GT350 Front Camber Adjustment

I had bought a set of MM camber plates that I was planning to install. However it turns out that there's an alternative. Ford sells service bolts that are smooth and a slightly smaller diameter than the splined OE bolts:



I used a micrometer to measure them today -- the service bolt is 0.4mm smaller.

Here are the part numbers. Bolt: W715295-S439 Nut: W520216-S441

@cloud9

The service nut is Nylock, unlike the OE nut

I plan to install once I've finished the 1,000 mile Break-in -- 185 miles to go!

 

[VoodooBoss]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Nice, are there any instructions on how to make the adjustments?

@Moto
@fuhrius
@mattlqx
@ChopSui

 

[cloud9]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Excellent. I'd much rather go this route and leave the factory suspension as original as possible. Anxious to see your results but I'm assuming we can get the recommended camber? What are you planning to do with the MM plates as I have a set NIB as well.

 

[Black Boss]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Nice, are there any instructions on how to make the adjustments?

@Moto
@fuhrius
@mattlqx
@ChopSui

I think you need to unclip the speed sensor wiring harness to get access. Also I talked to one of the Ford Performance Techs who was very helpful -- he said to be careful not to hit the caliper brake pipe with the wrench. Once the old bolts are out I plan to lightly torque the new ones and adjust camber and then torque to spec. Final torque spec is 184 lbft. As with the Boss I will re-check Toe after and Camber changes.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

184 ft-lbs, wow.

 

[cloud9]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

184 ft-lbs, wow.

Going to have to do this one on a lift so you can do chin ups on the torque wrench.

 

[moto]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

The knuckle is still center though(not offset) and so you would just have to position it while tightening? How far apart are the 2 bolts as that will tell how much angle that will change?

 

[mattlqx]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Excuse my noobishness... but where exactly does this bolt go? I'm understanding that because it's smooth and slightly smaller it will allow for more travel on whatever it's bolting down for more possible camber? Are the track alignment suggestions they give on the owners manual insert possible without this new bolt? Do you just want still greater changer in camber?

 

[Black Boss]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Excuse my noobishness... but where exactly does this bolt go? I'm understanding that because it's smooth and slightly smaller it will allow for more travel on whatever it's bolting down for more possible camber? Are the track alignment suggestions they give on the owners manual insert possible without this new bolt? Do you just want still greater changer in camber?

There are 2 bolts (each side) that secure the bottom end of the strut to the knuckle. The OE bolts have no clearance and therefore camber cannot be adjusted. These bolts allow for a small range of adjustment -- hopefully enough to achieve the recommendations of 1.75* for the R and 1.5* for the 350.

Mine has 1.2* with the OE bolts, so I only need 0.55*

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

@Black Boss does it look like there is enough room in the strut flange to simply elongate the upper hole laterally to allow for more adjustment range?

 

[cloud9]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

@Black Boss does it look like there is enough room in the strut flange to simply elongate the upper hole laterally to allow for more adjustment range?

Ron said Ford hogged the holes on the Track Tour cars when he was at LS. I assumed they hogged the lower hole though. I did that on my Boss to get -2.8* vs. -2.4* with the MM cc plates.

@Moto

 

[moto]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

I remember we did the math assuming the bolts were 4" apart(that's what the boss/S197 is) and you would need about .035" of grinding the strut holes(total for one hole or half for both) to get the .5*. If you can get .016(.4mm) per bolt then you should be really close to .5* unless the bolts are more than 4" apart.

 

[mattlqx]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

There are 2 bolts (each side) that secure the bottom end of the strut to the knuckle. The OE bolts have no clearance and therefore camber cannot be adjusted. These bolts allow for a small range of adjustment -- hopefully enough to achieve the recommendations of 1.75* for the R and 1.5* for the 350.

Mine has 1.2* with the OE bolts, so I only need 0.55*

Is this typical? I thought camber was usually achieved by just adjusting the upper mount. But I guess without the range that aftermarket C&C plates allow this is required it sounds. Is there no adjustment possible on the upper mounts?

 

[cloud9]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Is this typical? I thought camber was usually achieved by just adjusting the upper mount. But I guess without the range that aftermarket C&C plates allow this is required it sounds. Is there no adjustment possible on the upper mounts?

Most of us used CC plates on the upper mount for the Boss. Most popular were Maximum Motorsports and Vorshlag. The problem was you were typically limited to about -2.3 to -2.4* and with Hoosiers or slicks you needed more like -2.7 to -3.0*. The only way to get the additional camber was to hog the strut to spindle holes.

The design of the GT350 front suspension doesn't require as much negative camber as we needed on the S197 chassis. The idea of using the bolts is to "simplify" by leaving the strut in place and just replacing the 4 bolts on the lower end of the strut. This way you don't have to pull the entire strut out of the vehicle, disassemble it and reinstall with the CC plates (strut mount).

There is no factory adjustment on the front strut mounts. There is enough adjustment in the rear to gain the recommended camber for track use.

 

[mattlqx]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Excellent, thanks. I'll snag some of these bolts.

 

[modernbeat]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

Most of us used CC plates on the upper mount for the Boss. Most popular were Maximum Motorsports and Vorshlag. The problem was you were typically limited to about -2.3 to -2.4* and with Hoosiers or slicks you needed more like -2.7 to -3.0*. The only way to get the additional camber was to hog the strut to spindle holes...

Well, there are three ways to get camber up front. The first is, of course, a camber plate. It's usually limited by the opening in the top of the strut tower. The next is strut-spindle interface. Either camber bolts or lengthening the upper bolt hole. But gaining negative camber here reduces inboard tire room, which is direly needed. The last method is to lengthen the lower arm, which requires an aftermarket arm and tie rod and introduces all sorts of failure points.

But, we can also address the main limitation of the camber plates. We can open up the top of the strut tower to allow more movement. Our camber plates were designed to go further than the tower opening allows. The Boss 302S came with towers slotted all the way through the reinforcement rib. We open it up in a more subtle way without making it look hacked up or obviously modified.

Here are the stock Boss 302S strut openings.




Here is the stock GT strut tower.


Here is the opened up strut tower.


Here is one that is mid-cut. The jig we use is in place and the tower is about halfway sawed through.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

That's pretty slick, Jason. I "302Sed" mine and while not as elegant, it is effective.

 

[Black Boss]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

@Black Boss does it look like there is enough room in the strut flange to simply elongate the upper hole laterally to allow for more adjustment range?

Yea I think there's enough meat on the flange -- just hate to butcher those struts!

As pointed out, the advantage of camber plates is that they maintain strut/tire clearance and the 302S versions mounted with the top of the shock stud under the strut tower making elongating the tower hole optional -- the downside is I hate spring compressors -- not an issue with Boss coilovers

 

[Black Boss]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

I remember we did the math assuming the bolts were 4" apart(that's what the boss/S197 is) and you would need about .035" of grinding the strut holes(total for one hole or half for both) to get the .5*. If you can get .016(.4mm) per bolt then you should be really close to .5* unless the bolts are more than 4" apart.

Good news -- the 350 strut holes are closer together at 3", so in theory there should be over .6* of adjustment -- we'll see!

 

[Tob]

Re: Front Camber Adjustment

GT350 Mag strut ear dimensions.


Center to center dimension



Ear hole diameter