I helped install an Ingalls camber kit in a friend's car and thought I'd document the process. This is a fairly simple installation but I thought it might be helpful for some people. The car is a 1993 CX. The kit is the +1.25 - 3.00 degree kit.


Here is his suspension with the stock anchor bolts. Those are Matrix coilover sleeves. I suspect that the shocks were old worn Tokico HP (blues) but they didn't have the Tokico stickers/emblems on them. Like many on this site, this car has been set up with a very LOW ride height.


Installation is pretty basic. You'll be repeating a lot of the same steps you do when you change your springs and shocks. (sizes refer to head size, not diameters)
-undo the 14mm pinch bolt on the shock fork.
-undo the 17mm bolt that connects the fork to the lower control arm (LCA).
-remove the fork.
-undo the 14mm nuts that hold the shock/spring assembly to the shock towers.
-remove the shock/spring assembly.
-undo the 17mm nuts that hold the anchor bolts in place on the shock towers.
-swivel the upper control arm (UCA) around so that you can remove the anchor bolts.
-remove the 14mm bolts/nuts that hold the anchor bolts in place.
pull out the anchor bolts and the bridge that connects them.

These next few sections are the part I think many people forget to do! This is why some people complain about the polyurethane kits squeaking. It is also why simply spraying the outside will not work very well.

Push out the metal cylinder. They're not that hard to remove but to make life easier, i used a socket connected to an extension and hammered it out. (I forgot what size I used but that looks like a 10mm. Just use whatever looks like it will fit best.)


Lubricate! I used Energy Suspension lube and applied it with a cotton swab. The ES lube is actually kind of pricey and somewhat difficult to find. I bought my lube something like 2.5 years ago hoping to get it before I installed my own camber kit. Unfortunately, it didn't arrive in time. I instead used my friend's mountainbike suspension grease. (In my case I used Judy Butter - named after the Rock Shox Judy suspension fork.) You can get this stuff at a bike shop or you can use whatever water insoluble grease you want.


Slide the sleeve back in. Note that in this picture you can actually see the grooves in the bushing that are meant to hold the grease in. Some grease will push out the other end. If you feel especially unwasteful, you can wipe it up with the cotton swab and add it to the lube you'll be using on the next one.


Here you see the kit installed on the UCA. Note that in order for the metal bridge to fit, you must remove the small metal cylinders that the kit comes supplied with. Installation is reverse of removal. Torque specs can be found in the Helms manual or the instructions that come with the kit.


Here is the kit installed. The upper anchor bolt nuts are now 18mm instead of the stock 17mm. The adjustment nuts on the bottom are 15mm. A hammer makes adjustment easier. Just loosen the adjustment bolts, tap to push in or use the nail puller to pull the arm out, and tighten to spec.

And that's it. Make sure to get an alignment ASAP. After the installation, this car's tow-out was insane. The wheels are practically trying the steer the car in opposite directions and this car would actually pull itself in all sorts of directions. Not safe at all.

Be safe, and remember this is a guide only. Make sure you know what you're doing before you start. Good luck!

 

put this in DIY also

 

Nice job on the documentation! I copied it to DIY .

 

Thanks. If there's anything anyone else wants to add, they're welcome to.

 

i usually find the lube they give you with their urethane isn't enogh i have a big jar of synthetic grease sittin' at home. i usually apply generous amounts of lube to metal pieces. i wipe off any excess crap. no sqeaks yet.

it look like you removed your springs and shocks to do the install. you don't need to remove those to do the install...


just addin' stuff to get this thread back to the top

 

True true. Did you remove the metal bridge thingamajig first or did you just swap them out while it was still turned around?

 

very good DIY...

im going to take my camber kit off and relube them. at the same time adjust my trie height and put in new rims and tires. and of course, end it with an alignment.

where did you take the car? or where did your friend take it? the place over in oakland wants $120 to do it. also, will they also adjust the rear for me by taking out some shims?

thanks

 

Hey WiLL, thanks. I took my own car to the Firestone in Newark. They're ok but it's pretty much the only place I've brought my cars to get alignments. I purchased one of their lifetime alignment deals last year when I first lowered Fodoho so I'm pretty much "stuck" with them. I don't think they adjust camber or caster though, only toe, so I don't know if they'll add and remove shims in the rear. It's pretty easy to do that so I would assume they would if you asked them to.

My friend was supposed to try to get an alignment during his lunch break the next day at a Firestone in Mountain View but I haven't talked to him yet to find out how that went. This installation just happened this last Sun so I haven't followed up. h:

Oh, and $120 is a LOT. For that much, I hope they do custom alignments and put your weight in the driver's seat while they make adjustments and stuff.

 

how much did you pay? im going to give them a call.

 

I paid $150 for the lifetime alignment deal. Not the best price judging from what I've heard others paying elsewhere but it works for me since I'm planning on going quite often. :thumbup: Where have you gotten alignments in the past?