Left side wheel sticks out more than right

[chevymotocross]

My 87' has 2.5'' spindles and 2'' coils up front. I installed this kit last year and haven't drove the truck much since the drop, I was away for Air Force related training.

At that time, I had the front end aligned, the shop used lots of shims. Truck drives straight and all, but I notice the driver side has a tad more positive camber than the passenger side. In fact, this causes some rubbing on the driver side, on the very outer edge of the tire when hitting big bumps. I believe it's hitting the fender lip.

I didn't immediately go back to the shop since I figured maybe the coils had to settle down, but that wasn't the issue. It's definitely alignment related.

Also, the extra positive camber makes the driver side not look as low as the passenger side, has about 1/2'' difference.

The front tires are 235/60/15.

The passenger side has no issues. Think I can remove one shim at a time on the driver side, by myself, until I'm even? Or, think I should have the shop do this?

Passenger Side Above

Driver side below.... notice how it sticks out


Driver side below, once again, sticking out:


Passenger side below, nicely tucked away:

[zieg85]

What kind of rims do you have?  Do the fronts match exactly?  If you have factory rally rims, hard to tell from the picture but looks like the trim rings from them, you could have a 15x8 on one side and a 15x7 on the other.  Hard to tell if you don't know exactly what to look for...

[beastie_3]

Did they give you a print out when you got it aligned?

[chevymotocross]

They are not rally wheels, they are aftermarket alloys and I verified that they are all the same width.

I did get an alignment printout and it did show everything in the green, as far as exact numbers I will have to look at the sheet tomorrow.

I did notice that the aftermarket fenders I installed, the driver side is in about 1/2'' further than the passenger side. I am going to try shimming it out tomorrow. Don't think it will be enough to make a big difference, but it's a step in the right direction.

I do have factory 8'' rally wheels that I plan on putting on soon. Maybe I won't have an issue with those.

[78 Chevyrado]

Start measuring everything off of the frame itself.  Measure both a arms and compare.  Measure both fenders and compare.  mainly check your suspension components left to right and compare them, they should be pretty close to the same.

[autorepr]

I would lean more toward the back spacing of the wheels. The wheel width could be the same but the back spacing could be different and kick one wheel out or in further.

You could switch the front left to the rt and rt to the left. Did the problem switch with it?

[chevymotocross]

Didn't think of that, will switch the wheels before even messing with the fenders.

[chevymotocross]

I pulled the 2 front wheels and they have the same backspacing. I swapped them for the heck of it and sure enough no change.

Here are some pics of the fender issue. As you can see, the passenger side fender, I was able to fit 2 nickles and a penny between the fender and hood line. On the driver side, only a penny was able to fit. I'm thinking of using some body washers, and seeing if I match the fender line with the passenger side, if it will be enough to stop the tire issues.

The alignment sheet says my left front camber is 0.5 degrees, right front also 0.5. Caster for the left is 4.0 and right 3.7. Toe for left is 0.20 and right is 0.18.

[bake74]

     The fenders themselves might be part of the issue.  From those pics it seems like you have more of a gap on your passenger side than on your drivers side, which might be why your drivers side looks out more.  I believe there is a little room for adjustments on those fenders.  ( in and out )
     As far as taking out the alignment shims, I wouldn't, it will throw off your alignment that you already paid to have done.

[chevymotocross]

I loosened the bolts up on the fender, barely any room for adjustment. That was a no-go. I think at this point I might have to have it checked again at the shop. If it's all good then I really am clueless as to why it is like this.

It's got me worried because I was planning on putting 255/60/15 up front. If I'm rubbing on bumps, driver side with 235..... there is no way I am shelling out cash for 255's.

[Grim 82]

Somebody chime in if I am wrong...
but couldn't you loosen all of the bolts holding the cab and clip and slide it over a bit, centering it on the wheelbase, and then tighten the body back down to the frame? That's assuming that it's not a suspension or alignment problem.

[modular93fox]

maybe try this... get some fishing line and weight, ... maybe 2 of them one in from of the tire and one behind the tire. Let the wight hang down and pull the string tight. measure from the frame to the string... record both measurements and do the same for the other side... see if the measurements are similar.. if they are maye you have a control arm problem... if they are way off maybe you have a frame problem or body panel alignment problem.
clint

[VileZambonie]

Your alignment is measured off of the geometric centerline. From there a thrust angle and front end alignment is done. If it is within spec then you need to adjust the body. Plan on spending a few hours and be patient.

[chevymotocross]

Thanks guys. I'm going to have it re-checked at the alignment shop soon. I'm going ahead with the plan of putting 255/60 in the front. If it turns out the driver side wheel is kicked out again, I guess I will have to do some body adjustments. I will say that everything on the truck besides the fenders, are oem. All the body lines do line up. How would I go about adjusting the entire body over to the left?

[1979C20]

Maybe you can measure from the frame to the outside of the wheel well on the front fenders on both sides to see if theres like an inch difference? That would tell you for sure if it is the fenders.