Wheel Mounting Suspension Strut Camber Correcting Tool

This invention relates in general to vehicle wheel mounting and alignment correction tooling and, in particular, to a wheel mounting suspension strut to wheel spindle interconnect camber correction bending tool.

Strut mounting of wheels with independent spring suspension is an effective wheel mounting and suspension, particularly for the front non-drive wheels of vehicles where superior road handling and steering are desired. Wheel strut mountings with an independent spring suspension well known as a "McPhierson strut" occasionally are bent out of proper camber through excessive shock impact to a wheel or by accident. In many instances the wheel mounting strut to wheel spindle interconnect out of camber bent state can be corrected by corrective bending to bring the wheel mounting strut and wheel spindle back to proper camber from either excess positive or negative camber. In the past the damage to a strut was such as to require replacement, particularly when considering the expense of repair with expensive repair tooling required that not many shops could afford to have.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide efficient economic camber correction bending repair for wheel mounting suspension strut to wheel spindle interconnects.

Another object is to provide a wheel strut to spindle interconnect camber correction bending tool inexpensive enough that most vehicle repair shops can easily afford.

A further object is to provide such a camber repair tool that bolts to the wheel mounting disk and fastens to the wheel mounting strut that can accomplish corrective camber bending of the wheel strut to spindle interconnect without requiring that the wheel mounting strut be disassembled from the vehicle.

Features of the invention useful in accomplishing the above objects include, in a wheel mounting suspension strut camber correcting tool, a heavy rigid frame channel body with a spindle opening that permits the wheel spindle to extend through and wheel bolt openings to facilitate wheel bolt mounting of the channel body on a strut wheel mounting disk. A reversible direction screw drive assembly is pivotally mounted on the top of the channel body with pivot support in spaced parallel mounting flanges for a rotationally fixed drive screw hub housing member rotationally mounting a drive nut. The drive nut is mounted on one end of a rotational elongate tool drive housing having a wrench tool fitting at the other end. An elongated non-rotational bolt member, that is held in the non-rotational state via attachment of a strut attachment head to the wheel strut, is threadingly drawn back into the elongate tool drive housing or driven outwardly dependent on the rotation of the drive housing and the drive nut attached thereto. This effectively bends the strut and wheel spindle interconnect to correct improper positive or negative camber when a wheel spindle to wheel strut interconnect has been bent out of proper camber setting as by a severe bump or vehicle accident.

A specific embodiment representing what is presently regarded as the best mode of carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a front elevation view partially cut away and in section of applicant's wheel mounting suspension strut camber correcting tool as placed for bend correcting the camber of a wheel strut and wheel spindle indicated in phantom;

FIG. 2, a side elevation of the wheel strut and wheel spindle camber correcting tool of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 3, a top plan view of the tool of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing:

The wheel mounting suspension strut camber correcting tool 10 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 has a heavy rigid frame channel body 11 such as would be a section of "U" shaped structural beam channeling "U" shaped in cross section such as seen from the top in FIG. 3. The channel body 11 has opposite side flanges 12L and 12R interconnected by a heavy web sheet 13, that is provided with an opening 14 transversely centered and vertically located in the mid region of the channel body 11. Opening 14 is sized to permit respective wheel spindles 15 to extend therethrough when the tool 10 is bolted into place with channel body back face 16 in tight registry against a wheel mounting disk 17. A plurality of radially elongate bolt holes 18 are provided circumferentially around opening 14 in order to facilitate use mounting of the tool 10 on four or five bolt 19 wheel mounting disks 17 through a range of bolt radius circles.

Spaced parallel flanges 20L and 20R are mounted to the top of beam channel inner surface 21 by weldments 22 to extend above the upper end of beam channel 11 and pivotally mount a rotationally fixed drive screw hub housing member 23 with opposite side pivot pins 24L and 24R pivotal in flange openings 25. The housing member 23 rotationally mounts elongate tool drive housing 26 with journal thrust bearings 27 and 28, with the housing including thrust ring 29 welded thereon to receive thrust support from bearing 28 and a drive nut 30 welded to an end thereof positioned to receive thrust support from bearing 27. Elongate non-rotational bolt member 31 threadingly with threads 32 engages drive nut 30 to be driven by rotation of the drive housing 26 and nut 30 directionally in or out, dependent on the direction of nut 30 rotation with the housing 26. A wrench tool fitting 33 is provided on the rear drive end of the elongate tool drive housing 26 to facilitate operator use of the tool in correcting wheel camber. The outer end 34 of the elongate non-rotational bolt member 31 has bolt and pivot assembly 35 interconnect with a flange yoke 36 welded 37 to strut bracket half member 38 that is assembled to strut bracket half member 39 by bolt assemblies 40 to removably clamp attach to a wheel strut 41 of a "McPhierson strut" type independent spring suspension for a front non-drive vehicle wheel.

The center line of the wheel strut 41 and the center line of the wheel spindle 15 should be at a prescribed angle "A" in order that the plane of wheel mounting disk 17 be perpendicular to the wheel supporting surface. When the base of the wheel strut 41 or strut to brake structure 42 and wheel spindle 15 interconnect elbow 43 is bent so that there is undesired positive or negative camber that should be corrected the wrench tool fitting 33 and thereby housing 26 and drive nut 30 is turned clockwise to correct positive camber and counter clockwise to correct negative camber. This draws the bolt member 31 in pulling the wheel strut 41 toward the tool 10 bending the interconnect elbow 43 to lessen the "A" angle and the opposite drive the bolt member 31 out, pushing the strut 41 away from the tool 10, bending the elbow 43 to increase the "A" angle, correcting positive camber and negative camber, respectively. With the vehicle jacked to a level state and the tool channel body 11 drawn to a vertical state through use of the tool 10 an out of camber state is corrected. A removable magnetic based level 44, as indicated in phantom, may be used to indicate when channel body 11 has reached the vertical as the tool 10 is camber bend correcting angle "A". An adjustable height bolt and nut structure 45 with a bottom pad 46 is shown that is useful to help support the heavy tool 10 as it is being bolt mounted on a wheel disk 17.

Whereas this invention is herein illustrated with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it should be realized that various changes may be made without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.