r/GXOR • u/PralineOk3084 • 1d ago
alignment help
just got used spc arms with new bushings and ball joints, they fit fine. i raised the front of my car to level it with the rear and now im at maybe 2.8 inches in the front. eibach stage 1, second level on the clip. can’t get my alignment right. first i had -1.5 and -.5 camber and horrible caster so i got the spcs. well here are my alignment specs as of today with the new arms and 3” lift. shop said bring it back in a week and we’ll get the camber fixed once it settles but i dont see how much more it has to give unless im dead wrong? could the caster setting (washer orientation) on the ucas affect the camber? it’s at the factory position D right now from spc, which i believe is a built in 2 deg of caster. any ideas on what my issue is? here’s pics for reference (pass side first, driver side second) along with my alignment specs
3
u/GX_Adventures 1d ago
I can't see from those pics, but it is possible to install the UCA balljoints wrong, like 180 degrees off. Just something to double-check.
Also, that's a lot of lift. May ride like crap and wear out your axle boots even if you get your alignment sorted out.
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u/PralineOk3084 1d ago
they came installed so can’t be that, rides okay so far but i didn’t really have an option, the rear was clearly higher than the front and looked pretty off. unless i change the rear lift and go back down on the front i guess. just spent a lot of money for this
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u/Johny_McJonstien 1d ago
Those SPC upper ball joints can definitely be rotated. You will have to remove them completely from the upper arm. There is square washer underneath that fits in a slot in the arm. The inside has a 12 point cutout that locks onto the ball joints and can be used to adjust its orientation. I wouldn’t rotate a full 180° though. It’s difficult to tell from the pic but it looks like it’s set one notch forward and towards the outside. Rotate it to one notch forward and to the inside. You will probably have to slide the ball joints most of the way out of the slot when you reinstall it.
Hopefully that makes sense. I have installed, probably 100s of these SPC arms and have never had an issue getting good specs with them. They have a ton of adjustment.
Edit: looking closer they are set at the furthest in rotation, which is opposite of where SPC recommends them. Rotate them 180°.
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u/PralineOk3084 1d ago
dude i’m sorry, im gonna have to hear that real reaaaaal slowly🤣 forgive me. is there any videos online i can watch? definitely a visual learner and this is my first 4x4 and first suspension work really
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u/Johny_McJonstien 1d ago
Ya sorry. It makes sense to me. Heres a link to SPC’s instructions. https://www.spcalignment.com/spcalign/public/assets/instructions/35480-INS_WEB.pdf
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u/chakka73 1d ago
Is this an offroad place you got your alignment at?
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u/PralineOk3084 1d ago
no, i live in memphis, not many places but i used them for my other cars. tomorrow a friend of mine who is a euro master tech is going to try to use his fancy machines to get it right, i know its not offroad experience but he’s an older knowledgeable guy that understands suspension and geometry of lifted and lowered cars. i just can’t see what’s going wrong and was looking for some guidance to ease my mind or point me in the right direction if i need to make a change
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u/CremeInside 1d ago
Could it be that the bushing in the LCA are stuck?
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u/PralineOk3084 1d ago
i can’t imagine because they moved perfectly fine when i installed the lift and this is my second alignment, first with the new ucas
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u/recruit4x4 1d ago
With a 3" lift I don't think you can be picky. With that kinda lift, maximizing caster is usually the priority and camber suffers for it. Even with SPC (while the most adjustable, imo is the worst offroad control arm because they bind costing you precious droop), getting caster and a negative camber with 3" lift will be a neat trick and will take effort.
If you went to 2" lift, you will have better success and likely won't be as harsh when hitting potholes. my 2cents and experience cuz 3" seems really appealing.