[V8Vairs] Alignment/suspension setup

[GnKHOFFMAN at aol.com]

I would love to see the photos of your tubular arms and set up.  BTW  did 
they name the angle after you, or you after the angle?  :)!!!
 
In a message dated 3/23/2010 12:11:08 PM Pacific Daylight Time,  
jim.acker at comcast.net writes:

There  are two core issues with the Corvair front suspension that are  not
addressed by changing springs and adding a sway bar.  First is the  fact 
that
it has completely screwed up Ackerman angle.  This is the  line through the
steering arm pivot and the lower ball joint, which should  cross somewhere
near the middle of the rear axle line.  Because the  Corvair is front steer
(steering linkage in front of front axle line) and  the steering arms angle
in, this line on a Corvair points outside the car  body into infinity and
beyond.  This problem causes the outside wheel  in a corner to turn much 
more
sharply than the inside wheel, causing the  outside wheel to "plow". By
converting to a front disc set-up, which you  should anyway with a V8, you
can gain the needed room to angle the steering  arms outward and into the
wheel, providing proper Ackerman angle. My arm is  about 3/8" from the disc
and my wheels are within 6 degrees of each other  through the turning 
radius.

The second issue is camber.  A Corvair  actually does the opposite of what
you want in stock form.  The  outside wheel gains camber with body roll and
suspension compression, due  to the fact that the upper control arm actually
faces downward through most  of its travel.  This is less easily corrected,
as it requires  fabrication.  In my car, I have installed tubular upper and
lower  control arms and lowered the pivot point of the upper arms to point
the  arms slightly upward at static rest.  I gain over 2 degrees of  
negative
camber through the suspension travel.

I plan to post photos  of my new front end to my website in the near future.
I'll let everyone  know when I do.

Jim Acker