2019 Adjustable Camber Plates - Cluster $$#%$@

[Epiphany]

I've done a number of camber plate installs in my lifetime, including these on my 2020 GT500.

First, the knurls are not there to "lock" anything in. They are simply the mechanical means by which the three fasteners are held to the plate they were pressed into. Sometimes you'll note upon inspection that the knurls that have passed through the plate they were pressed into have somewhat flattened out, other times they may still look to have a point. This is due to varying tolerances and how the hardness of the bolts and the hardness of the plate interact.

There are a couple of things to be wary of during the install. When the upper bearing is transferred to the adjustable plates (from the factory plates) you have to pay close attention to how the plates seat when placing them atop the spring and when you begin to tighten the strut nut. It is very easy to cock the assembly if you don't have the springs positioned/compressed properly. This will cause the assembly to bind and needs to be corrected immediately. This is pointed out in the instructions.

When the three camber plate nuts are torqued to spec, the two plates are drawn together. It is the friction imparted by the nuts that causes the assembly to remain "fixed." The original, factory installed plates stay together regardless of whether they are installed or sitting on a benchtop. Of note, the width of the slot on the adjustable plates is greater than the circumference of the holes the bolts are pressed through on the factory original installed plates.

Factory original left, adjustable on right.

Before being installed or having the plates drawn together when torqued...

And while you can't really see it below, these plates are drawn together and tight as the nuts above are in place and torqued.

Could the knurls slightly hold up movement of the plates when the suspension is unloaded and the nuts are loosened? Yeah, to a minor degree. A whack, a thud, a gentle pry, and you are on your way. These aren't CNC machined 6061-T6 pieces with tightly controlled tolerances but they work just fine.

Was the Tech wrong to dress (I assume he used a file) the plates for additional clearance? Assuming the amount of material he removed was minor I don't see an issue as much as he really didn't need to do that. His logic is along the right track though.

Step 25 from the installation instructions is about as clear as it gets. No, the system doesn't glide like its on silky smooth bearings when making camber adjustments. The strut plates can "stick" and seem like they don't want to move but they will.

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[luc]

I've done a number of camber plate installs in my lifetime, including these on my 2020 GT500.

First, the knurls are not there to "lock" anything in. They are simply the mechanical means by which the three fasteners are held to the plate they were pressed into. Sometimes you'll note upon inspection that the knurls that have passed through the plate they were pressed into have somewhat flattened out, other times they may still look to have a point. This is due to varying tolerances and how the hardness of the bolts and the hardness of the plate interact.

There are a couple of things to be wary of during the install. When the upper bearing is transferred to the adjustable plates (from the factory plates) you have to pay close attention to how the plates seat when placing them atop the spring and when you begin to tighten the strut nut. It is very easy to cock the assembly if you don't have the springs positioned/compressed properly. This will cause the assembly to bind and needs to be corrected immediately. This is pointed out in the instructions.

When the three camber plate nuts are torqued to spec, the two plates are drawn together. It is the friction imparted by the nuts that causes the assembly to remain "fixed." The original, factory installed plates stay together regardless of whether they are installed or sitting on a benchtop. Of note, the width of the slot on the adjustable plates is greater than the circumference of the holes the bolts are pressed through on the factory original installed plates.

Factory original left, adjustable on right.

Before being installed or having the plates drawn together when torqued...

And while you can't really see it below, these plates are drawn together and tight as the nuts above are in place and torqued.

Could the knurls slightly hold up movement of the plates when the suspension is unloaded and the nuts are loosened? Yeah, to a minor degree. A whack, a thud, a gentle pry, and you are on your way. These aren't CNC machined 6061-T6 pieces with tightly controlled tolerances but they work just fine.

Was the Tech wrong to dress (I assume he used a file) the plates for additional clearance? Assuming the amount of material he removed was minor I don't see an issue as much as he really didn't need to do that. His logic is along the right track though.

Step 25 from the installation instructions is about as clear as it gets. No, the system doesn't glide like its on silky smooth bearings when making camber adjustments. The strut plates can "stick" and seem like they don't want to move but they will.

All the pictures that I have seen, including my own plates, have the knurled part of the stud sticking above the plate by about 1mm instead of being flush with the plate
It’s not a mater of tolerances since they all have this same 1mm above the plate. but rather manufacturer specification
Furthermore the diameter of the knurled part of the stud is larger than the width of the slots that allow the strut to be moved
Therefore the plate that hold the strut rest on the top
of the knurled part and is not making contact with the face of the U shaped plate holding the studs
Obviously widening the slots, wider that the diameter of the knurled part, will allow both plates faces to make full contact
But I believe that Ford designed it the way they did for a reason
Comments?

 

[shogun32]

the knurled part of the stud sticking above the plate by about 1mm instead of being flush with the plate
It’s not a mater of tolerances since they all have this same 1mm above the plate. but rather manufacturer specification

because the knurl is a "standard" width (industry tooling) and the plate Ford chose to use was "too thin" by 1mm. Probably because with the multiple plates the assembly was getting a bit thick.

Furthermore the diameter of the knurled part of the stud is larger than the width of the slots that allow the strut to be moved

That's a Ford engineering fuck up. The original design likely used a base plate of sufficient thickness but after somebody complained about how thick the assembly was getting, they knocked it down but didn't bother to check what the side-effect was (exposed knurl). And nobody at FP engineering did an install themselves and paid enough attention to realize their mistake. When CAD-monkeys aren't forced to wrench on their creations you get things like this.

Therefore the plate that hold the strut rest on the top
of the knurled part and is not making contact with the face of the U shaped plate holding the studs

Then you're doing it wrong. The plates must necessarily be in direct contact. That means one of:

1. shim the 'gap' with 1mm'ish washers between the plates
2. crank on the nuts to 'embed' the knurl into the top plate
3. dress the exposed knurl with a file to knock it down to minor diameter
4. widen the upper plate's slots to clear the knurl

#3 is the most sensible answer IMO

 

[Epiphany]

All the pictures that I have seen, including my own plates, have the knurled part of the stud sticking above the plate by about 1mm instead of being flush with the plate

The fact that any of the knurl is above the bottom plate is insignificant. I addressed why in my post above.

It’s not a mater of tolerances since they all have this same 1mm above the plate. but rather manufacturer specification

It is all about tolerance as in these plates, as I mentioned above, aren't CNC machined. Again, the knurl above the plate is insignificant.

Obviously widening the slots, wider that the diameter of the knurled part, will allow both plates faces to make full contact

The width of the slots are fine. If yours are out of spec then dress them.

 

[zzrat]

Epiphany, Thanks for the write up. I bought a new set of these last week from a member here that decided not to use. Been meaning to purchase for some time & never got around to it. Pics & tips will be very useful when getting around for installation! Thanks-A-Bunch!!

 

[Epiphany]

You got it.

Let's be honest, the aftermarket outdoes Ford's effort here. If you want better materials, greater accuracy and range of adjustment, look to Steeda/Maximum Motorsports/Vorshlag etc. I'm partial to Maximum myself but wanted to see what the factory had to offer regardless of their place in the performance hierarchy. They offer a robust bearing and with reasonable cost to boot. They err on the clunky side for fitment but get the job done when installed and in use.

 

[bozzy]

Quick question. Are there any visual cues that would confirm if my OEM camber plates were installed at my dealer?

 

[svassh]

Quick question. Are there any visual cues that would confirm if my OEM camber plates were installed at my dealer?

Look down into the top of the strut from the engine bay. If you see the 2 slots on either side of the strut top nut as show here, they are NOT adjustable. To be clear they are standard on the GT350R. On GT350 you would need to have the handling package on your cars options.

 

[bozzy]

Look down into the top of the strut from the engine bay. If you see the 2 slots on either side of the strut top nut as show here, they are NOT adjustable. To be clear they are standard on the GT350R. On GT350 you would need to have the handling package on your cars options.

Here's a picture of mine. So no adjustable plates installed then? I do have the handling pack and my dealer said they were installed...

 

[jmn444]

dealer is lying or more likely simply clueless. def not the adjustable strut tops. they prob don't even know what adjustable camber plates are and think that putting on the gurney flap was the extent of the install.

 

[svassh]

@bozzy call your dealer and ask them to look for them. Many of these dealers are low volume Shelby sellers and don't bother to keep up with them. Mine swore I was wrong and the GT350R did not come with these. I had to send them the link from the 2019 GT350R configurator to get them to believe me. They later found them in the parts department. Of course this whole thread is about the cluster #@#$%@$ it was to get them installed so good luck with that part.

If your dealer still says they can't find them call FP.

 

[RJay]

Here's a picture of mine. So no adjustable plates installed then? I do have the handling pack and my dealer said they were installed...

Nope. Those are the stock plates. Probably sitting in the Parts Department with your VIN on the package. That's where most of them are found.

 

[aggarcia70]

The main reason for going with Ford Performance camber plates is that Ford Dealer will not give you grief about non-factory or Ford parts installed. Anything not Ford can cause issues when going in for service or warranty work.

 

[DB83]

Does anyone know how much these adjust the camber by?

 

[jmn444]

Does anyone know how much these adjust the camber by?

-2.6 to -2.8 roughly max camber with these plates. stock everything else.

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