Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
'7~
Speci~lcation
The present invention relat~ generally to
automotive tools and specifically ~o a tool fox
attachment to an auto wheel assembly for purposes
of ca~ber adjustment.
~ Cnown to the art are var.ious types of tools
attachable ~o in~pendentl~T suspended wheels of an
2u-to to i~pa? t corrective fGrCes to a member or
members of the wheel suspension system to restore
10 desi~ed wheel camber~ Some of such tools impart
corrective bending forces to a suspen~ion member or
member~ by means o~ a powered ram or cylinder.
A p~oblem exists .in correcting camlber on au~os
; u tilizing a McPherson stru~ suspenslon member a~
found on the majority of foreign made autos. The
above mentioned strllt is wiflely used by both European
and uapan~se auto manufacturexs and serves to provide,
in one comp~nen-t~ both ~uspension and mo~iQn ~ampen-
ing ~unc tions. The lower erld of the above mentionecl
strut i5 somewhat suscep~ibl~ however to bencin$~ upon
~o.rceful impact o* the auto wheel wit.ll an obs~xuct.ion,
w~ich bendin~ results in incorrect wheel camber~ In
many instance~, frame dama~e i3 al~o incurred, con-
txibutlng ~o incorr~ct camker. While va.rious camber
adjusting tools ha~e been proposed, none are known to
be speci*ically directed toward camber ad~ustment of
a McPher~on suspension equipped auto nor can exist- -
ing tool~ be xeadily modi~i~d for such us~
The presen~ in~ention is embodîed in a tool ~or
attachment to the whe~l plate o~ a ~cPh~r~on s~ru-t
suspension e~uipped auto to enable the impar~ing ~f
,~
corrective bending forces ~o the s-trut lower end~
The tool includes a ~ase for a~*achment to the
wheel plate~ which base i~ apertured to xece.ive the
khreaded wheel lu~s or studs and also the pro~ecting
.spindle hub. The lug xeceiving apertures in ~he base
are sli~htly ovexsi~e to receive ~he most common lug
pattern~ to xender the tool u.sable on a wide ran~e o*
au~os. A base ex~ension ex~ends upwardly and outwar~ly
from the base and carr.ies an abutment a~sem~ly against
whic~ a powered component may be abutt.ed for the
application o~ bending forces ~o the whee~ plate and
associate~ ~usp~nsion components. ~he powered com-
ponent may utiliæe a ~txut mid poxtion as a support
po~nt when wheel cal~ber is to be incxeased while a
chai~ component p~rmits opposite pl~cement of the
power~d component relatiYe to the tool ~ase to enable
camber co~rection~ reducin~ wheel camber. The abut~
ment assembly include~ an adjustable fitting adjus~
able about a hori~ontal axis to be~t accommodate the
type o~ powered component us~d and its relationship
to the ~trut mid portion. Such powered components
m~y be hydxauli~ or pneu~atic cylinders or a mechan-
ical instrumentalit~ such as a jack.
The present invention is em~odi~d within a tQol
or adjusting the camber of an ~utomobile wheel o~
an automobile having a McPherson strut type suspen
sion, the tool comprisin~ a ba~e for at~achmellt to
the wheel carryin~ member of the automobile suspen
~ ~ion sys-~em, saifl base defining an opening within
~ 30- - which the ~pindle housing of th~ suspen~ion s~vste~
ma~ be received ~nd which enables the temporary
~.
attachment of a cambex sight gat.lge to the spi~dl~a
housincJy said base includincJ upward.l.y and outwardly
inclinecl arllls; ~n abutm0nt assemhl~ carrled at the
uppex clistal ends of said arms and includill~ a f-i.t-
~ting haviEIg an abutment surface thereon, fastener
me~Ils e~tending intermediate said arms and mountin~
said i.ittin~ thexebetween and permitting rotation~l
positioning and locking of sai~ ~ltting and the cibut- -
men~ sllr~aca thereon about a hori~ontal a~ris to loc~te
lG said surface normal to the inclined axis of a portable
hydraulic cylinder locatable interEnediate said abut-
men~ asse~bl~ and the upper end of ~he strut ~ssoci~
ated with the wheel regardless of vaxiances in len~th
such struts utili~ed on different makes and models of
~utomobiles and resulting cylinder inclination chang~
ing thereh2tweeEl to en~ble remedial bending o~ the
strut fcr camber adjustmen~
In the accompany.ing drawing.
Fi~ure 1 i9 a ~ront eleva~iona:l v.iew of a
20 McPherYoll st.rut suspension system with tlle present
~ool in place
Figure 2 i s a side ele~ational view of the .right
hand side ~f Figure l; and
Fiçlure 3 is a sec tional Yi0W taken alon~ line 3-3
o~ Figure 2 and sho~:incJ in }~roken lines optional
placement oE the power sour e or reducing wheel camber.
Re:~erens:~e numeral 1 of the drawing inc1icates
generally z, su~p~nsion ~ystem for an au ts~motive ~Jheel
assembly consis ~:ing of a ti~e and wheel which axe
30 normally carried by a wheel moutltin~ member or plate 2
by means o:~ lu~ s tud~; 3. Other con~Jerltional
.
7~
suspension system components include a disc ~ralce
unit 4t disc brake rotor 5, lower arm 5, ball joint 7
kIcPherson s~ut ~ F and knuckl~ 9 which carries th~
spindle hub H. The lower se~ment of said strllt at X is
susceptible to b~nd:ing orces imparted there-to from
impac~ oE ~he wheel ~ssembly against a road ob~s~ruc-
tion~ In most instances, da~age is sli~ht permitting
corxection by the applicat.ion o~ bendiny ~orce~ applied
with the present tool~ Corrections up to one and
one-hal-f de~rees o camber may be made without strut
impairment~
With attention now to the presen~ inventionO the
~ool includes a base at 12 which may be oE c~nnel
cons~ruction for purposes of strerlgth. The base web
13 is apertured at 13A to recelve spindle hub I-I of
the wheel suspension system and permit the moun~ing oE
a conventional sight ~au~e G theraon. Spaced about
aperture l3A is a series of lug receiving openin~s as
at 14 each somewhat oversi~e or lax~er than the diam~
eter of the lug stud to permi.-~, the xecep-tiorl of the
lu~ studs of d.iferent autos. As the SptlCing and size
o~ lu~ studs is ve.ry ~imilar in the majoxity of autos
m~nufactured outside of the United States the over~ize
apertures l~ accept mo~t all lug stud arrang~ment~ ~o
enable a single tool to be u~ed on all but a small
pQr~iOn of orelgn made autOS. S.pacers at .5 provide
desix~ clearance of base 12 ~Crom wheel mountlng
member 2~
; Exterding upwa.rdl~ from base l~ is a ~ase ex~ension
16 which is shown a~ comprising a pair of inclined
a~ms secured at the r lower ends to ba~ l2 with a
cJussek provided at 17. The ar~s 16 carry at their
outer ends an abutmentt assembly generally at 18,
which p~ovides an adjus-~able. abukment for the power
source selectecl. Said a~utmen'c assembly includes
lockincJ means 19 t ~hOWIl as a threacled fastenerJ which
enables s.licJIlt inwarcl displaoement o~ the arm encls at
16A to close frict1onally agains'c the opposite encl.s O-f
a ~ittincJ 20 ko prevenk rotac~.on o~ same~ In place
on said fik~ing is an a~utmenk 21 configul-etl for
abutting con-tact ~i th the power source selectedO Said
fitking may inclu~e a stud (not ~hown~ ~or engaC~emellt
with that type of portable hydraulic cylind~r having
a corresponding socket in khe cylincler base. An
abutting sur-~ace i5 indica-ted at 21A which may ~e
operatively adjusted by loosening lockin~ means 19~ The
outer or rod end o~ ~he power source, shown as a hydraulic
cylinder 22 is provided with a resilient pad 24 and abuts
the McPhexsQn stru~ at the inter~ec~ion of the strut
tuhular portion and a conical spring cJuide 7.3 of the
20 stru~, T'ne cylinder disposition in Fi~u:res 1 and 2 is
for increasing wheel camber ~hile in Fi~ure 3 the po~er
souxce 22 has been reorien tate~ on the tool to .im~a.rt
bendiny forces decreasing wheel camber. In -the latter
arrangement the power ~ource is coupled by means of a
chain loop 25 wrapped about the strut inters~c~ion with
chain runs passing above and below ~itting 20 and there-
past tQ enga~e '~he ~od end of cyl.inder T,/hile ~h~
oppo~ite or bass ~nd of cylinder 2~ reacts against
rep~sit~ oned abu~ment ~ haped. ~ittiIl~ 26 may
be utiliæed to assure chain~rocl engagement~
3'i~3~
~ i th ~he tt)ol in place, to adju~t camber the
operator notes the cam~er .readincJ on the hub attached
gaucJe and actuates the powe.r source v:La suitable
val~re oorltrols (not shown~ un~il the desired reading
i5 indicatedO In use the base o:E the tool is suppor ted
so as to permi t a portion o~ the au to ' ~; wei~ht approtc-
imatel~ ~ive pe.rcent to be supported b~ tlle baseO
Details of carn:ber ad justmen t are believed to bç~ appar -
ent to or~e skilled in the art ancl ac~ordin~ly are
10 super-fluous ~or present purpo~es~
