Guest Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 I am assisting in the restoration of a 1940 Super 8 1806 Darrin Convertable. The car is complete, however after rebuilding the front end, the car is in need of an alignment. This is where my problem lies. I do not have any information on the proper alignment procedure and specifications for the car. I will be performing the alignment on a John Bean 4 wheel Computer Alignment rack with 4 optical heads. If you have experience with this, or have the specs for the car please post them or e-mail them to me at ChevyMC81@cs.com. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You,Brad Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Hi Brad:Sorry it took so long to respond ( I have been busy with other matters). Your "post" intrigues me - you say you "rebuilt" a "SAF-T-FLEX" suspension? Can we know a bit more about what you did ? The Packard Saf-T-Flex design is a most interesting suspension design, combining the advantages of independant front suspension, VERY long radiis arms giving superb "accomodation" over severe roads, with the strengh of a "solid" front axle. It has both good and bad features... can present problems for the restorer unfamiliar with Packard's occasionaly unique way of doing things.The good news about the "Saf-T-Flex" concept, is that it was so well-engineered and so over-built, absent a major wreck imposing bending forces on major components, they simply do not get out of line, even with worn components ( the geometry of the system is such that even major wear won't permit it to go very far out of alignment).The bad news is - while the toe-in/toe out correction is pretty standard and obvious, caster and camber are a nightmare. To insure it kept the frame alignment business "in house" for its dealers, Packard used "proprietory" machined shims to control caster and camber. Look on the "upper outer" control arms, and the lower connection of the torque arm to the front axle, for where the shims go. There WILL be some shims already in there...you will have to machine any additional ones you may need....but...again...you probably wont need to change a thing other than to check toe-in.As for the settings - here they are - ( direct from my MOTOR REPAIR MANUAL )CASTER is - 1 1/2 to 1/2, camber is 1/2 to 1 1/4. Toe in is 1/32 to 1/16 (I "play" with toe-in on the big Packards...till I get just the right "road feel" I want ( too much toe-in...and it will "hunt"...too little...and it will feel "dead").I am curious to know how you got the lower control arm pads and springs dis-armed and out without killing yourself ! Did you use the Steele rubber bushing kit ( I wrote the instructions for that - if anyone wants to take a "Saf-T-Flex" suspension apart...PLEASE...dont try and do it the usual way with a spring clamp..you can get KILLED doing that...contact Steele or me for my "Saf-T-Flex Dis-assembly Instructions).I STRONGLY recommend you buy any of the RADIAL tires available in the size wheels you have -( they SHOULD be 16"...but you never know what was changed over the years ). I can tell you from personal experience...there is something VERY wrong with MANY of the "bias" repro. tires avail. today...damn things will "hunt" every road imperfection..and CONVINCE you your suspension is "gone"..Good luckPete Hartmann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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