Caster/Camber Plate Install Problems

[93Cobra#2771]

Well, finally getting around to install my steeda c/c plates. I'm having a few issues. I copied and pasted the following from my original post on the corral:

Well, as usual, I take a seemingly simple upgrade and make it difficult. I've got the Steeda aluminum C/C plates (3 bolt):
http://www.steeda.com/store/-catalo...ps-on-black.jpg

So anyway, I start the install yesterday. Everything is going OK, until it comes to the point where I bolt the plate to the strut tower (Driver's side).

It appears the top of my strut tower is slightly rounded. So when it comes to bolting them together, the top plate acts like a freaking seesaw. I can bolt the front side of it, or the back side of it, but not both. Top plate is perfectly flat (1/2" thick billet aluminum). If I had longer bolts I could prob. pull it off, but that isn't an option, as they are welded to the bottom plate.

I will say that it is possible that my strut tower is malformed. When I removed the stock top plate, I saw that somewhere along the way, some one had opened the stock mounting holes up to allow repositioning of the top plate toward the firewall (more caster). The holes had been slotted a good 1/2" back, plus some extra side to side. Don't know about the passenger side, haven't disassembled yet.

I inspected both the top and bottom of the tower, and I don't see any signs of bending such as cracked paint or fatigued metal. It all looks like it is supposed to.

So my questions are:
1. Anyone seen anything like this before?
2. Is the driver's side strut tower slightly rounded, or is mine bent?
3. Is it simply a matter of the bolts being a little too short on the bottom plate?

FWIW, I could just barely bolt it all together if I didn't have to fit the strut onion head back in.

What do you guys think?

[Craig K.]

I would say:
A) you can fix the problem by straightening the strut tower one way or another
B) replace the strut tower, if it is truly messed up
C) cut the weld on one bolt on the bottom plate and replace it with a longer one. re-weld inplace, or use a back-up wrench when tightening it.

[93Cobra#2771]

Can someone do me a favor and lay a straight edge (on the driver's side) from the forward holes to the rear hole? How straight is that showing up? BTW, I'll post some pix up at lunch time or so.

If the top of the tower is tweaked, I may use a BFH and a block of wood to see if I can tweak it back... :(

My front left side has never been able to be in correct alignment, and I attributed it to a bad front left strut. But now, I'm beginning to wonder if the strut tower isn't the whole problem... :shrug: :bricks:

[QWKSNKE]

I'll try to remember and check mine when I get home this evening if it isn't raining

[93Cobra#2771]

As promised here are my pix:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0160.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0159.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0158.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0157.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0156.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0152.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0151.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0150.jpg

[93Cobra#2771]

These last two are the stock plate on a flat surface, notice the bent shape it has (matches the strut tower perfectly):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0161.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/93Cobra2771/101_0162.jpg

[Italian LX]

That just doesn't look right. :nono:


. . . I'm about 99% sure that my billet BBK plates are flat.

[93Cobra#2771]

As are my Steeda's. Flat as a flitter (little east TN slang for ya there). The pictured one is the stocker, and it has been conformed to the top of the tower.

Haven't yet got to look at another fox shock tower, but I bet everyone else's shock tower is flat on the driverside. I'm beginning to think someone hit the left front hard on a curb or something, hard enough to bottom the suspension and deform the damn shock tower.

May get to break out a block of wood and a big hammer to see if I can bend it back. I'm betting this is the reason why my car has always sat lower on the front left. DAMMIT, LEE, your luck is following me!

[Craig K.]

I will look at my '85 GT tonight, but I am pretty sure that it is flat as a flitter.

I would try giving it a couple of good wacks and see if you can flatten it out. You should watch it overtime though to make sure there is no spring back affect, and it doesn't start to bow back over time.

[93Cobra#2771]

I tried a nice, non marring, rubber mallet (2#), but I guess I'll wail on it with a block of wood and a small sledge, hoping the damn hood don't get in my way... :eek:

[QWKSNKE]

DAMMIT, LEE, your luck is following me!


I need to pass that shit on to somebody. Current auto luck..

01 cobra (bastard hit my wife ) non-driveable.
03 F250 Tranny is shot. Going in for rebilud tomorrow
93 Cobra Won't keep coolant in it
88 GT needs heatercore (currently bypassed)
04 SVT Focus. Only car in the driveway that everything works on :nice:

[93Cobra#2771]

Is your super duty chipped? Is it an auto? I know there were some tranny problems out of chipped trucks when they upped line pressure via the chips - trannies started falling out left and right.

[Italian LX]

04 SVT Focus. Only car in the driveway that everything works on :nice:
:knockonwood:

[QWKSNKE]

Is your super duty chipped? Is it an auto? I know there were some tranny problems out of chipped trucks when they upped line pressure via the chips - trannies started falling out left and right.


of course. :D

Looking back on it now, when I first bought it the shifts were a little to soft and didn't change when I put the programmer in.

Tranny has a typical Ford 2nd gear sprag failure (or something like that) and is getting a different type installed during the rebuild along with a shift kit :nice:

[Sendero]

Your strut towers are meant to be flat. Imagine trying to do caster/camber adjustments on a elliptical arc! :eek:

[93Cobra#2771]

Very good observation, Sendero.

Well, the c/c plates are on!

Early Sat. morning, I went to my buddy's and checked out his shock towers on his 93 Cobra. As I suspected, mine were "ballooned" significantly at the top, yet the overall structure looked OK.

Took some measurments on his tower, and then went to work on mine with a nice piece of treated lumber (2x2 in size), and a 5# short handled sledge. Got it all back into position perfectly except of one little high spot at the edge of the hole where the strut went through. I fixed that by simply removing the piece of wood and using just the hammer .

Kinda nervous while I was doing it, but the end result was great! No cracking/flaking paint,and the c/c plates went on like a dream!

Then, I kicked over to the passenger side. Shock tower was flat on top like it was supposed to be. However, the crackheads that reamed the holes on the Driver's side also did it on the passenger side! Not only that, they also opened up the hole where the strut came through by over 1/4" (toward the fender). Luckily, the c/c plates cover up all the freakin' redneck work.

Talked to my buddy, and the car was put on a frame machine before we fixed it, but the bubbled strut tower wasn't checked for/caught. Now, I'm going for alignment this week.

[Sendero]

Very good observation, Sendero.


Hey, are you trying to be funny! :bricks:

:jester: :jk:

[93Cobra#2771]

Nope, not this time... :D

If I had thought along those same lines, I could have figured it out a lot quicker. :D