DIY SPC Rear Camber & Toe Kit Install
#1
06-11-2011, 06:34 PM
DIY SPC Rear Camber & Toe Kit Install
DIY SPC Rear Camber & Toe Kit Install
Intro:
This is a DIY SPC Rear Camber & Toe Kit Install. This install applies to 2003-2007 year model G35 Coupes. It may be similar on other years and models but I’m not sure. The work seen here was done on a 2003 coupe with Skunk2 lowering springs which are rated at a 1.30-1.10 inch drop. The kit, part numbers 72055 for the toe kit and 72050 for the camber kit are made by Specialty Products Company. The rear kit allows you to adjust Camber +/-4.00 degrees and Toe +/-3.00 degrees. I would rate this job medium in difficulty. In my opinion, it is a much more difficult install than the front camber kit is. The job will probably take around 2 hours. Here are the tools I used to perform the install.
Tool List:
½ Inch drive breaker bar
½ Inch drive Ratchet
3/8 Inch drive Ratchet
19mm socket
17mm socket
14mm socket
12mm socket
Dead Blow mallet (Orange Hammer)
6 Inch Prybar
12 Inch Prybar
19mm Wrench
17mm Wrench
Adjustable wrench
Round Hand File (Fine)
Jack (I used a scissor jack but a hydraulic will work)
Permanent marker
Dremel or Rotary cutting tool (I used Harbor Freight item # 40457)
Link for Rotary tool: http://www.harborfreight.com/power-t...kit-40457.html
Tool List Notes: If you don’t already have a Dremel then I would recommend buying one from Harbor freight. Although it is a lower quality tool, it is only $20 bucks and it does the job just fine. I would also make sure you have a fine round hand file available. This will be used to make the slot you have to elongate perfectly round.
Stock rear camber arm removal:
1.) Block the front wheels of the car. If you are just lifting the rear, there will be nothing to keep the vehicle from rolling unless you block the wheels. Lift the rear of the car.
2.) Remove the plastic splash shields on both sides of the car’s underbody to expose the rear sway bar mounts.
Remove the 3 12mm bolts and pull the plastic splash shields away (in blue).
3.) Before the cam bolts can be removed from the rear camber arms, the sway bar has to be loosened from the body of the car. The inner cam bolt that holds the camber arms in place will not clear the sway bar as you can see in the picture (in blue). Remove the 2 14mm bolts (In Red) from both sides of the car, 4 bolts total.
4.) Drop the sway bar down out of the way of the inner cam bolt (in red). You can now loosen the 17mm nuts and remove the inner and outer cam bolts that secure the camber arm to the car (in blue). Remove the camber arm bolts on both sides of the car. After the bolts are out, remove both arms from the vehicle.
SPC Rear Camber Arm Install:
1.) Adjust the new camber arms to the approximate length of the old ones.
2.) Install the new camber arms on the car. Insert the 19mm cam bolts (in blue) and tighten down the 17mm nuts. Use the adjustable wrench to tighten down the 2 jam nuts that secure the adjustment sleeve on the camber arm (in red).
3.) After the new arms are in place and all the bolts are tightened down, reinstall the 4 14mm sway bar bolts. Next, replace both plastic splash shields and secure each with the 3 12mm bolts that hold them in place. You have completed the camber arm install.
Stock Rear Toe Bolt removal:
1.) Loosen the toe bolt nut (in blue). Remove the nut and eccentric washer. Do not remove the bolt yet.
2.) Place a jack under the rear spring cup. Lift up on the lower control arm. Stop when the spring pressure is resting on the jack, but do not jack up so much that the vehicle starts to lift. Initially you only need to lift the control arm about 4 inches or so. Now that the spring pressure is resting on the jack, use a pry bar to move the inner part of the control arm and remove the toe bolt. Once the toe bolt has been removed, jack up on the spring cup more so that the inner part of the control arm is moved up above the elongated holes the toe bolts were removed from. This will give you room to cut the excess metal away from the toe bolt holes. Perform this process on both sides of the vehicle. You have completed the removal process.
NOTE!!! Do not remove the jack supporting the spring cup with the toe bolt removed. If you do not have 2 jacks to support each spring cup simultaneously, only do one side at a time. Do not remove the jack from the spring cup unless there is a bolt supporting the lower control arm.
SPC Toe Bolt Install:
1.) Take the stencil included with the toe bolt kit and place it on the lower control arm mount. Align the stencil between the toe bolt tabs. Take a permanent marker and outline the exposed area inside the stencil.
2.) Most people will tell you that you only need to cut the inside portion of the metal. Although this is true as far as actual alignment procedures go, the idea may end up harming more than helping. The reason you need to elongate the hole is so that there is enough clearance for the cam bolt to move back and forth in the slot as the cam bolt rotates. By only cutting out the inner part of the slot, the cam bolt will not fully slide from side to side. This will keep you from being able to rotate the cam 360 degrees. This won’t matter when trying to align the car, as you will only need to draw the spring bucket in towards the center of the vehicle. Cutting out the inner part of the slot will still allow you to do this. The problem will come when the alignment tech doesn’t know you only trimmed one side of the hole, and forces the bolt to turn 360 degrees in a hole that’s only cut to allow a little over 180 degrees of rotation. The toe bolt is made of steel, where as the hole it is in is only made of aluminum. The aluminum hole will easily give way to the harder steel bolt with enough torque. Unless you are doing the alignment yourself, or have enough faith in your ability to explain this to the tech and then trust him to not screw things up, I would take the extra 10 minutes it takes to cut out both sides of the slot.
Once you have marked where to cut, use the dremel to cut away the excess material. It is impossible to make a precise cut with the dremel because of the angle you have to cut at. This is caused by not having enough room to maneuver the tool under the car. I recommend you only cut the majority of the metal away using the dremel and then use a file to remove the rest. This will allow you to get the hole shaped perfectly without cutting out a hole larger than you need. After you have the hole cut, insert the toe bolt and make sure it fits good on each side of the hole. Repeat this process for all four holes.
3.) Now that you have elongated the holes, install the new toe bolts. Lower the jack that is holding the spring cup a little bit so that the control arm drops down and your bolt holes line up. You will probably have to work the control arm with a pry bar to get the bolt in. Make sure when you seat the bolt, the round cam washers are sitting between the metal tabs on each side. Start the bolt and snug it up. Before you tighten it, rotate the cam bolt 360 degrees to check for any binding or resistance. The bolt should rotate freely 360 degrees with minimal effort. You can see the control arm being pulled in and out as the bolt rotates. Rotate the bolt until your toe is set at your desired angle, and tighten the 19mm bolt. Your finished product should look like this:
Alignment results:
These arms got me easily back within factory specs. I would have gone more positive but had to keep some negative camber so that my tires would still have some fender clearance. They are still tucked nicely even with the added positive camber though. Bye bye negative camber tire wear.
Intro:
This is a DIY SPC Rear Camber & Toe Kit Install. This install applies to 2003-2007 year model G35 Coupes. It may be similar on other years and models but I’m not sure. The work seen here was done on a 2003 coupe with Skunk2 lowering springs which are rated at a 1.30-1.10 inch drop. The kit, part numbers 72055 for the toe kit and 72050 for the camber kit are made by Specialty Products Company. The rear kit allows you to adjust Camber +/-4.00 degrees and Toe +/-3.00 degrees. I would rate this job medium in difficulty. In my opinion, it is a much more difficult install than the front camber kit is. The job will probably take around 2 hours. Here are the tools I used to perform the install.
Tool List:
½ Inch drive breaker bar
½ Inch drive Ratchet
3/8 Inch drive Ratchet
19mm socket
17mm socket
14mm socket
12mm socket
Dead Blow mallet (Orange Hammer)
6 Inch Prybar
12 Inch Prybar
19mm Wrench
17mm Wrench
Adjustable wrench
Round Hand File (Fine)
Jack (I used a scissor jack but a hydraulic will work)
Permanent marker
Dremel or Rotary cutting tool (I used Harbor Freight item # 40457)
Link for Rotary tool: http://www.harborfreight.com/power-t...kit-40457.html
Tool List Notes: If you don’t already have a Dremel then I would recommend buying one from Harbor freight. Although it is a lower quality tool, it is only $20 bucks and it does the job just fine. I would also make sure you have a fine round hand file available. This will be used to make the slot you have to elongate perfectly round.
Stock rear camber arm removal:
1.) Block the front wheels of the car. If you are just lifting the rear, there will be nothing to keep the vehicle from rolling unless you block the wheels. Lift the rear of the car.
2.) Remove the plastic splash shields on both sides of the car’s underbody to expose the rear sway bar mounts.
Remove the 3 12mm bolts and pull the plastic splash shields away (in blue).
3.) Before the cam bolts can be removed from the rear camber arms, the sway bar has to be loosened from the body of the car. The inner cam bolt that holds the camber arms in place will not clear the sway bar as you can see in the picture (in blue). Remove the 2 14mm bolts (In Red) from both sides of the car, 4 bolts total.
4.) Drop the sway bar down out of the way of the inner cam bolt (in red). You can now loosen the 17mm nuts and remove the inner and outer cam bolts that secure the camber arm to the car (in blue). Remove the camber arm bolts on both sides of the car. After the bolts are out, remove both arms from the vehicle.
SPC Rear Camber Arm Install:
1.) Adjust the new camber arms to the approximate length of the old ones.
2.) Install the new camber arms on the car. Insert the 19mm cam bolts (in blue) and tighten down the 17mm nuts. Use the adjustable wrench to tighten down the 2 jam nuts that secure the adjustment sleeve on the camber arm (in red).
3.) After the new arms are in place and all the bolts are tightened down, reinstall the 4 14mm sway bar bolts. Next, replace both plastic splash shields and secure each with the 3 12mm bolts that hold them in place. You have completed the camber arm install.
Stock Rear Toe Bolt removal:
1.) Loosen the toe bolt nut (in blue). Remove the nut and eccentric washer. Do not remove the bolt yet.
2.) Place a jack under the rear spring cup. Lift up on the lower control arm. Stop when the spring pressure is resting on the jack, but do not jack up so much that the vehicle starts to lift. Initially you only need to lift the control arm about 4 inches or so. Now that the spring pressure is resting on the jack, use a pry bar to move the inner part of the control arm and remove the toe bolt. Once the toe bolt has been removed, jack up on the spring cup more so that the inner part of the control arm is moved up above the elongated holes the toe bolts were removed from. This will give you room to cut the excess metal away from the toe bolt holes. Perform this process on both sides of the vehicle. You have completed the removal process.
NOTE!!! Do not remove the jack supporting the spring cup with the toe bolt removed. If you do not have 2 jacks to support each spring cup simultaneously, only do one side at a time. Do not remove the jack from the spring cup unless there is a bolt supporting the lower control arm.
SPC Toe Bolt Install:
1.) Take the stencil included with the toe bolt kit and place it on the lower control arm mount. Align the stencil between the toe bolt tabs. Take a permanent marker and outline the exposed area inside the stencil.
2.) Most people will tell you that you only need to cut the inside portion of the metal. Although this is true as far as actual alignment procedures go, the idea may end up harming more than helping. The reason you need to elongate the hole is so that there is enough clearance for the cam bolt to move back and forth in the slot as the cam bolt rotates. By only cutting out the inner part of the slot, the cam bolt will not fully slide from side to side. This will keep you from being able to rotate the cam 360 degrees. This won’t matter when trying to align the car, as you will only need to draw the spring bucket in towards the center of the vehicle. Cutting out the inner part of the slot will still allow you to do this. The problem will come when the alignment tech doesn’t know you only trimmed one side of the hole, and forces the bolt to turn 360 degrees in a hole that’s only cut to allow a little over 180 degrees of rotation. The toe bolt is made of steel, where as the hole it is in is only made of aluminum. The aluminum hole will easily give way to the harder steel bolt with enough torque. Unless you are doing the alignment yourself, or have enough faith in your ability to explain this to the tech and then trust him to not screw things up, I would take the extra 10 minutes it takes to cut out both sides of the slot.
Once you have marked where to cut, use the dremel to cut away the excess material. It is impossible to make a precise cut with the dremel because of the angle you have to cut at. This is caused by not having enough room to maneuver the tool under the car. I recommend you only cut the majority of the metal away using the dremel and then use a file to remove the rest. This will allow you to get the hole shaped perfectly without cutting out a hole larger than you need. After you have the hole cut, insert the toe bolt and make sure it fits good on each side of the hole. Repeat this process for all four holes.
3.) Now that you have elongated the holes, install the new toe bolts. Lower the jack that is holding the spring cup a little bit so that the control arm drops down and your bolt holes line up. You will probably have to work the control arm with a pry bar to get the bolt in. Make sure when you seat the bolt, the round cam washers are sitting between the metal tabs on each side. Start the bolt and snug it up. Before you tighten it, rotate the cam bolt 360 degrees to check for any binding or resistance. The bolt should rotate freely 360 degrees with minimal effort. You can see the control arm being pulled in and out as the bolt rotates. Rotate the bolt until your toe is set at your desired angle, and tighten the 19mm bolt. Your finished product should look like this:
Alignment results:
These arms got me easily back within factory specs. I would have gone more positive but had to keep some negative camber so that my tires would still have some fender clearance. They are still tucked nicely even with the added positive camber though. Bye bye negative camber tire wear.
Last edited by Silver tiburon; 06-11-2011 at 07:19 PM.
The following 4 users liked this post by Silver tiburon:
#2
06-11-2011, 06:37 PM
My 2 cents:
Just as I was with the front camber arms, I was very impressed with the rear SPC kit. It is a very well made product that has obviously had much R & D done before it was put out. For the price and quality, hands down there’s not a better kit currently on the market. The only downfall I can think of is the SPC components weigh slightly more than stock, which will add a bit of unsprung weight to each corner of the vehicle. The rear install was much more difficult than the front in my opinion. Much care should be paid to supporting the spring cup when the toe bolt is removed. The coil spring is potentially a loaded gun if left unsupported. After driving the car with the new rear arms installed, I felt virtually no change in performance or handling. I do anticipate to see a big difference on tire wear, and will update this as soon as I can come to some conclusion on how much this install helped. See here for a how-to on the SPC front camber kit: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...m-install.html. Hope this is helpful for everyone. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Finished product:
If you are viewing this and need to install front SPC camber arms I have another how-to similar to this one here: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...m-install.html
Just as I was with the front camber arms, I was very impressed with the rear SPC kit. It is a very well made product that has obviously had much R & D done before it was put out. For the price and quality, hands down there’s not a better kit currently on the market. The only downfall I can think of is the SPC components weigh slightly more than stock, which will add a bit of unsprung weight to each corner of the vehicle. The rear install was much more difficult than the front in my opinion. Much care should be paid to supporting the spring cup when the toe bolt is removed. The coil spring is potentially a loaded gun if left unsupported. After driving the car with the new rear arms installed, I felt virtually no change in performance or handling. I do anticipate to see a big difference on tire wear, and will update this as soon as I can come to some conclusion on how much this install helped. See here for a how-to on the SPC front camber kit: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...m-install.html. Hope this is helpful for everyone. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Finished product:
If you are viewing this and need to install front SPC camber arms I have another how-to similar to this one here: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...m-install.html
Last edited by Silver tiburon; 06-11-2011 at 06:59 PM.
The following 4 users liked this post by Silver tiburon:
#3
06-11-2011, 06:44 PM
The following users liked this post:
Silver tiburon (06-11-2011)
#4
06-11-2011, 07:24 PM
I didnt see it mentioned in your write up, but to save a bit of time while making it a lot easier use a carbide bit when elongating the holes.
I used the Dremel 570 1/8-Inch Carbide Grout Removal Bit
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3357026401P
And it cut it like a hot knife through butter.
I used the Dremel 570 1/8-Inch Carbide Grout Removal Bit
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3357026401P
And it cut it like a hot knife through butter.
The following users liked this post:
Blue Dream (09-12-2011)
#5
06-11-2011, 07:38 PM
I didnt see it mentioned in your write up, but to save a bit of time while making it a lot easier use a carbide bit when elongating the holes.
I used the Dremel 570 1/8-Inch Carbide Grout Removal Bit
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3357026401P
And it cut it like a hot knife through butter.
I used the Dremel 570 1/8-Inch Carbide Grout Removal Bit
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3357026401P
And it cut it like a hot knife through butter.
#7
09-11-2011, 09:32 PM
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#8
09-12-2011, 06:49 AM
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#10
10-27-2011, 04:07 PM
#11
10-27-2011, 08:55 PM
The one in the pic aren't the stock camber arms... They are another aftermarket design.... Stock arms are only adjustable at the camber bolt
#13
10-29-2011, 01:13 AM
#14
10-30-2011, 10:37 PM
Really? I have to disagree unless my 05 coupe came with different factory camber arms than every other G coupe made... There are 2 adjustable bolts one at the spring bucket (toe adjustment) and the another at the camber arm on the part closest to the diff (stock cmaber adjustment).... The stock arms are one piece no threaded heads and are black...
This ^^^^
The camber bolt you are referring to is actually the toe adjustment bolt just like ThatOneDude said. The top arm in the picture is in fact the factory arm, which is adjustable. The difference between the stock arm and the SPC arm pictured below it is the amount of adjustment they each allow. As you can see from the picture, the adjustment on the SPC arm is shorter, which will allow you to remove more negative camber than the factory arm will before it bottoms out. Basically the shorter sleeve will allow you to shorten the SPC arm more than than the stock arm will allow. This works inversely for positive adjustment as well, since the threaded portions are longer than the stock arm. Depending on how far you are lowered, the stock component may give you enough adjustment. It is likely that it won't however. If this ends up being the case you will have to go with something that allows for more adjustment like the SPC component pictured below the stock one.
The camber bolt you are referring to is actually the toe adjustment bolt just like ThatOneDude said. The top arm in the picture is in fact the factory arm, which is adjustable. The difference between the stock arm and the SPC arm pictured below it is the amount of adjustment they each allow. As you can see from the picture, the adjustment on the SPC arm is shorter, which will allow you to remove more negative camber than the factory arm will before it bottoms out. Basically the shorter sleeve will allow you to shorten the SPC arm more than than the stock arm will allow. This works inversely for positive adjustment as well, since the threaded portions are longer than the stock arm. Depending on how far you are lowered, the stock component may give you enough adjustment. It is likely that it won't however. If this ends up being the case you will have to go with something that allows for more adjustment like the SPC component pictured below the stock one.
#15
10-30-2011, 10:43 PM
This ^^^^
The camber bolt you are referring to is actually the toe adjustment bolt just like ThatOneDude said. The top arm in the picture is in fact the factory arm, which is adjustable. The difference between the stock arm and the SPC arm pictured below it is the amount of adjustment they each allow. As you can see from the picture, the adjustment on the SPC arm is shorter, which will allow you to remove more negative camber than the factory arm will before it bottoms out. Basically the shorter sleeve will allow you to shorten the SPC arm more than than the stock arm will allow. This works inversely for positive adjustment as well, since the threaded portions are longer than the stock arm. Depending on how far you are lowered, the stock component may give you enough adjustment. It is likely that it won't however. If this ends up being the case you will have to go with something that allows for more adjustment like the SPC component pictured below the stock one.
The camber bolt you are referring to is actually the toe adjustment bolt just like ThatOneDude said. The top arm in the picture is in fact the factory arm, which is adjustable. The difference between the stock arm and the SPC arm pictured below it is the amount of adjustment they each allow. As you can see from the picture, the adjustment on the SPC arm is shorter, which will allow you to remove more negative camber than the factory arm will before it bottoms out. Basically the shorter sleeve will allow you to shorten the SPC arm more than than the stock arm will allow. This works inversely for positive adjustment as well, since the threaded portions are longer than the stock arm. Depending on how far you are lowered, the stock component may give you enough adjustment. It is likely that it won't however. If this ends up being the case you will have to go with something that allows for more adjustment like the SPC component pictured below the stock one.
also no OEM Camber arms has adjustable pivot ***** either. I can confirm that as I have replaced many bushings on our cars as well.
OEM Camber arm on ever model from 03-07 coupe or sedan.
