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Struts not centered in tower hole

Bluemustang

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Does anyone know what can be causing this? Passenger side strut nut is about to hit tower hole. Driver side is almost in the middle. Front end alignment specs below.(L/R)

-2.1/-2.0 camber
6.9/7.1 caster
-0.02/-0.01 toe

MM caster camber plates
20191125_115318.jpg
20191125_115325.jpg
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Bluemustang

Bluemustang

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Might want to ask your alignment shop the last time they had the rack certified ? I’m not referring to a daily calibration.
Hmm I did not think of that. They used one of those portable laser Hunter machines. Never seen one like it before, it can roll freely around the shop.
 

kent0464

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Does anyone know what can be causing this? Passenger side strut nut is about to hit tower hole. Driver side is almost in the middle. Front end alignment specs below.(L/R)

-2.1/-2.0 camber
6.9/7.1 caster
-0.02/-0.01 toe

MM caster camber plates
20191125_115318.jpg
20191125_115325.jpg

Lol, on that one side he probably used the OEM adjustments, because he either couldn’t get to the top of the camber plate on that side or didn’t want to remove the assembly to adjust it.
For future reference, cut yourself a larger hole in the top, zero your camber plates. Have the shop set all the other alignment specs except camber, which you can now easily do in your drive way.
 
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Bluemustang

Bluemustang

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Lol, on that one side he probably used the OEM adjustments, because he either couldn’t get to the top of the camber plate on that side or didn’t want to remove the assembly to adjust it.
For future reference, cut yourself a larger hole in the top, zero your camber plates. Have the shop set all the other alignment specs except camber, which you can now easily do in your drive way.
What do you mean by OEM adjustments? I wasn't aware camber was adjustable from the factory without slotting the struts?
 

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kent0464

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What do you mean by OEM adjustments? I wasn't aware camber was adjustable from the factory without slotting the struts?

You can’t from the factory, but a camber adjustment bolt (ford does have them in dealerships) can be swapped for the top strut bolt.
 
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Bluemustang

Bluemustang

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OK, I think possible I still have BMR camber bolts in there from before the plate install but just never occurred to me. Perhaps the bolt on the passenger side is adjusted more towards the positive camber relative to the driver side, necessitating the top hat to be pulled in farther (towards the engine) to gain negative back to match everything up. Would this make sense?
 

GregO

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Would this make sense?
Yup.
Personally, I’d get those camber bolts removed and go to a shop with a Hunter rack that’s permanently mounted and recently certified calibrated.
 
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Bluemustang

Bluemustang

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Yup.
Personally, I get those camber bolts removed and go to a shop with a Hunter rack that’s permanently mounted and recently calibrated.
Thanks. Well that is the trouble, isn't it. It seems hard finding a good alignment shop and one that also knows how to adjust everything on the Mustang, and will work with aftermarket parts to get what I want. I ask for it to be aligned to my spec which some shops may not want to do. I gave up on the Ford dealer long ago lol.

This shop that I have been going to usually does good alignments, but occasionally it takes some teeth pulling to get there. Many shops I might want to go to in this D.C. area is not convenient. And it's not like I can take a day off from work just to get my car aligned lol.
 

Cobra Jet

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Yea, most shops go by “Welp, yer alignment specs is in that thar green area - so bub, yer good!”

Until you get it out on the road and it’s pulling, or tramlining like a drunk hooker on 6” heels or worse yet, your brand new set of super expensive Summer Only tires have melted past the tread wear bars in less than 1k miles of the alignment...

Most shops don’t give a shit and go by “yep, it’s in the green”... and most if you even ask them to explain the green alignment specs, they CAN’T.... they only know:

green = good, because momma told them so
red = bad, so try and try again

As others have said, I wouldn’t trust a portable alignment dealio at all. Yes, some folks can do a DIY alignment in their driveway and nail it - but those are the folks who completely understand alignment specs AND know exactly what they are trying to accomplish with the car (ie: daily driving, road course etc). I mean sure, some can work with the portable units and get the specs close, but you need a shop with a real alignment rack...

It’s also true that when some shops see ANY set of CC plates installed - that totally rocks their world and makes them crawl back to mommy looking for their pacifier... If the alignment job isn’t within their normal “script” and they don’t understand how CC plates work, you’re guaranteed that your alignment is NOT 100% correct at all... it’s “in the green”....

My 94 Cobra has many suspension parts on it including MM CC plates. When I took it to a local shop years ago to have them do the alignment, I also brought the MM instructions. I highlighted the exact parts for them pertaining how to do the alignment and the exact specs I wanted in those docs. They did exactly as needed... and the alignment was spot on.

Sometimes you have to hold their hands... and pop that pacifier back into their heads...
 
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aleccolin

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While I had my car in the air last week I checked out my front subframe alignment and it was about perfect, but I also noticed there were some visible witness marks, so I believe that the race shop that did my last alignment actually centered the front subframe for me, which is pretty neat.

That said, because of the location of the pinch welds next to where the subframe mounts up, it's impossible for the subframe to move more than about 1/8-3/16" max one way or the other. That doesn't seem like enough to cause the sort of issue you're having.
 

thebaldlatino5.0

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I have basically the same issue. Got my car aligned on BC coilovers at a goodyear down here in texas.
20191111_183619.jpg
20191026_135311.jpg
20191026_135302.jpg
 

aleccolin

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That's a huge difference. Unless y'all are also using camber bolts along with the plates, then I'm out of ideas. Like I said before, there just isn't much room for the subframe to be that far off center.

You can see in this picture, where the subframe bolts up on either side of the engine, there's maybe 1/8" of gap between the edge of the subframe and the pinch weld on the body. You might be able to skew the subframe some, but it won't push over to one side or the other very much, not without some frame damage or something.

2015_ford_mustang-gt_det_lt_5271515_717.jpg
 
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Nagare

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If you can, I'd also say try reinstalling the strut. I know when I first did mine it was right on the edge like that, but when I redid it, a lot more on center without actually changing anything else.
 
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Bluemustang

Bluemustang

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Well I thought there were camber bolts, but they're not - just the OEM strut bolts. So I am racking my brain as to how this is possible to have one strut nearly hitting the tower hole and the other sitting in the center?
My camber angle is equal. I looked under the car and the subframe appears to be aligned. I'm at a loss here. It doesn't appear to be affecting handling but I want to figure out why this is happening. It doesn't seem normal.
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