What the Hell Happened To My Front Tires?

[Dako]

When the front end is raised...be it by torsion bar adjustment or a jack and let the wheels hang, the wheels typically lean out on the bottom, not in. Something else is wrong causing the tires to lean out at the top...or in at the bottom. Geometry of the suspension design dictates this.

 

[Ron H]

When the front end is raised...be it by torsion bar adjustment or a jack and let the wheels hang, the wheels typically lean out on the bottom, not in. Something else is wrong causing the tires to lean out at the top...or in at the bottom. Geometry of the suspension design dictates this.

Yep, this is something to look into as that condition can make for real squirrely/unsafe driving especially on wet roads. I had firm-feel steering installed, front end parts replaced...bushings, joints, radials, etc. to finally accomplish a tight-straight ride! Not cheap; but wow the car drives better than new: No wandering or sluggish steering...so much more fun driving it now. I held off doing this for years thinking what I hoped to achieve wasn't possible for a 55 year old Plymouth. Glad to say I was wrong.

 

[Dibbons]

I lowered her back down, supposedly using the 1 5/8" specs called for in the FSM between the two recommended measuring points (but I did not go out for a drive).

Then I did a rough check of camber and toe-in using the carpenters square, plumb bob, and tape measure. For what it's worth, this are my DIY figures:

Driver's side camber: -1.97 degrees
Pass side camber: -2.15 degrees
toe in 5/8 inch
Seems like almost impossible figures to believe, soon we'll see what the alignment shop initial figures will be.

To the naked eye, the vehicle now appears perfectly level front to rear (90 lbs. in air shocks-temporary solution to sagging springs).

 

[Kern Dog]

Just read on another FBBO thread that when adjusting torsion bars, bouncing on the bumper is ineffective compared to rolling the vehicle.

In the late 90s and early 2000s. I worked with several junker A-Body cars when making a couple of low budget VHS home movies with car stunts. I learned a lot about these cars and what they do in severe conditions.
The responses in this thread before me are correct. A 1/4" to 3/4" ride height change may show no ill effects in the alignment but beyond that, things start to get out of whack quickly.
Once the tires start to toe-in, a "jacking" effect takes place. The suspension and steering go into a tension-bind condition. The toe-in causes the front to lift higher as a result. The reverse happens when the steering is toe-out. In the latter situation, the car will sit lower and squat when the tires are toe out.