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MG TD TF 1500 - wheel adjustment

Guys;
My radial tires were new about 3000 miles ago. I had the front wheels off this weekend and I saw that both front tires showed excess wear on the inner tread. This is camber adjustment, correct?
How do we adjust camber in the TD/TF?
The WSM is a bit vague at best. Has anyone done this?
I recall Dave Braun showing some photos of shims under his front shocks. Where do you get those shims.
I have wire wheels, by the way.

Thanks.

Tom
'54 TF
Tom Norby

Tom,

It's more likely toe out. Check your measurements very carefully. Roll the car between adjustments. I adjusted my camber because one tire was noticibly light on one side, but I'm not sure it would have caused a lot of wear. I had a Triumph Spitfire with a weak rear spring for years and the rear tires never seemed to care.

The shims used to be available from a Jacks Tool Shed, but you can cut some out of normal stock to suit any changes you have to make. A caster / camber gauge will lead you in the right direction. But try the toe in first.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Tom,

Dave B's advice is sound, but also check out wear in upper and lower swivel pin bushes, which can cause significant camber changes. Suggest get toe-in correct first, then swivel pins - shims under shocks should rarely be necessary.

Cheers,

John
J C Mitchell

Tom

I've set mine as perfectly parallel.
At least that's the way I read the WSM. I have 0 wander on the highway or in breaking.
Could it be possible that the springs don't quite sustain the load and compress a bit, there by having the tires lean inward. More road contact toward the inside tread?

Peter 54TF
Peter Dahlquist

Please see my comments in the MGB Technical Forum
under the thread "Front tyre inner edges wearing fast"

Frank Grimaldi
Frank Grimaldi

Tire alignment gauge on eBay.

400228883398

Very simple. I just started to use it today. More to post latter.
Mort TD 1851

Frank
I could not find your thread in the archives. MGB General or Technical?
Can you email me some information?

And Mort, thanks for the link. That tool used to be in the Moss T series catalogue, but is not currently. Might buy one.

Tom
'54 TF
Tom Norby

Technical, current, 3 down now.

FRM
FR Millmore

Related question. A local car guy told me to check toe-in/out using this method:

1. Jack front end up.
2. Hold piece of chalk on center of tire & spin leaving a ring of chalk on centerline of tires.
3. Cut 2 sticks equal length (about 12").
4. Place sticks vertically on floor (using a helper)in FRONT of the 2 front tires one end on floor and other at chalk line & measure distance between center of 2 sticks.
5. Move sticks to REAR of same tires & re-measure there. Distance s/b the same or very close.

I've read of other similar methods but never seen this method before. What do you guys think?
efh Haskell

Hello Tom
I had a similar problem with my TD after a 2000 mile trip. Both front tires were worn on the inside, the right one more than the left. I made an alignment gauge out of a piece of
1” X 6” X 52” lumber from Home depot, I attached two upright pieces 11” long to each end and put blue painters tape across the top end grain. I put blue painters tape on both tires in the rear where the two upright pieces hit the tire, then marked the center of the tire tread, put a mark on the end grain blue tape marking it #1 rear, pulled the gauge and placed it in front, rolled the car forward until the tape lined up with the gauge on the floor, marked the end grain blue tape with front #1. The front and rear marks did not line up so I adjusted the tie rod ends and rechecked, this took about three adjustments to get correct. I then drove the car about ten miles and rechecked the alignment was again out. Turns out the right shock had down pressure but no up pressure. Also while adjusting the right tie rod end I noticed about 1/4 inch or more of play up and down on the steering rack arm. This turned out to be the damper spring in the rack and pinion steering. I sent both front shocks off to Peter at Worldwide Auto parts and ordered a new damper spring from the usual suppliers. The work shop manual says that the damper spring should hold up 80 lbs, none of the three I ordered from different suppliers would do this, turns out they all get them from the same supplier. I even waited for one from the UK, it came in one of our suppliers US’s packages but with UK post marks. I ended up stretching the old spring and testing it with dumb bell weights, it held. After the shocks came back, re installed them, put new tires all the way round, in stalled the old re-stretched damper spring and checked the alignment. Everything is now good I have put about 900 miles and the new tires appear to have even wear all around. Also I had 1995 Michelin XZX tires which I replaced them with Vredestien’s I could not believe how easily the car pushed forward and backward with the new tires during the alignment check. Hope this helps John
John Hambleton

Tom,
The MGB link that I suggested that you read is running currently running on the MGB Technical forum. It is titled "Front tyre inner edges wearing fast"

I suggest that you and anyone interested id doing a front end toe alggnment read this.

Frank Grimaldi

Frank Grimaldi

Gentlemen;
Thanks to all of you for the excellent information. I am quite certain my problem is mal-adjusted toe-in. After all, I have replace both tie rod ends in the past 2 years, and obviously did not get the setting exactly as it was. Fortunately, my tires are not so badly worn on the inner tread, that they are ruined. I will use the above tips and get her adjusted.

Tom
'54 TF
Tom Norby

Frank, I just read your excellent write up in the current MGB Technical Section. Thanks!

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Mort,

Unless the tire alignment gauge on eBay
(item 400228883398) takes the wheel's lateral runout into account, it is totally worthless.

PS - One way to tell if a tire is showing toe wear is to run the palm of your hand across the tread. If you sense smoothness while moving your hand in and rough when pulling your hand back, you tire has been run in a toe-in condition. Vice versa for toe-out.

Frank Grimaldi

Frank Grimaldi

Ok,,, Every method seems like it will work for measuring the toe in/toe out,,, but when it comes to the actuall adjusting, should it be adjusted 1/2 on each side?? All on one side??? Will it only make a difference in the steering wheel position???? Shouldn't a measurement be taken that will confirm proper tracking front and rear???

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

I sent a question the the seller of the alignment gauge mentioned in Mort's post above.

This was my question...
Does your toe gauge take into account wheel lateral runnout? If so, please explain how.

This was his answer...
All this gauge does is provide you with the abilty to have two rules too read when your using a string method for alignment.
String is parallel to your centerline and you hold the gauge to the wheel, read the right and left and subtract for your toe angle.
Runout means that you take a measurement and rotate the tire 180 degree and take another measurement.
The two should be the same. If not you have runout.

Rob

I responded and said that all tires and wheels have lateral runout and he should not be selling this because it will provide an inaccurate result.

Frank Grimaldi
Frank Grimaldi

This thread was discussed between 13/07/2011 and 23/07/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.