US 4,305,570 A · Camber adjustment tool

Abstract

A camber adjustment tool for a McPherson front end suspension system comprises a rigid base for being fastened to the face of a wheel hub. The wheel mounting studs extend through elongated holes in the base that facilitate fastening the base to the hub independently of different wheel stud patterns. Cammed sleeves inserted in the holes around the wheel studs prevent damaging the threads of the studs and provide rigid bearing surfaces for attaching the base to the hub. An adjustable foot releasably secured to the bottom of the base rests on the floor and rigidly supports the wheel hub above the floor. An instrument mounting bridge spaced from and extending parallel to the face of the base facilitates supporting a camber indicating gauge adjacent the hub independently of the wheel stud pattern. An adjustable collar is swivel mounted to the end of a rigid force-applying arm, which in turn, is fastened by a pair of adjustment nuts to the top of the base. The collar is fastened around the circumference of a McPherson strut, and either of the adjustment nuts is tightened to move the force-applying arm toward or away from the strut for progressively applying force to either side of the strut for increasing or decreasing the wheel camber, respectively.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A tool for adjusting the wheel camber of a vehicle suspension system having a strut extending along an axis adjacent a wheel hub, the strut being inside a strut housing below a spring guide, the tool comprising:

a rigid base lying in a plane and having a lower portion and an upper portion;
means for fastening the lower portion of the base to the hub so the upper portion of the base is held in a fixed position spaced from the strut;
an elongated force-applying arm attached to a point on the upper portion of the base and extending generally perpendicularly away from the plane of the base to a remote end spaced from the base;
a collar having at least a pair of curved fittings that cooperate to form a ring-like force-distributing member surrounding a central axis of the collar;
swivel means attaching the remote end of the force-applying arm to a side of the collar between the central axis of the collar and the upper portion of the base so the axis of the force-applying arm is in direct line with the central axis of the collar, the swivel means allowing the collar to pivot relative to the arm about an axis generally perpendicular to the axis of the arm;
means for releasably securing the curved fittings of the collar around the circumference of the strut housing;
and
means for adjusting the point of attachment of the force-applying arm to the upper portion of the base, wherein the force-applying arm extends through the upper portion of the base and including first and second adjustment nuts engaged with the arm adjacent opposite faces of the upper portion of the base, each adjustment nut being independently movable along the arm toward or away from a corresponding face of said upper portion of the base for moving the arm and the collar toward or away from the upper portion of the base for applying force to either of two opposite sides of the strut through the collar in a direction in line with the axis of the strut and for retaining said force on the strut for adjusting the wheel camber of the suspension system.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Camber adjustment tool

Life of this patent

Camber adjustment tool

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28