| [GMCnet] GMC alignment kit and instructions now complete [message #141426] |
Sun, 28 August 2011 20:05 |
glwgmc
Messages: 1014
Registered: June 2004
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Hi Gene,
I saw John R's comment before yours so answered your question to him. Sorry.
From everything I have learned in putting this GMC alignment kit together, "everything effects everything else" is the best going in assumption when it comes to GMC motorcoach alignment. The rear steers the front far more than most realize. The rear ride height and balance dramatically effects front ride height. Uneven torsion bar tension in an attempt to cure an unbalanced rear ride height adjustment can result in one side of the front sitting at a different attitude than the other. Upper or lower control arm bushings worn more on one side than the other can throw the alignment askew one side relative to the other. Upper or lower ball joints worn out on one side more than the other can do the same thing. If the coach was manufactured with the control arm mounting points welded a bit further aft or forward more on one side or the other can toss everything to do with alignment into a cocked hat. The one ton conversion kit or wheel spacers on the stock set up appears to
result in more leverage on the torsion bars and may result in a lower ride height than expected. Rear bogie arms have taken a beating in 35 + years and may well be bent or have bad bushings, etc., etc. etc.
It is for all of these reasons that I think we must actually measure both front and rear alignment on all our coaches just the way we now drive them as a base line. If something is amiss, then the owner will have a good start on knowing what to do to correct the situation and make that coach drive one hand on the wheel like it did when new. When a coach comes out of an alignment shop and is driven for long enough to fully settle the suspension system then the alignment needs to be checked again and compared with the baseline readings and with what the alignment shop said they thought they accomplished.
A GMC alignment kit in the hands of each club will go a long way towards addressing these critical issues and could be an important part of future rallies. I am looking forward to having you guys at SOOR beta test this kit and the instructions. With that feedback I will publish a release version and plan/hope that members from the various clubs will build a kit and donate it to their club. If they want to buy one already done, I will build them here for $400 plus shipping, but I prefer the member build and donate approach because I think donation of time, talent and knowledge is such an important part of GMC club membership. See you at SOOR.
Jerry
Jerry Work
The Dovetail Joint
Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR
Visitors always welcome!
glwork@mac.com
http://jerrywork.com
541-592-5360
Founder of the Southern Oregon Guild
www.southernoregonguild.org
Member of the Siskiyou Guild
www.siskiyouguild.org
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:00:47 -0700
From: gene Fisher <mr.erfisher@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] GMC alignment kit and instructions now complete
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Message-ID:
<CADg-sf_-q+rh6K7730uN=uLpZNHoHaXHYA7d-2z_UVZ9EeDkVQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
?I look forward to your feedback.
>
wow nice job, it is super to have someone working this problem for us
http://thedovetailjoint.squarespace.com/storage/GMC%20alignment.pdf
brings up my age old questions (now someone can test these)
1 since we can only get 3 deg. of Caster even if we use off-set,
inserts , why do we even bother to measure caster? Just adjust for
the max. (on standard systems or the 1 Ton VII)
2 since it does not seem to matter if caster is different on right or
left, and since the rotation plates are only to measure caster, we
should not need the plates if we just adjust for max.
just asking
gene
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Jerry & Sharon Work
78 Royale
Kerby, OR
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