agent87

I helped install an Ingalls camber kit in a friend's car and thought I'd document the process. This is a fairly simple installation but I thought it might be helpful for some people. The car is a 1993 CX. The kit is the +1.25 - 3.00 degree kit.


Here is his suspension with the stock anchor bolts. Those are Matrix coilover sleeves. I suspect that the shocks were old worn Tokico HP (blues) but they didn't have the Tokico stickers/emblems on them. Like many on this site, this car has been set up with a very LOW ride height.


Installation is pretty basic. You'll be repeating a lot of the same steps you do when you change your springs and shocks. (sizes refer to head size, not diameters)
-undo the 14mm pinch bolt on the shock fork.
-undo the 17mm bolt that connects the fork to the lower control arm (LCA).
-remove the fork.
-undo the 14mm nuts that hold the shock/spring assembly to the shock towers.
-remove the shock/spring assembly.
-undo the 17mm nuts that hold the anchor bolts in place on the shock towers.
-swivel the upper control arm (UCA) around so that you can remove the anchor bolts.
-remove the 14mm bolts/nuts that hold the anchor bolts in place.
pull out the anchor bolts and the bridge that connects them.

These next few sections are the part I think many people forget to do! This is why some people complain about the polyurethane kits squeaking. It is also why simply spraying the outside will not work very well.

Push out the metal cylinder. They're not that hard to remove but to make life easier, i used a socket connected to an extension and hammered it out. (I forgot what size I used but that looks like a 10mm. Just use whatever looks like it will fit best.)


Lubricate! I used Energy Suspension lube and applied it with a cotton swab. The ES lube is actually kind of pricey and somewhat difficult to find. I bought my lube something like 2.5 years ago hoping to get it before I installed my own camber kit. Unfortunately, it didn't arrive in time. I instead used my friend's mountainbike suspension grease. (In my case I used Judy Butter - named after the Rock Shox Judy suspension fork.) You can get this stuff at a bike shop or you can use whatever water insoluble grease you want.


Slide the sleeve back in. Note that in this picture you can actually see the grooves in the bushing that are meant to hold the grease in. Some grease will push out the other end. If you feel especially unwasteful, you can wipe it up with the cotton swab and add it to the lube you'll be using on the next one.


Here you see the kit installed on the UCA. Note that in order for the metal bridge to fit, you must remove the small metal cylinders that the kit comes supplied with. Installation is reverse of removal. Torque specs can be found in the Helms manual or the instructions that come with the kit.


Here is the kit installed. The upper anchor bolt nuts are now 18mm instead of the stock 17mm. The adjustment nuts on the bottom are 15mm. A hammer makes adjustment easier. Just loosen the adjustment bolts, tap to push in or use the nail puller to pull the arm out, and tighten to spec.

And that's it. Make sure to get an alignment ASAP. After the installation, this car's tow-out was insane. The wheels are practically trying the steer the car in opposite directions and this car would actually pull itself in all sorts of directions. Not safe at all.

Be safe, and remember this is a guide only. Make sure you know what you're doing before you start. Good luck!

4g4me

ahh, nice write up, we need more like this......TOM hope you see this, and i hope we see more like this!

agent87

Thanks. If you or anyone wants to add to it, feel free.

SlippylesKB

Look's very good and not hard at all!

Question: With your particular install, did the Rock Shocks grease work? You haven't noticed any squeaks?

Scott

SlippylesKB

Thanks, I will look into buying them... although I haven't noticed too bad of a camber problem on my car.

agent87

Nope, about 2.5 years later, no squeaks. Actually, I originally installed them on my integra and transferred them over to my civic when the former car was totalled. I didn't even bother to regrease them when swapping them over even though it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

[edit] oops, accidental deletion.

No prob, good luck with your your own install if you decide to do it.


[Modified by agent87, 3:35 PM 3/10/2003]