If its a '67-up the strut rods are adjustable. There really should be no need to use anything other that factory strut rods. The '65-'66 cars benefit from something adjustable as they were not adjustable from the factory and the only way to change caster was to shim the upper control arm off the shock tower unevenly to shift the location of the upper balljoint and therefore change the angle of spindle inclination. This provided adjustment over only a very narrow range. The stock setup on a '67-up is better, but still can't really get enough positive caster for a performance alignment, or use with something like Borgeson power steering (it won't want to return to center). Therefore, all front end modifications need to start with the Shelby/Arning drop. This relocates the UCA 1" lower and 1/8" rearward. The 1" drop dramatically improves the camber curve and negates the need to run a ton of negative camber to get the car to handle. The 1/8" move rearward adds about 1.5 degrees of positive caster, allowing you to get 3.5 degrees positive or even slightly more using stock strut rods. Its a fairly easy mod to make, all you need is a drilling template, which I or one of the other guys on the site will gladly loan you for the cost of round trip shipping.
As far as what's causing the pull, it could be a lot of things. Certainly uneven caster adjustment by more than 1/4-1/2 degree side to side can cause a pull. BUT, camber being off and toe being out, or the steering not being centered can all cause that too.
My advice would be to buy a Fastrax or Longacre gauge to set caster and camber and either buy or make a set of turn plates. For about $300 plus a tape measure you can align the car yourself. Fewer and fewer places know how to align these old cars. You never know what spec they are going to use (you can't use the original specs which were for bias ply tires; the car will handle like a deathtrap). You give them specs, but never know if they really align it to your specs, or just do what's easiest since time is always a factor when shops are trying to move cars in and out to maximize profit. Its just better to do it yourself, spend as much time as you need to make it right, and know where the alignment is really set.
After the UCA drop do as follows:
Set caster first, go for 3.5 degrees positive on the LH side and 3.75 degrees positive on the RH side (stagger accounts for road crown and makes the car track straight). Then set camber at 0-0.5 degree negative. Then center your steering (ties rods the same length) and adjust toe evenly side to side until you get 1/8" toe in (1/8" less measurement on the front of the tires than the rear from treat block to tread block).
As for the leak, if the choice is cowl or windshield the likelihood is heavily weighted towards cowl I think. Try blocking the cowl openings watertight and seeing if the leak is still there or goes away.
Last edited by TKOPerformance (6/02/2018 5:59 PM)
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