Nobody gets their old solid-axle Corvette aligned. Hey, we don't even drive them that often. If we align them once a decade, it's a big deal. I decided to get four wheels on my '58 pointed in the proper direction for the first time in 20 years-no sense in ripping up all that BFG radial rubber I just installed. This was a major Corvette decision for me.
Then came the task of finding a guy who remembers how to align these cars. When my '58 left the St. Louis plant the average alignment mechanic was about 30 years old. They retired those guys about 15 years ago. No one has taken their place-at least no one with the knowledge of early-'50s Chevrolets.
This is no problem. I still have my contacts at one of the largest technical training schools in the United States, Lincoln Technical Institute. I know these people. I've worked with the people. The result? No one had a clue about how to set the camber and caster on my car. Six different highly-skilled people looked at my old Corvette and arrived at six different answers.
Some even resorted to the standard automotive repair shop clich, "These were never made for caster and camber adjustment. People just didn't do it in those days." So much for state-of-the-art equipment and the latest technology.
You're really looking at late-'40s...
You're really looking at late-'40s technology here. This Corvette front suspension was taken right off a '53 Chevrolet sedan. These early Corvettes were designed before Chevrolet began using ball joints. The Corvette got ball joints 7 years after the sedans. We just kept going on with the old kingpin suspension.
Then someone remembered Fred. Fred was retiring in a few months, which meant there was a chance he'd remember cars that were built before the '60s. With 10 seconds of reflection he said, "Remove the grease fitting at the rear of the upper control arm and put a hex wrench into the void. There's an eccentric bolt inside there."
This caused a series of incredulous looks on the faces of all those assembled. It also worked. In fact, the actual alignment took less time than it took to find Fred. The truth of the matter was that this alignment was really one of the easiest I've seen done in a long time-once we figured out how to actually perform it.
The C1 Corvette, or the Corvettes that have non-independent straight axles in the rear, use the front suspension from the '53 Chevrolet sedans. Remember, the first Corvette was really constructed from the parts bins of the standard Chevrolet. In 1955, Chevrolet changed everything in the product line except the Corvette. Hey, the C2, or the Sting Ray as we used to call them, was on the way so why make unnecessary changes to the Corvette? GM also wasn't sure that this Corvette thing was going to work out real well and they didn't want to spend money putting ball joints on a car that might not make it.
This early-'50s or really-late-'40s technology, means you have to find an alignment guy that's worked on pre-'55 Chevrolets. Since there's not much chance of that you might have to take this article to the alignment shop with you. The actual alignment is easier than finding a guy who knows how to do it.
The Alignment
The first step to a proper alignment is to make sure that your tires have the proper inflation and the wheel bearings are properly adjusted. If you fail to do this, no alignment technician in the world is going to get your Corvette properly aligned.
Since the average alignment shop works on a production basis, it's best that you check all of this yourself. The correct inflation pressure for these early Corvettes is 24 pounds at all corners. The shop manual also states that 36 pounds is appropriate for high-speed driving. The important thing is that it be even all around the car.
You can check the wheel bearings by jacking up the front of the car and checking for play in the wheel by wobbling it back and forth. Just make sure that you do it by having one hand on the top of the wheel and your other hand on the bottom of the wheel.
 This is the tie rod end and...  This is the tie rod end and is used for setting the toe on these early Corvettes. The tie rod end itself is a ball socket arrangement that should be checked for wear by having a friend turn the steering wheel while you watch for play in the joint. In order to adjust the toe on the car loosen the nut on the sleeve clamp and then turn the tie rod. Make sure you loosen the inner clamp as well when you do this. That one is a little harder to reach since it's actually under the middle of the car. |  Here we can see both the clamping...  Here we can see both the clamping bolt that has to be loosened, or removed, as well as the grease fitting that must be removed. It might not be a bad idea to make sure all these bolts can be loosened before you go to the alignment shop. If anything needs replacement, it's a good idea to know well before your alignment appointment, that way you can order the necessary parts. Chances are the shop won't have parts for a '53 Chevy front suspension. |  Here we can see how the upper...  Here we can see how the upper control arm works. It's a stamped steel pressing which is attached to the frame at the inboard side, while the outboard side attaches to the kingpin. Someday I intend to actually count the number of grease fittings on this car. Right now I just keep looking since there seem to be dozens of them. Hopefully, they've all been used, since we want everything well lubed and moving properly. |