Front axle not on center line...so what?

[PotvinGuy]

I've been working on my new shocks and discovered that the front axle is 1/8" to the right of the center line of the car. Before I do something drastic I wanted to seek ultimate truth. Instead I'll ask my fellow bucketheads. Is this a big deal? The car drives straight, no pull, and the toe-in is good. Should I fix it or ignore it? My OCD says fix it, but my Homer says take a nap.

 

[2old2fast]

I get the OCD thing ,but in the grand scheme of things , that's a non factor....your DD probably off that far [if not more!!]
dave

 

[fletcherson]

If you didn't measure, you wouldn't know. If it's off by 1/8, it's really only 1/16 off center. If it drives and wears the tires ok, listen to Homer, lol. now if it was right and something has changed, it may be worth at least looking into. Jmo

 

[Tjbucket]

Personally, if it drives straight, doesn't pull and no issues, put your OCD to rest.......leave it be, you have a gorgeous ride!

 

[choppedtop]

I had my DD pickup checked, and it was off 1/2 inch from factory. Drives fine, so no worry from me.

 

[Zandoz]

Somewhere in my past, someone but I do not remember who, told me that when working with typical equipment and care an 1/8" tolerance in the finished product is typical, and 1/16" tolerance is exceptional. <shrug>

I'd say drive it a bit, and if there is no detectable problem, don't fix what ain't broke. If it really keeps you up at night, is it possible to pull it to centered with a panhard adjustment?

 

[PotvinGuy]

next post...

 

[PotvinGuy]

Somewhere in my past, someone but I do not remember who, told me that when working with typical equipment and care an 1/8" tolerance in the finished product is typical, and 1/16" tolerance is exceptional. <shrug>

I'd say drive it a bit, and if there is no detectable problem, don't fix what ain't broke. If it really keeps you up at night, is it possible to pull it to centered with a panhard adjustment?

Homer took a nap while Zandoz nailed it. Lengthened the Panhard rod (goes from center to left batwing) by 1/8" and it centered the axle. Even put a 1/8" washer between the spring perch and the left batwing just to satisfy the OCD. So while the spring is still slightly off-center, the axle is spot on. Will drive it and see if there is any difference. And will realign in any case.

And the reason for my concern was when I measured for the mounts for the Houdaille shocks and the two sides didn't match. Wanted the mounts to be identical.

 

[choppedtop]

Atta boy for Zandoz. Simple things are sometimes the hardest to find. Tell Homer to take another break.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Atta boy for Zandoz. Simple things are sometimes the hardest to find. Tell Homer to take another break.

I'll tell him when he wakes up.

 

[lincolnuT]

Just drive the car....................it will be fine...............

 

[iajjpop]

Remember your not building a watch ....

 

[PotvinGuy]

Remember your not building a watch ....

You're right...I wouldn't take such care with a watch!
Finished with the Houdaille shocks today and went for a short drive tonight. BIG improvement. Of course I had no shocks before and got used to the bouncing front end.

 

[Zandoz]

I can't tell from the pic...is there any kind of "dog bone" connection between the shock lever and the axle? Or is the lever directly connected to the bat wing? If it's a direct connection there is going to be binding issues due to the different arcs/radii of the 4-bars and the shock lever.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Curses! Foiled again! No, I put a slot in the end of the shock arm, and the batwing bolt rides in this slot:

This handles the arc difference that occurs with plus/minus 2" of axle travel. I added some neat self-lubricating bronze bushings (bronzebushings.com) and also backed off the Nyloc to allow for a little sideways motion of the axle (Panhard rod) so as to not put bending loads on the shock arm. Went out today looking for potholes to evaluate the new ride. The shocks are adjustable too.

 

[Indycars]

You do some really fine work and well thought out!!! Nice, very nice!

 

[fletcherson]

Did you run hydraulic shocks at any time? I am wondering what differece there is between them verses the friction shocks as far as ride quality.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Did you run hydraulic shocks at any time? I am wondering what differece there is between them verses the friction shocks as far as ride quality.

I didn't have any front shocks until now. The Houdailles are actually rotary hydraulic shocks, not friction. They were std eqpt on most cars in the '40s until cheap tube shocks came along in 1948. The Houdailles performance is comparable to tube shocks, and they are adjustable. But there are no new ones. All the ones today are rebuilt old units. And they are $$$. If you're interested check here: Five Points Classic Auto Shocks Mathew will work to get you what you want.

Friction shocks were used before the Houdailles and weren't very good: Friction disk shock absorber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[tfeverfred]

Those Houdailles are awesome shocks. I love the simplicity and the look. The cost seems high, but they're worth the expense.

 

[Zandoz]

Curses! Foiled again! No, I put a slot in the end of the shock arm, and the batwing bolt rides in this slot:

This handles the arc difference that occurs with plus/minus 2" of axle travel. I added some neat self-lubricating bronze bushings (bronzebushings.com) and also backed off the Nyloc to allow for a little sideways motion of the axle (Panhard rod) so as to not put bending loads on the shock arm. Went out today looking for potholes to evaluate the new ride. The shocks are adjustable too.

Excellent solution!