I have fitted MK2 Escort struts, adjustable tops, and adjustable bottom arms.

The problem is to get some negative camber I adjust the bottom arms out, but this has the effect of shortening the castor rods (radius rods) which in turn gives huge amounts of castor.

Anyone got escort struts?
How did you get round this problem?
Can anyone tell me what the factory / optimum castor angle is?

Thanks

Im running stanza struts so im not sure about escort struts but im running 4 degs castor (lots, u can see it straight away when u look at the struts) and its fine on the road, the stearings still light and its way more stable at high speeds. If its a real problem cant u adjust the tops and the bottoms to compensate, thats what i had to do to achieve the camber and castor i wanted. also what about using different castor rods?

Speaking of castor, do most of you down under do your own wheel alignments? In the US everybody takes it to a shop. Hints and tips on how to do it would be nice.

I know the castor is mainly the adjustment on the strut rod, camber is not normally adjustable, and toe-in is easy enough by adjusting both tie-rod ends ... but how do you measure it?

I will have the wheel alignment done by a shop, I just want to get it close before I take it in.

I can adjust the castor at the top mount but the problem is not just the angle of castor, it is that because the track is increased the angle of the castor rods is changed effectively shortening them which moves the wheel toward the very front of the arch.

Are 120Y castor rods longer than 1200 ones and do they bolt onto 1200 bottom arms?

Cheers

matt, yes the 120y castor rods are longer than 1200's and they do bolt up. I had to use them to fix my castor from my stanza strut conversion I used 1200 ones and my wheels were pulled too far forward which I see is the same thing thats happening to you. The 120y's castor rods fix that and practiacally bring it back to what it should be.
cheers
Damo

hey DD with tips on doing your own alignment.
My dad taught me a trick that works very well.
You need to have your car on a flat concrete curface and good lighting (for purposes of checking your alignment).

Use a bit of string and go around your whole car so that the string is in lign with the center of your hub. It all needs to be at the right height, if you have done teh stanza strut conversion it's gonna be harder. you then losen the tie-rod ends and adjust them so that the string from the front of the front wheel lightly touches the rear (In a conceptual view) if they both touch the string then the wheel should be straight forward?????

front
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back
if the string touches the front corner and back corner then it's straight forward. This is for a RHS wheel. With the stanza strut convertion you need to use a piece of wood to compensate the increase of the track other wise you'll find the string wwill touch but as soon as you go to the front of the car to check you wheels will toe outwards (I think)

Always goto the front of the car and look at the wheel front on to visually check the straightness.
This can work very well but for perfect alignnment goto a shop and get it done.
Cheers
Damo

Thanks Demojob I'll get some 120Y castor rods and give them a go

Cheers