stock alignment

K

Killtodie

New member
Can anyone tell me if the front end has camber alignment stock form?

freaking firestone keeps telling me they cant align it. the front struts have a spacer that lets you change camber. firestone tells me they cant align it because the bolt is the same size as the bore on the knuckle.

Now aftermarket alignment bolts have lobes on them, but the stock system is differnet, and has that washer/spacer thing that;s keyed, and you turn that.

I need to find some pics of the bolt, and or instuctions so I can show them. any help in this matter, or am I just wrong?
 
___Scott___

___Scott___

Active member
Some have adjusting cams and some don't. My blue ST165 did, my gray one doesn't. You need to check to see if yours does or not.

Rock Auto sells a cam/bolt kit for about $10 each, just as a reference in case they want to charge you through the nose for those bolts.
 
Y

yyonline

Member
In stock form, camber is not adjustable. However, it shouldn't be off unless something else is off - worn suspension bushings, strut mounts, bent control arm, frame damage, etc. It could also be off if you're running an aftermarket lowered suspension. Toyota catalog only shows one part number for the strut to steering knuckle bolt (90105-15001), so no ST165 (or ST185 for that matter) had adjustable camber from the factory. Of course, someone could have added adjustable bolts at some point during the cars life.
 
___Scott___

___Scott___

Active member
yyonline":2q6xrqb9 said:
so no ST165 (or ST185 for that matter) had adjustable camber from the factory.
Click to expand...
Not true.

The adjusting cams on my blue ST165 were factory parts. They were not aftermarket camber adjusting bolts bolts, which are kludgey by comparison.

As I recall, there was nothing different about the two bolts either, the cam operated to offset the upper hole in the steering knuckle. I wish I had pics, it would be easier to explain.
 
88gt4DE

88gt4DE

Active member
___Scott___":1vpmxyxx said:
yyonline":1vpmxyxx said:
so no ST165 (or ST185 for that matter) had adjustable camber from the factory.
Click to expand...
Not true.

The adjusting cams on my blue ST165 were factory parts. They were not aftermarket camber adjusting bolts bolts, which are kludgey by comparison.

As I recall, there was nothing different about the two bolts either, the cam operated to offset the upper hole in the steering knuckle. I wish I had pics, it would be easier to explain.
Click to expand...


Correct ! Mine also has these adjusters , my brothers which is later in production does not which makes no sense. There are pictures of these on my project thread. They would have to be two different knuckle designs ....
 
Y

yyonline

Member
___Scott___":1tsqeifn said:
As I recall, there was nothing different about the two bolts either, the cam operated to offset the upper hole in the steering knuckle. I wish I had pics, it would be easier to explain.
Click to expand...

I see it now on the diagrams. I was looking for different bolts, when the part in question actually attaches to the steering knuckle like Scott mentions. Looks like that part went away in November of 87 when the steering knuckles were replaced by a different part number.

Toyota does make some bolts that may help you adjust camber, though. Basically, they are thinner versions of the stock bolt that allow for some wiggle room to adjust camber. These aren't mentioned in the Celica manual, but are mentioned in the manuals and parts diagrams for later Toyotas. I don't see why you couldn't use them, though. Obviously, a thinner bolt will be weaker so go with the thickest one that will give you the required adjustment. Part numbers are 90105–15004,
90105–15005, 90105–15006. Bolt diameters are 13.9, 13.3, 12.4mm respectively.
 
underscore

underscore

Well-known member
___Scott___":3w16u3iq said:
The adjusting cams on my blue ST165 were factory parts. They were not aftermarket camber adjusting bolts bolts, which are kludgey by comparison.
Click to expand...

"Crash bolts" are available direct from Toyota, they're an OEM part but not usually factory installed unless they couldn't get the car within spec when it was made.
 
___Scott___

___Scott___

Active member
underscore":34agx33i said:
___Scott___":34agx33i said:
The adjusting cams on my blue ST165 were factory parts. They were not aftermarket camber adjusting bolts bolts, which are kludgey by comparison.
Click to expand...

"Crash bolts" are available direct from Toyota, they're an OEM part
Click to expand...
OEM or aftermarket, they are still kludgey.

Personally, I would rather elongate the hole in each side of the strut bracket to achieve the same result.
 
K

Killtodie

New member
My camber is a bit in the negative, -1.1, and 1.8. I rather correct it.
Here is what the manual says
r7mWGov.jpg



So I know for a fact that I dont have crash bolts, but I have the adjustable cam. Is that the only thing that's used for adjustment?
 
Y

yyonline

Member
Yeah, it looks like you just move the little tab sticking out up and down to adjust. But honestly, if Firestone can't figure that out, I'd be looking for someone else to do the alignment. If they don't know how a cam adjustment works, I have little confidence in their ability to do a good job with the alignment otherwise. On the other hand, this is the first I've learned of such an adjustment on the Celica, so if they haven't seen one before or their computer says camber isn't adjustable, maybe they didn't even bother looking for it.
 
W

WideFNopen

New member
If you use crash bolts and want to keep the alignment solid then you should shim and pin them after installation and adjustment.
 
___Scott___

___Scott___

Active member
underscore":2d6spcwd said:
I have to ask, why? That sounds like more work to avoid a respected OEM solution...
Click to expand...
OK, I have to revise my opinion. I had not looked at the Toyota crash bolts and was assuming they looked like all the others I have seen.

Toyota style:
MKII-Crash.jpg

[pic stolen from here: http://twosrus.com/catalog/product_info ... cts_id=439]

Other crazy crash bolt style:
IMG_5748.jpg

[pic stolen from here: http://mustangforums.com/forum/2005-201 ... tes-2.html]

Seeing the Toyota style crash bolts, I would be fine using them if I needed them.

However, elongating the holes is easy to do, you only need to take a little bit out because the upper and lower bolt holes are so close together. By elongating the holes you get to keep your original bolts and their tensile strength.
 
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