CorvallisBMW]

I take mine to an independent BMW shop that is familiar with all kinds of mods does alignments... and let them do it :)

[e304me]

you might need a wrench with a little more angle on the end. I just turn mine a little then flip the wrench and repeat. stubby wrench

[GDA]

Interesting. After reading this I just had to go out and check mine. I can get both a regular SO 18mm combo and stubby on my adjustable subframe I just installed.

I have plenty of room to swing the wrench and tighten the nut... probably 3+ inches of swing.

[Gooch]

I take mine to an independent BMW shop that is familiar with all kinds of mods does alignments... and let them do it :)

+1. One of the techs told me he had to grind down his wrench, I felt bad and hoped it wasn't a SnapOn.

[2002maniac]

I trimmed the subframe mount slightly before installation when i did mine. Worked fine with a regular end wrench.

[george graves]

When I drop the subframe again (hopefully never) I'll trim the subframe, washers, and a bit of the body work too.

For now, I have it so that it's tight enough to stay in place, but loose enough so that it can be adjusted if you really wrench on it. I'll get it aligned and then drop the subframe an inch and tighten it myself if I have to.

I took my car to get it aligned yesterday - the independent shop in town (that does some slammed/bagged cars) was closed with out notice. And Les Schwab claimed they couldn't do it cause they needed a tool for the front - some bar? What a bunch of idiots.

[LJ851]

George, i would recommend you at least paint a witness mark or better yet tack weld the adjusters after you get it all aligned/adjusted. I have seen that style of adjuster slip before.

[george graves]

Yea. I might take a can of white spray paint with me? I love to tack it in place....but...

My only question is, how inter-related are the two adjustment, camber and toe. Can I lock the toe in place like that? Or, when you adjust the camber a bit, its going to move the toe in or out, and so you need to have two adjusters. I thought I saw someone say that you have to keep going back and forth on the alignment cause they affect one another how the adjusters are set up.