Posted by Torvald [172.71.147.17] on Sunday, November 05, 2023 at 18:08:56 :
In Reply to: Re: Front Axle castor update posted by Matt Wilson [172.71.166.238] on Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 12:24:41 :
Hi Matt, sorry for the tardy reply.
On my front axle I used ‘shims’ so that I could increase the positive caster, so the thick part of the ‘shim’ went to the rear of the spring pad. Tom has a good quick explanation of caster, below.
I didn’t experience any interference between the spring bolts (clips in the parts manual) and their mating parts (plates); the holes in the spring plates are rather large so there wasn’t any need to enlarge them for fit. Also, except for the right front spring plate, the plates can be rolled around the axle to align with the springs. Even for the front right plate, the angle change is so low as to be essentially negligible, so there was no need of something like an angled washer.
The shims that I used have a hole that fits the shaft of the spring center bolt and a slight counter bore on the bottom side of the shim so the center bolt head has a good seat. The spring center bolt goes through the shim, bolting the shim securely onto the spring pack, while the round head of the center bolt sticks out below the shim and still engages the hole in the axle housing spring seat. This way springs, shim, and axle are kept in alignment. The shims are only as wide as the springs, so the spring clips (bolts) fit to either side of the shim.
My spring clips were long enough that, with the shims in place, there was still enough thread left to fully thread on the nuts and lock washers.
By the way, the shims that I purchased are machined, galvanized steel. I like that they are steel for its durability, machined for its precision, and galvanized for corrosion protection. I purchased them from WFO Concepts https://www.wfoconcepts.com/i-30504768-2-degree-steel-axle-shim-1-75-wide.html , who also carry spring center bolts.
One final thing to remember is that there will be slop between the spring center bolt and the hole in the spring seat (even more so with 75 years of corrosion. The axle will probably NOT be aligned with the frame after one is done putting on shims, so it is best to check that it is. I measured from rear spring hanger zerks to the front axle housing on each side.
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