everything went fine, but the guy who done the alignment said the right front upper ball joint was 180 out, he said all i have to do is take off the two bolts, and rotate it 180 degree's then take it back in and they will align it for free. does this sound normal? i think he said its got negative chamber and it needs positive or something.

matthew

"Ball joints
The front UCA ball joints are the only adjustable ones. All others are pressed into the arm.

The factory UCA ball joint allows about 1o of change. To alter the setting you take out the bolts and rotate the shell 180o. It’s not much adjustment but it may be enough to get into spec.

Moog Problem Solver ball joints are slotted for camber adjustment. Loosen the bolts, set camber, and tighten the bolts. (Other brands of replacement joints may also allow this. Some simply duplicate the OE joint.)

The pressed in ball joints may also be tack welded. The weld must be carefully ground away before pressing out the joint."

copied from "The Ogre's Cave" Body and chassis- suspension - control arms.. Hope that this helps.. I would replace your front ball joints with .."Moog Problem Solver ball joints are slotted for camber adjustment. Loosen the bolts, set camber, and tighten the bolts."
this would allow the alignment shop to set the camber exactly where it should be..

The factory, unfortunately, only gives you an either.....or adjustment +- 1 degree.
I highly recommend the moog slotted adjustable joints if you want any kind of accuracy.

Phil

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87 FIERO GT 2.8 5spd
0-60 in 6.8 seconds!

To those who are interested, the Moog adjustible ball joint part number is K5292. Also ask your local parts dealer if they are able to get the Fedreated adjustible ball joint, same part # as Moog. These two are the same part, just a different bax and the Federated is about half the cost as the Moog.

I ran into this my self. Then I complaned loudly that I wanted the alignment adjusted not just checked. I asked "What am I paying for?" most places will check it for free. If they didnt plan on adjusting it I wanted my money back. I knew it needed adjusted thats why I brought it to them. If I have to do the adjusting What do they use all those tools for picking their ass. That is part of the alignment. If they were just going to adjust the toe thats what they shouldn't have falsely advertised it as an 4 wheel alignment. I knew I was in for it when I was told after the car was up on the rack that they charge extra if they have to adjust the rear. So after I got home I called back and spoke with the manager then drove back to the shop and got my full refund then went to sears and had it aligned corectly.

quote Originally posted by Earl: I ran into this my self. Then I complaned loudly that I wanted the alignment adjusted not just checked. I asked "What am I paying for?" most places will check it for free. If they didnt plan on adjusting it I wanted my money back. I knew it needed adjusted thats why I brought it to them. If I have to do the adjusting What do they use all those tools for picking their ass. That is part of the alignment. If they were just going to adjust the toe thats what they shouldn't have falsely advertised it as an 4 wheel alignment. I knew I was in for it when I was told after the car was up on the rack that they charge extra if they have to adjust the rear. So after I got home I called back and spoke with the manager then drove back to the shop and got my full refund then went to sears and had it aligned corectly.

That sounds like MY SEARS story, and I used to work for them. I will only ever get coockie-cutter cars aligned at sears, since that's what those boneheads seem to do best. Go to a reputable body shop that has their own inhouse alignment. It cost me $75 but they sure knew what they were doing, as they used TIRE WEAR for adjustment, and not using generic specs in a computer.

I too installed the Moog Problem Solver uppers, and the cheapest lowers I could find. try www.autowhiz.com and search for the parts. I found mine for about $30 a piece.

[This message has been edited by joedirt (edited 04-04-2003).]

quote Originally posted by m0sh_man: everything went fine, but the guy who done the alignment said the right front upper ball joint was 180 out, he said all i have to do is take off the two bolts, and rotate it 180 degree's then take it back in and they will align it for free. does this sound normal? i think he said its got negative chamber and it needs positive or something. matthew

had the same thing happen to me when i went to get my alignment done. they were going to charge me more to flip it, i told them i would do it and bring it back. after looking at the ball joints, i thought i will just put in new ones then take it back. i put in news ones took it back a few days later. they said the other side now needed flipped... well finally got it all done, goes straight as an arrow now. its a little work but its worth it.
good luck