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(suspension question) top strut mount bananas without markings

VolvoLatAm

VolvoLatAm

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Location
Colombia
I am helping restore a friend's car and the strut tower bananas were obviously moved by the previous owner without marking them, I measured different distances from the bananas to the firewall and side...

How can I get them aligned/adjust them while at a alignment shop without dropping anything...

even with loosening the top nuts of the strut tower: the 3 plus the center strut top nut, there is not much movement without lots of pressure...as in how did Volvo align the bananas on the stock sheet metal at the factory in production to make sure the cars had equal cam/caster?
 
volvo should have just engraved the stock position of the bananas, although I have heard of cars coming off the assembly line with poor alignment. My folks bought a tahoe and the alignment was way off from the factory stock, luckily has lots of stock adjustment
 
Just take the weight off with a jack and loosen the three nuts. Use a wooden dowel and a hammer to push them all the way toward the middle of the car on each side. Make sure you don't move them in so they hit the inside of the tower but move them in as far as you can. That will get you near zero camber and the car will handle better.

Volvo set these cars up with positive camber to scare anyone that is pushing the car. It makes them handle poorly so remove the positive camber and you'll be more happy.
 
dl242gt said:
Just take the weight off with a jack and loosen the three nuts. Use a wooden dowel and a hammer to push them all the way toward the middle of the car on each side. Make sure you don't move them in so they hit the inside of the tower but move them in as far as you can. That will get you near zero camber and the car will handle better.

Volvo set these cars up with positive camber to scare anyone that is pushing the car. It makes them handle poorly so remove the positive camber and you'll be more happy.
Click to expand...
once they are all the way towards the middle (horizontal adjustment), what about the slight vertical adjustment within the banana hole, I'm guessing firewall to front hood orientation there are a few degrees...

also you don't think hitting the wooden dowel hitting the bolts will cause damage somehow...should they be welded into the strut mounts from down below before doing this using a tig?
 

240 - Camber alignment tool #5038

The alignment shops never do the camber adjustments, and always says that they can't do it. I need to get my 240 in for an alignment, and want to bring a tool in for them to do the camber. The car is a '82 260 Diesel that was converted over to gas system (used a wrecked '86 240-pretty much a...
turbobricks.com turbobricks.com
 
index.php
.
 
what about the caster using the stock upper strut mount? Isn't there a few degrees of North/south alignment within the holes?
 
VolvoLatAm said:
what about the caster using the stock upper strut mount? Isn't there a few degrees of North/south alignment within the holes?
Click to expand...
No it's not really an adjustment. You could just make sure the strut is pushed to the back of the slot but that's all you get. The main caster is done by the power steering ball joint. Plus the strut is mounted at an angle.
 
dl242gt said:
No it's not really an adjustment. You could just make sure the strut is pushed to the back of the slot but that's all you get. The main caster is done by the power steering ball joint. Plus the strut is mounted at an angle.
Click to expand...
ok, hmm well pushing back all the way is a good idea...thanks
 
You want the camber the same, side to side within a 10th of a degree. Otherwise, the car will pull to one side. So, get rid of as much positive camber as is possible, but, make sure the setting matches side to side even if you have to give up some camber on one side to do so.
 
Get a magnetic digital angle finder from amazon for 20 bucks, Jack up the car and make sure it's sitting level, push both adjustments in all the way. Take the wheels off. Then stick the angle finder to the brake rotor face to see the angle (doesn't matter its not at ride height, we just want both sides the same) and then adjust whatever side back out as needed to make both sides the same angle. Then take to an alignment shop and get them to set the toe.
 
244tiCanuck said:
Get a magnetic digital angle finder from amazon for 20 bucks, Jack up the car and make sure it's sitting level, push both adjustments in all the way. Take the wheels off. Then stick the angle finder to the brake rotor face to see the angle (doesn't matter its not at ride height, we just want both sides the same) and then adjust whatever side back out as needed to make both sides the same angle. Then take to an alignment shop and get them to set the toe.
Click to expand...

I found you can adjust toe at home.

All you'll need:
Jack stands
A rope as long as the vehicle at least
A tape measure.

Tie the rope to both jack stands and extend them high enough that they sit towards the middle of the car. Position them close to the rear and front tire on one side of the car. Adjust the front stand until the distance from the rope to the back of the rear tire and front of the rear tire are the same. Then measure the distance of the rope from the front and back of the front tire. Make your toe adjustment. If I remember right they should stick out an 8th of an inch in the rear, be in an 8th in the front.

I did this not long ago when I replaced my inner and outer tie rods on both sides. Took less than an hour and the car drives straight it's pretty easy and saved me some money.
 
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