Unable to adjust the front camber on the Stag??.

[Robin Searle]

I decided as I was getting new tyres to have a wheel alignment done, the results were that the front wheel cambers were way off. I then discovered that on the Stag there is noway of being able to adjust them, other than elongating the holes where the spring and front shocks bolt at the top under the hood.I checked on the forum under camber adjustment, the last post of 2015 said that Monarch Stag had a modification. I emailed them, my long term memory is better than my short term, and I am sure that I had read that Monarch Stag was no longer due to retirement??

A fellow member of the US Stag Club and the Toronto Triumph Club said that Superflex makes a kit with eccentric bushes that replace the two bolts that hold the control arms onto the chassis, part number Superflex SF372-0137CKSS https://www.superflex.co.uk/products.php?cat=372.

Has anyone fitted this kit to their Stag, and any comments would be welcome?

[barkerwilliams]

Robin,

Is the adjustment needed because of some wear / defect / accident damage to the car, or is it to correct something the car has always had from new?

Alan

[mike@thenook]

Are you sure it isn’t just that the track control arm inner bushes are so worn that they are effectively making the control arm longer and hence negative camber? This is the most likely cause as, with all the bushes in good condition negative camber should not be a problem.

If you you do need to replace this bushes I would definitely use superflex ones which you can get from Chris Witor.

Cheers

Mike

[bullstarz]

You can alter on the front camber on the Stag. All you do is increase or decrease the amount of shims on the up-right to hub carrier. Alternatively you can get an adjustable (camber ) top mount.

[tjk]

HI, The bigger bushes would alter the CASTOR not the camber.. As above, shims would alter the CAMBER. I think thats right.

[mole42]

You can alter on the front camber on the Stag. All you do is increase or decrease the amount of shims on the up-right to hub carrier.

AFAIK the shims are only there to adjust for machining tolerances in the hub carrier and strut leg, not for adjusting camber.
Camber adjustment is not mentioned in either the Stag ROM or the 2000/2500/PI ROM so it probably isn't adjustable on the standard suspension.

Richard

[mike@thenook]

When I say the Track Control arm I mean the wishbone (as it is named in the ROM) the item with the ball joint in the end.

- the inner bush on this is a large rubber items which will, if old (or new and Chinese), have a lot of wear and will allow the wheels to splay outwards giving negative camber - nothing else in the set up would allow this unless of course there is accident damage.

[trunt]

So what were the camber numbers they actually gave you?? I see -1/4 (+/- 3/4 degree) Laden with 4 up in the ROM -- thats quite a range.. bet they didn't all sit in it!

Sure they are not applying modern car expectations?

Terry

[bullstarz]

AFAIK the shims are only there to adjust for machining tolerances in the hub carrier and strut leg, not for adjusting camber.
Camber adjustment is not mentioned in either the Stag ROM or the 2000/2500/PI ROM so it probably isn't adjustable on the standard suspension.

Richard

Your correct (ish)

but

the shims will alter the geometry of the the front suspension. There is differences in tolerances every owner of a Stag will have come across this when changing parts. But these shims were fitted to gain the correct Camber , it is mentioned in one of the Stag Manuals.

If you couldn't alter the camber of the Stag then there wouldn't be any mention of the correct setting. I know when i was putting the hub carriers back on mine and swapping things about i could see how the camber slightly changed, even the front brake lugs thickness could alter these settings. Without using a vernier caliper or micrometer on all the hub/brake components you couldn't set it all up correctly as there no datum for all the parts, only the camber setting.

[jakesmig]

When I installed 4 pot calipers I reset the front camber on mine by selecting and using thinner shims on the top 2 bolts holding the strut & strut / top caliper onto the hub carrier. It doesn't take much of a difference in shim thickness to alter the camber angle.
These shims on a standard setup are evident when you dismantle the hub from the strut, if I recall correctly there is one longer one to fit between hub and strut and a shorter one to fit between the hub and caliper / strut. The longer shim equaled the combined length of the shorter shim plus the caliper mounting thickness. Filing a few thou off increases negative camber, adding a washer will give loads of positive camber and put you in a field.

Generally the only way to alter castor angle would be to adjust the drag strut length, or replace the existing strut with an adjustable item. Monarchs sold an adjustable drag strut for that purpose, and they also listed an adjustable bracket to replace one of the standard trailing arm brackets thereby enabling alteration to the rear camber angle.

A variable top mount would enable some adjustment to both camber and castor, common on the likes of rally escorts etc., but not so easy to set up properly to good effect,

Adding a bit of negative camber should decrease understeer but will stiffen up the steering and decrease the tendency for the steering to self centre.

John.

[DZP]

I am in the process of servicing the front suspension on my Stag, replacing the top mounts and fitting Superflex bushes. I was expecting to find some shims on the spacer between the damper flange and the vertical link, but there weren't any fitted to any bolt on either side of the car. I spent hours removing the vertical link and steering arm bolts, as they were seriously rusted in place, so I doubt they had been removed recently, if ever.
The ROM specifies the use of "Plastiseal" between the wing turret and damper upper mounting flange, which I expect would lengthen the strut and increase positive camber.
On one turret there was some self-amalgamating rubber tape fitted and I am planned to use something similar. I guess this is about 2mm thick.
Is a visit to the local wheel alignment specialist always required to measure camber?
Thanks.

[sujitroy]

try this

https://k-mac.com/product/triumph-2000-roadster-2-5pi-stag-63-77-front-stage3-full-race-780716k3/

[bullstarz]

try this

https://k-mac.com/product/triumph-20...race-780716k3/

Nice.

I did a few CAD drawings to get some of these made. Just not had the time to finish them.

[Robin Searle]

I have gone ahead and ordered the SuperFlex kit SF372-0137CKSS and fit it when it arrives as not a big job in the scheme of things to fit them. I will have the alignment checked afterwardsthen compare it with the one done previously which highlited the problem first.. I know that if I just leave things as they were it is not going to wear my tires out rapidly with the 4-5000 miles driven each year but more interested in the results and can write an article on it for the magazine STAG/NEWS on this side of the pond.