1998 S70 Rear Toe Out Alignment Questions

pawg3000 · Post by **pawg3000** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:02

Got a bad toe out on the driver side -0.41" that has been tearing up the inside of all my tires. My buddy had it on an alignment machine last Sunday and it looked like the adjustment at the trailing arm (transverse/support/delta) bushing is maxed out: brought down from -0.5" to -0.41". He assumes the arm or whole unibody is bent. I hit the front driver wheel pretty hard into a sidewall 18mo ago. There's a junkyard in town that has a "rear crossmember" going for $350, but it's off of a '98 Turbo.

Questions:
1) Is there a shim kit somewhere for rear toe?
2) If I stuck some washer at the end of the arm at the bushing (number 1 in picture in link) could that push/shim the toe back in?
3) Is it likely that it is the arm that is bent and not the mount or something else? No visible bends, bubbles, or wrinkles.
4) Would a turbo arm fit on my base?
5) Would it be worth trying to get it bent back? Could a dealership do that?
6) Any other suggestions?

Link:
http://www.swedishautoparts.com/S70/Vol ... -rear.html

Thanks.

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:13

(3) most likely the issue is the bushing or delta link (1 and 3 in your link)
(4) yes
(5) I don't think so
(6) carefully inspect the delta links and trailing arm bushings, consider replacing them both and on both sides https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=65148. Consider carefully what brand to buy.

pawg3000 · Post by **pawg3000** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:26

Bushings look good: are not corroded severely and have no play in them. Would the bushings really throw it out that much? Since the endlink is where the arm pivots, would it push out the toe any other way then from the bolt being bent?

pawg3000 · Post by **pawg3000** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:47

Could it actually be the bushing housing that is bent? And not just a deteriorating bushing causing the problem?

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:50

That is a lot of toe, especially if the parts and their seating all look good. Did the rear tire wear show up when you banged up the right side? Did he check the thrust angle? Might help you determine if one of the trailing arms is bent.

You can also get a crossmember from any 850, if that makes it cheaper. $350 is a lot to pay for that piece from a junkyard, you can probably find a parts car in the St Louis area for $400. I'd offer the trailing arms off the 850 I am junking this month but then I wouldn't be able to get it to the crusher ...

pawg3000 · Post by **pawg3000** » 16 Sep 2014, 08:56

Thrust angle was also off. I forget by how much, might have been close to 2". Would this point to delta arm bend or worse? I had only had the car for a couple months before the ice pulled me into a wall. How far back on 850s could I go for a rear cross member?

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Sep 2014, 09:14

That's far off the thrust, makes me lean toward an arm is bent. The unibody is so substantial I doubt it is the problem but I am not a body expert but any means.

And yes it could be the housing, check it carefully, get photos and post them up!

You can definitely go back to mid-94, possibly all the way to 93 but the hubs are different back that far. Plus whatever you get would likely need links and bushings. You will need to decide if it is worth the time and $ investment, if you decide it is then the first thing I would do is make absolutely sure an arm(s) is bent. You could tell by pulling them

but get it up on a lift and check them with some straight edges, sure you can find something?

pawg3000 · Post by **pawg3000** » 16 Sep 2014, 09:48

I'll jack it up and see if I can notice anything with a straight edge tonight. It's only got 111k so I'd like to keep it going for years to come without chewing through tires.

www.car-part.com says there are 3 rear crossmebers 2 hours from me for $125 so I might be making a trip on Friday.