Swapping L/R camber plates?

[bschwiet]

Hello all -

I have a new to me 2019 GT350R, with what appears to be the Ford Performance camber plates. On closer inspection, it seems the driver/passenger plates are swapped. Previous owner clearly tracked the car, because there are fire extinguishers and a place to bolt up a 4 point belt.

Does anybody know why this would be (outside of a mistake). And should I be concerned?

I have a clunk in my front passenger suspension that I've been hunting down as well, have already replaced sway bar end links.

I have two track days under my belt, but since I'm a novice it's hard for me to tell if something is wrong. That said, it feels good on the track...?

appreciate any ideas

 

[dragoon]

Hello all -

I have a new to me 2019 GT350R, with what appears to be the Ford Performance camber plates. On closer inspection, it seems the driver/passenger plates are swapped. Previous owner clearly tracked the car, because there are fire extinguishers and a place to bolt up a 4 point belt.

Does anybody know why this would be (outside of a mistake). And should I be concerned?

I have a clunk in my front passenger suspension that I've been hunting down as well, have already replaced sway bar end links.

I have two track days under my belt, but since I'm a novice it's hard for me to tell if something is wrong. That said, it feels good on the track...?

appreciate any ideas

From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be able to do. The locating pin makes them truly driver/passenger side dedicated. Can you get an eye on them to see the factory sticker ?

 

[bschwiet]

From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be able to do. The locating pin makes them truly driver/passenger side dedicated. Can you get an eye on them to see the factory sticker ?

Here is what the driver side looks like. If the picture comes across with enough resolution you will see the words passenger side on the sticker

 

[dragoon]

Here is what the driver side looks like. If the picture comes across with enough resolution you will see the words passenger side on the sticker

View attachment 96625

Can you zoom out and capture the whole top of strut assembly ? Is there still a locating pin protruding through the sheetmetal housing ?

 

[bschwiet]

Can you zoom out and capture the whole top of strut assembly ? Is there still a locating pin protruding through the sheetmetal housing ?

It doesn't seem to look like it's there???

 

[dragoon]

It doesn't seem to look like it's there???View attachment 96630

Umm, yeah, that don’t look right for a Ford camber plate. Whomever “swapped” them side to side must have removed the locate pin by any means necessary. However, the strut is In the correct location for negative camber EXCEPT the stem top seems to be going in the wrong direction for caster which is not possible to adjust with these camber plates. My stem top is at “11 o’clock“ and yours is at “1 o’clock“ ?? There does seem to be some snarfing on the opening sheet metal hole and some paint “swirls” as though a wrench slipped ? @bschwiet, have you had an alignment done recently ? What are your values for camber & toe for front ( camber also front) / rear ? I just had my factory set screws removed, track alignment for camber and toe, front & rear, and on mine, there doesn’t even look like the tech was there, minus the plastic caps that cover the stems. Here’s photos of mine for comparison.

 

[dragoon]

@bschwiet
welcome to the TMO forums !! Pretty sweet ride as the GT350R’s are some of the most lethal track weapons out there !! You could make up a “build” thread to further the history of your involvement on track, off track or the R as you choose and have more exposure to the other members.

 

[JAJ]

There are two things going on in this situation.

First, the adjuster on a Mach 1 is different than the adjuster on a GT350. You can see different part numbers - the GT350 part is KR3Z and the Mach 1 part is LR3Z. They're not the same - the GT350 part doesn't have alignment pins like the Mach 1 part has.

Second, the slots for the adjustment are angled slightly. When installed "correctly" they reduce caster slightly as camber is made more negative. However, if you have the GT350 parts, you can install them on opposite sides and get an increase in caster as you go more negative. Imagine that - on one car, it's the driver's option to have more or less caster, while on the other car it's not. You can see the forward position of the strut top in @dragoon's photo of his car. More caster would move the strut top to the rear.

I have a set of these GT350 plates in my garage waiting for a day when I feel like swapping out my Steeda camber plates:



Locating pins are conspicuous by their absence. As far as the OP's question is concerned, it's his option whether to change the alignment or not. Now that I've seen this, I might actually install mine on the "wrong" sides when they go in.

 

[dragoon]

There are two things going on in this situation.

First, the adjuster on a Mach 1 is different than the adjuster on a GT350. You can see different part numbers - the GT350 part is KR3Z and the Mach 1 part is LR3Z. They're not the same - the GT350 part doesn't have alignment pins like the Mach 1 part has.

Second, the slots for the adjustment are angled slightly. When installed "correctly" they reduce caster slightly as camber is made more negative. However, if you have the GT350 parts, you can install them on opposite sides and get an increase in caster as you go more negative. Imagine that - on one car, it's the driver's option to have more or less caster, while on the other car it's not. You can see the forward position of the strut top in @dragoon's photo of his car. More caster would move the strut top to the rear.

I have a set of these GT350 plates in my garage waiting for a day when I feel like swapping out my Steeda camber plates:

View attachment 96641

Locating pins are conspicuous by their absence. As far as the OP's question is concerned, it's his option whether to change the alignment or not. Now that I've seen this, I might actually install mine on the "wrong" sides when they go in.

ok, I stand corrected. In 2019 on the GT350/500, the KR3Z 3D008 A camber plate assembly (no pins) either came in a box in the trunk or the dealer had to request it via vin number thru his/her parts department. In 2020 Ford started to install the LR3Z camber plates at the factory. Ford changed the design of the plates with a pin to locate it during line assembly. The prior plates, as mentioned by @JAJ were used in 2019. @bschwiet has a 2019 R and I mis-spoke about the pin missing in his photo. 2020 GT350/500 got the LR3Z plates because they were installed at the factory. I have some track friends that I reached out to for info on the 350/500 plates. 1 has a 2019 GT350 and his dealer shipped him the camber plates with a parts list. 1 has a 2020 GT500 and his plates are exactly the same as mine, with the pin. As of today, you can order either plate assembly to suit your needs.














Red car is the GT500 CFTP that was having set screws removed.

 

[JDee]

So the question is how much negative camber can you get with these Ford pieces?

 

[dragoon]

So the question is how much negative camber can you get with these Ford pieces?

The ones with the pin is what in my car & I got -2.5* & the stem is pretty close to sheet metal edge. The tech said this is about max and needing any more, aftermarket plates. The ones without pins, probably the same but others would need to verify.

 

[JDee]

So I am getting around -2.5 with cheap BMR plates. I have a set of never used camber bolts, might put them in and see if I can get a little bit more. Getting too much wear on the outside of the left front for my liking. Mosport has 5 rights and only 3 left turns, so the left front gets a lot more wear. Other than the edge wear on that tire I have no other issues with excess tire wear.
With Vorshlags on my '16 and cutting the strut towers open I could get -4 as I recall, but they're pretty pricey now. By the time I get them shipped and convert the lightweight looney to heavyweight USD and pay all our taxes I'm looking at over a G note. Plus I'm really not interested in cutting the strut towers on this car. If I can get -3 I'll be happy.

 

[JAJ]

So I am getting around -2.5 with cheap BMR plates. I have a set of never used camber bolts, might put them in and see if I can get a little bit more. Getting too much wear on the outside of the left front for my liking. Mosport has 5 rights and only 3 left turns, so the left front gets a lot more wear. Other than the edge wear on that tire I have no other issues with excess tire wear.
With Vorshlags on my '16 and cutting the strut towers open I could get -4 as I recall, but they're pretty pricey now. By the time I get them shipped and convert the lightweight looney to heavyweight USD and pay all our taxes I'm looking at over a G note. Plus I'm really not interested in cutting the strut towers on this car. If I can get -3 I'll be happy.

The strut top will hit the side of the hole long before you get to -3. Back when I originally kitted out my car with Vorshlag plates I think I got about -2.7 when I left the recommended space between the strut nut and the edge of the hole.

 

[dragoon]

The strut top will hit the side of the hole long before you get to -3. Back when I originally kitted out my car with Vorshlag plates I think I got about -2.7 when I left the recommended space between the strut nut and the edge of the hole.

Hear the same about the -2.7* and the edge of the hole. Only way to get more close to -3* is to cut the hole. A lot of cars I see with aftermarket camber plates all have the hole cut larger.

 

[JDee]

The strut top will hit the side of the hole long before you get to -3. Back when I originally kitted out my car with Vorshlag plates I think I got about -2.7 when I left the recommended space between the strut nut and the edge of the hole.

Is that also true if I use the camber bolt to get a little more neg camber?

 

[JAJ]

Is that also true if I use the camber bolt to get a little more neg camber?

No, the effect of a camber bolt adds to the effect of the camber plate - the two adjustments are independent. A camber bolt replaces one of the two lower strut bolts and it pivots the knuckle/hub assembly around the other lower strut bolt, the one that hasn't been replaced. You're adding more negative at the bottom of the strut by pivoting the top of the tire inward without moving the strut. It's important to take care that as you pivot the top of the tire inwards to gain more negative camber that it doesn't get too close to the strut. If you're aiming for -3 degrees total, then dial in -2.5 or a bit more at the top of the strut, and get the remaining 0.5 degree from the camber bolt. That small an adjustment shouldn't be a problem. If you've got aspirations for -4 degrees, well that could be more challenging.

 

[JDee]

No, the effect of a camber bolt adds to the effect of the camber plate - the two adjustments are independent. A camber bolt replaces one of the two lower strut bolts and it pivots the knuckle/hub assembly around the other lower strut bolt, the one that hasn't been replaced. You're adding more negative at the bottom of the strut by pivoting the top of the tire inward without moving the strut. It's important to take care that as you pivot the top of the tire inwards to gain more negative camber that it doesn't get too close to the strut. If you're aiming for -3 degrees total, then dial in -2.5 or a bit more at the top of the strut, and get the remaining 0.5 degree from the camber bolt. That small an adjustment shouldn't be a problem. If you've got aspirations for -4 degrees, well that could be more challenging.

Great info! Thanks.