Strut Tower Alignment

[jjc-hi]

I have a 90 325is that is pretty much stock except for 15 mm drop hats and 7.5 x 15 Ronal LS wheels. I am not planning on lowering the car. We have replaced control arms, CABs, struts, sway bar links and sway bar bushings. For some reason the 3 bolt holes in the shock towers have been drilled out by PO so the are elongated and we can't find the original center points. Right now struts are aligned all the way in closest to the motor. I am having problems with alignment, it is at about -3.5.

Any explanation for why this was done? How can I find the correct position for the bolts? Are camber plates an option to solve this problem?

[Blackangusinc]

It was probably meant to be some kind of poor man's camber adjustment.

I would work with your alignment shop to find the stock location. Put it up on the lift and move the upper mount one way or the other until you reach the stock spec. You might have to grease up the mounts ahead of time to make the adjustment easier. Alternatively, the next time one of us pulls his struts, we could make a template for you.

[lbreevesii]

^ exactly. I would assume that they only slotted inwards, but who knows.

[jjc-hi]

Just wondering how camber plates work. Do I need to find the true position of the strut mounts first or could I use camber plates to center them up?

How does the adjustment on the GC camber plates adjustments of 16mm negative/7.5mm positive translate to degrees? If I am at -3.5 will they get me back to -1.0?

[SkinnyVT]

Just wondering how camber plates work. Do I need to find the true position of the strut mounts first or could I use camber plates to center them up?

How does the adjustment on the GC camber plates adjustments of 16mm negative/7.5mm positive translate to degrees? If I am at -3.5 will they get me back to -1.0?

No, that all depends on the rest of your suspension geometry (ride height, caster, etc.). Take your car to an alignment shop, it is that simple.

[jjc-hi]

Just getting back to this. While doing some research on front strut braces I think I have discovered another piece of this puzzle. IE website post that dimension between center of strut towers should be between 38.75" and 39.5". I measured mine and it is only 37.25". Car drives fine but there is evidence of prior front end damage since the gap between the hood and the fenders is about 1/4" to 5/16" near the strut towers. Is it possible that strut towers could be that far off?

It seems that if the strut towers were pushed out to specs it would take out the negative camber. Nor sure of the geometry but would this equal approx. -3 deg in camber? Not sure if this would be possible with out putting the car on a frame straightening machine.

[jjc-hi]

Just getting back to this. While doing some research on front strut braces I think I have discovered another piece of this puzzle. IE website post that dimension between center of strut towers should be between 38.75" and 39.5". I measured mine and it is only 37.25". Car drives fine but there is evidence of prior front end damage since the gap between the hood and the fenders is about 1/4" to 5/16" near the strut towers. Is it possible that strut towers could be that far off?

It seems that if the strut towers were pushed out to specs it would take out the negative camber. Nor sure of the geometry but would this equal approx. -3 deg in camber? Not sure if this would be possible with out putting the car on a frame straightening machine.

[jlevie]

If the car has experienced accident damage, the strut towers could be out of alignment. Fixing that requires a frame machine.

[jjc-hi]

Thanks. That's what i thought. Never dealt with this kind of work, but I'll look around for a good shop.

[jjc-hi]

Revisiting this subject again.

Replaced my tie rods this weekend so I need to go back in for alignment. Been looking at front camber plates to correct the negative camber. I see there are various camber plates out there with different positive camber ability. UCC +2 Deg, Turner (KMAC) no specs, Ground Contro +.75 mm, and IE 1/2 deg. It seems that UCC will provide the most positive camber and I read that they will work with the 15 drop hats that I have. Any suggestions?

With the new tie rods plus replacing most other front suspension parts the front end is firm and rattle free. Also fixed a few rattles last week. Top and bottom hood latch bolts tightened and steering column nut tightened. Amazing transformation.