Had a lightly used set of JIC Cross coilovers, with adjustable camber plates, installed by my trusted local independent mini shop. My shop routinely uses a nearby alignment shop for alignments. I specified negative 2 degrees of camber on the front. Butthe alignment shop called back to say they could only get 0.5 degrees negative camber without grinding out the strut towers!
These camber plates are supposed to be adjustable to 3 or 3.5 negative camber from what I've read. The alignment shop also said they could only be adjusted with the struts off the car.
Doesn't make any sense to me so I said just leave it at neg 0.5 and I'll sort it out. Anybody have experience with these? I can probably post a pic later if that might help.

 

This is the passenger side strut/camber plate. Left is outside and right is toward the engine.

 

Yeap, gotta cut out the top of the strut tower or remove them. I don't see how they got all four nuts tightened without removing them.

 

Thanks for the input, Alan.

I've been mulling this over for a couple days and now I'm thinking about jacking the front end up and loosening the 3 nuts that hold the strut so that it drops a little. Then maybe I can get to the 4 nuts on the camber plate with a wobble head hex key or something. What do you think?

I see you have camber plates. Fixed or adjustable?

 

[QUOTE=Keet;4128570]Thanks for the input, Alan.

I've been mulling this over for a couple days and now I'm thinking about jacking the front end up and loosening the 3 nuts that hold the strut so that it drops a little. Then maybe I can get to the 4 nuts on the camber plate with a wobble head hex key or something. What do you think?


Do this. Jack up front end. Loosen 3 strut tower bolts and allow coilover setup to drop enough to reach 4 adjustment bolts on top of camber plate. there may be other, more outboard side, holes in the adjustment plate where you can move the 4 bolts to. when loose, push shock inboard more then re-tighten 4 bolts. you can likely reach the adjustment bolts without strut tower cutting by use of a ball end hex wrench.

you will need re-alignment.

this worked on my Vorshlag camber plates. I'm maxed out at -2.5 degrees at current ride height. check a thread in my posts on this subject.

good luck.

 

I grind the top strut mount with dremel.
Loosen the 3 nuts but I did not completely remove them, jacked the car just enough to drop the suspension, cut round cardboard and cover the camber plates. Bolted back in and looks ok, I can easily get access to the hex nuts and can take my car for alignment without getting charge for 3-4 hours of labor because they have to drop the entire suspension to make adjustment. Good luck

 

adjustable





Driver side strut tower top view<br/>

 

Raised the front, loosened the strut tower nuts to lower the strut about 3/8 inch, and was able to loosen the camber plate nuts with a ball end hex. Worked fine and I'm guessing that I was able to get about 2 degrees of negative camber.
Thanks for the advice!

When I go for another alignment I guess I'll need to show them how to do this in case my camber adjustment was not spot on side to side?

 

Unless you go to a race shop I think you will be SOL. And the race shop will probably just get out the dremel.

 

It irks me that Vorshlag states that you can easily adjust camber with their plates. I can reach three of the four "slider " nuts easily but the fourth one on both sides is a complete no do without grinding away part of the strut tower opening

 

I've had several brands of camber plates on my Subaru including the Vorshlag's that are on there now but have never had anything but K-mac's on my Mini. But, in general, there are several things that can be done to make the camber adjustment easier without modifying the strut towers.

In no particular order.

1. Move the screws that go through the plate to different holes, in the bottom plate, that more closely represent the camber range you expect to use. I always do this.

2. Some plates come with an empty screw hole between the lock down screws. There is no need for that you can put the screws next to each other. Sometimes this requires a slight mod to a washer, so they don't over lap.

3. there is no rule that says you must use all 4 screws!!! If I want and can get more range by removing one screw, I do it.

4. As mentioned by someone else, the Ball Hex is a good idea if space is still limited.