how do you set the alignment on the front end of a 57 hawk

[christineman]

went down to have the wheels aligned on my 57 hawk,, they told me there is NO adjustment for the camber and caster,,, does this make sense at all to anyone? isnt there either shimis or excentrics to set them?? anyone eaver had this done??

christineman

[christineman]

specs on alighment for a 57 hawk anyone?

does anyone have the specs for front end alighnment for a 57 hawk? also,,, is it shims or excentrics?

christineman

[mausersmth]

If the shop isn't familiar with Studebaker, they won't find the adjustments! I reccomend getting the manual set on cd-rom so the needed pages can be printed for the shop.

[Alan]

Caster -1 to -2 1/2 degrees ( -1 3/4 ) desired.
Camber 0 to +1 degrees ( + 1/2 ) desired. + 1/2 more favored on drivers side.
Toe in, inches. 1/16" to 1/8"
Toe out on turns. Outer wheel 20 degrees, inner wheel 22 1/2 to 23 1/2 degrees. Incorrect toe out, when other adjustments are correct, indicates bent steering arms.
Everything is basically locked in with Studes king pin set up. Nothing is adjustable easy. Half of the front end of the car has to be removed to get to anything.

[41 Frank]

It is an eccentric located at the upper control arm end of the spindle/kingpin assy. You will find a pinchbolt there. After that is loosened the eccentric is turned by turning an allen screw located behind the (removed) rear grease zerk of the upper control arm. I don't have the specs close at hand. Essentially the trunnion is turned until caster is achieved and then camber is adjusted by turning the eccentric trunnion enough to achieve the correct camber. If not enough positive camber can be achieved the upper control arm cross shaft can be disconnected and turned 180 degrees as it is offset. It is best to have the shop manual or the CD version or you are likely to have problems getting them to do it correctly. Hope this helps.

[sweetolbob]

I'd recommend another shop.

I live in a town of 32,000 and a county of less than 100,000. There are two shops that took a look at my Studebakers and recognized the front end setup. A lot of the other shops don't. I'm not about to let them touch my cars when there are people here that understand my vehicles.

Duo Cento worth.

Bob

[Warren Webb]

The Studebaker front suspention is very close in design to the Volvo 544, both known for their rugged design. As its been said, the best thing is the service manual on cd so the appropriate pages can be printed out for these service novices. The main point of adjustment is under the zerk fitting on the upper control arm, rear facing fitting. Removing that you will find a 1/4" hex that works an essentric that moves the knuckle back & forth & in & out. This is held in place by a "sinch bolt" that must be loosened first to allow movement. The cd gives the recommended settings including the additional .5 degree on the drivers side. It also points out how you may gain additional adjustments if more camber is needed by turning the upper control arm cross shaft 180 degrees. I would call various alignment shops & ask if they are familiar with Studebakers first. Knowing what they are doing is priority, especially when it comes to things that your life depends on.

[StudeRich]

King Pin Suspension Alignment procedure

Everything is basically locked in with Studes king pin set up. Nothing is adjustable easy. Half of the front end of the car has to be removed to get to anything.

Alan, are you sure you don't want to delete this INCORRECT statement, or add a LOL and laughing face or something? To have the correct specs, say that, and not state the Shop manual info on turning the upper outer pin with an Allen Wrench, to adjust Camber and Caster, is just WRONG!

You know it's big jump from saying: "remove two Zerk Fittings" and: "Half of the front end of the car has to be removed to get to anything."

[Flashback]

I think we need a good picture tech here. Anyone? If not I will do one when I align mine in about 3 or 4 weeks. But for now. First set the toe end. I start with 1/16 th. Then remove the rear grease fitting in the upper outer control arm (rear). Loosen pinch bolt. Insert 1/4" allen (hex wrench) into hole and turn the pin pulling the king pin to the rear to try and get a positive caster. Try for . 5 to 1 degree positive on the left and a 0 to .5 0n the right. Now set the camber by turning the same pin to try and get at least a 0 to a -1, both sides. Now reset the toe end. If it is power steering use as much as 2 1/2+ caster. Usually it is best to have .5 more on the left side. This works with todays tires and driving style.

[Alan]

I get flamed for anything around here. Rich what I was referring to was the upper inner shaft. To make any large adjustments you have to remove the 2, 7/16" fine thread bolts holding the U I Shaft. I don't know when was the last time you ever removed one, but it is no fun job. You drop the nuts, then have to remove the spring to retrieve them. One of the bolts is under the inner fender panel lip and hard to get to. No Micky Mouse alignment shop is going to go through all that for a $60 alignment.

[sbca96]

I get flamed for anything around here.

Hey now! Thats MY line!

I was looking for a picture, and take a look at this upper control arm
someone cut off their custom Stude, what the heck is it? I have never
see one pinched in like that :



Tom

[41 Frank]

That front clip must be off a 1950, it only has four studs on the brake drum. Also the innner upper and lower pivots have what appear to be zerks rather than rubber bushings.

[QUOTE=sbca96;484042]Hey now! Thats MY line!

I was looking for a picture, and take a look at this upper control arm
someone cut off their custom Stude, what the heck is it? I have never
see one pinched in like that :

[Flashback]

Alan, You are absolutely right about those upper inners. They are a pain, especially with the front fenders in place.

[sbca96]

The Avanti inner fenders seem to have been reworked to give easy access to
the upper bolts. I dont recall having to disassemble the suspension to reclaim
the nuts on those upper bolts if they were dropped, but I agree they arent fun
to do on a Hawk. With the right tools its not too bad, unfortunately its been a
while since I did my Hawk ones, so I dont recall what the tricks were.

As long as they are available I am seriously considering the Noltec bushings.

As for the alignment, it seems to have been covered, remove the zerk on the
rear of the upper outer threaded bushing, insert an allen wrench, loosne the
lock bolt on the king pin, adjust the caster, then adjust the camber. As you're
turning the allen wrench the camber will change in and out.

Tom

[Mike Sal]

Yes, the photo is a '50 champion front end. Note the unique draglink set up. That idler arm is worth gold if it's still any good. They used to be really hard to find.
Mike Sal