Merkur XR4Ti Front Camber Adjuster Installation

 

Thanks for your interest in the XR4Ti camber adjuster. I have been working on this project for some time and have developed a product that will allow for easy and secure camber adjustment. This product has been proven at over 130 MPH on the Watkins Glen road course.

 

Contents of the camber adjuster kit are:

CNC machined stainless steel eccentrics (2 front, 2 rear)          

Grade 10.9 lower control arm bolt                                           

Front and rear eccentric side plates                                                      

Side plate hardware                                                     

LCA bushing washers                                                              

            

Installation instructions                                                                    

 

Modification of the cross member is required. These modifications can be preformed with the cross member still on the car or the cross member can be removed . Removing the cross member is not hard at all and can easily be done by an average home mechanic. If unsure of your abilities any competent front end shop can install this kit. The eccentric side plates can either be bolted on using the provided hardware or welded on. Either way works just fine.

 

Jack up the car to a good working height. Make this as comfortable as you can! Begin by removing the wheels and then disconnecting the lower control arm (LCA) from the spindle. To do this remove the cotter pin and then the nut from the LCA ball joint. Install the nut upside down and smack it with a hammer. The ball joint should easily pop loose. Use the same technique to remove the tie rods from the spindles as well.

 

Disconnect the sway bar from the LCA by removing the sway bar nut. If the cross member is going to be left on the car go ahead and remove the sway bar by removing the 4 bolts that hold the sway bar bushings to the subframe and remove the sway bar. Next remove the LCA pivot bolts and then remove the LCA.

 

Clean the cross member where the eccentric will be mounted.

 

If you decide to remove the cross member (recommended) start by removing the nuts on the bottom of the motor mounts. Disconnect the power steering pressure and return hoses. I usually stick the end of the pressure hose in the end of the return hose to keep fluid from leaking out. Next disconnect the pinch bolt holding the steering shaft coupler to the steering rack. Once all this is done place a jack under the oil pan and then remove the 4 bolts holding the cross member to the body and drop the cross member. All this sounds harder than it really is. With the cross member removed you can clean everything up and do a nice job.

 

 

Rear Side Plate Installation

On the rear side of the cross member draw a line through the center of the LCA mounting hole going inward. Measuring from the edge of the hole make a punch mark ¼” inboard torward the rolled up edge. With the hole location center punched drill the hole to 13/32 (.406”) diameter. See the pictures below for more detail.

 

      

    LCA CENTER LINE WITH PUNCH MARK      .406 HOLE DRILLED INBOARD OF LCA HOLE

 

Once the 13/32 hole is drilled remove the material between the holes with a rat tail file or die grinder. Take your time and do it neatly. The results should be as pictured below.

 

 

      

    REAR LCA BOLT SLOT                   REAR ECCENTRIC (LEFT), FRONT ECCENTRIC

 

With the slot made and deburred place the eccentric with the radiused edge over the hole and up against the rolled up edge of the subframe doubler. The rotation position of the eccentric does not matter as it is being used as a spacer for the side plate. Place one of the angle cut side plates next to the eccentric and position so the eccentric will rotate smoothly but with no binding. Note that the bottom edge of the angle plate is flush with the bottom edge of the doubler on the cross member. Clamp the side plate to the cross member and match drill the holes from the side plate to the cross member. I recommend drilling and de-burring one hole, installing the ¼” button head screws and nuts, and checking the fit of the side plate to the eccentric. Once satisfied drill the remaining hole.

 

        

SIDE PLATE PLACEMENT                                SIDE PLATE MOUNTING HOLES

 

Deburr all holes and install the side plate using the button head screws. The lock nuts are placed pointing rearward.

 

         REAR SIDE PLATE INSTALLED  

 

Front Side Plate Installation

 

On the front side of the cross member draw a line through the center of the LCA mounting hole going inward. Measuring from the edge of the hole make a punch mark ¼” inboard. With the hole location center punched drill the hole to 13/32 (.406”) diameter. See the pictures below for more detail.

 

       

         FRONT INBOARD HOLE LOCATION                   FRONT INBOARD HOLE DRILLED

 

Once the 13/32 hole is drilled remove the material between the holes with a rat tail file or die grinder. Take your time and do it neatly. The results should be as pictured below.

 

    

                FRONT LCA BOLT SLOT                        FRONT SIDE PLATE PLACEMENT

 

With the slot made and deburred place the front eccentric (with the square edge) over the hole with the round body of the eccentric pointing outward.  Place one of the angle cut side plates next to the outboard side of the eccentric. Position one of the rectangular side plates next to the inboard side of the eccentric. Note that the bottom edge of the side plates are flush with the bottom edge of the doubler on the cross member Position both so the eccentric will rotate smoothly but with no binding. Clamp the side plates to the cross member and match drill the holes from the side plate to the cross member. I recommend drilling and de-burring one hole, installing the ¼” button head screws and nuts, and checking the fit of the side plate to the eccentric. Once satisfied drill the remaining hole. Complete one side plate and then the do the other checking the eccentric rotation making sure it is neither to loose or to tight.

 

Deburr all holes and install the side plates using the button head screws. The lock nuts are placed pointing forward. Prior to installation paint the side plates and the edge of the LCA slot to prevent rusting.

 

      FRONT SIDE PLATES INSTALLED

 

                                                             

LOWER CONTROL ARM (LCA) BUSHING MODIFICATION

Important! Do not omit this step. Failure to do so could result in damage to the LCA slot and provide insufficient load capacity of the eccentric assembly!

 

To provide for proper bearing contact of the LCA bushing center tube with the cross member it is necessary to modify the LCA bushing. Before doing this modification make sure the bushing is not worn out. A worn out condition is indicated by the center tube being pushed inboard. This happens due to the pressure of the sway bar trying to force the LCA outward. If you have not done so now is a good time to replace the LCA bushing. I recommend using Group N or polyurethane bushings. If you have polyurethane bushings contact me for modification details. 

 

Using a grinder or file remove .100” from each end of the center tube. This is done to allow room for the hardened flat washers. If group N or new bushings are used you can use a hack saw and file to shorten the tube. If the bushings are used you will probably need a grinder or sander. The length of the center tube is 2”. When the modification is complete the length of the tube and the two washers should be 1.8”. When grinding the tube down on used bushings you will probably remove some of the side of the bushing as well. This is OK but also an indication that the bushing needs to be replaced.

 

On polyurethane bushings I machine a counterbore on the end of the bushing to make room for the washer and shorten the center tube. Again, please contact me about this modification if needed.

 

         

                     MODIFIED BUSHING                          LCA WITH SIDE WASHERS INSTALLED

 

 

Assembly

 

If you removed the cross member go ahead and put it back on the car. Make sure you get all of the cross member to body bolts started before the cross member is pulled into place. Also check the motor mount studs to make sure they are going into the holes on the cross member as well as guide the steering rack coupling in place. Again, all this sounds a lot harder than it really is.

 

Install the sway bar and brackets to the subframe but do not tighten the bolts. Place both LCA’s onto the sway bar ends and loosely install the sway bar bushing nuts. Rotate the LCA into the cross member making sure the LCA bushing washers are installed. I use a big Phillips head screw drive to bring the LCA bushing into position. I also use a ratcheting type nylon web binder (available at any home center store) and mount it at the end of the sway bar where it attached to the LCA’s. By tightening the binder the bushing holes can be brought into alignment with the cross member slots. Once the bushing hole is between the slots install the new LCA bolt through the front eccentric (the one not threaded) and then install the bolt through the cross member and LCA. The LCA bolt screws into the rear eccentric. Rotate the eccentrics so they are offset in the fame direction and install the remaining front end components. If you are using stock type rubber bushings do not torque the LCA bolts until the suspension is loaded.

 

              

         FRONT ECCENTRIC INSTALLED                               REAR ECCENTRIC INSTALLED

 

Alignment

 

You can set the camber and toe in at home. I use a set of trammel points to measure the toe in and a  degree plumb for the camber. Set the camber first and then the toe in. With the car on the ground or a jack under the ball joint holding that corner of the car up torque the LCA bolt to factory specs.

 

Once installed, suspension camber is easily changed but be sure to re-set the toe in as well.