Not_An_Abba_Fan
Exhaust Guru
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If you were moving it 20 -30mm, but the holes only allow for a couple of mm each way and when you triangulate the angles from the top of the strut to the control arm to the K frame mount, I would say you will be lucky to get a 1/8 of a degree out of it. If the strut was only about 100mm long, then yes, it will affect the caster, but because the strut is so long, moving the bottom forward by 5mm will increase the caster bugger all.
Making sure the K frame is square really only affects the thrust line and set back of the front wheels. Even then, only marginally. Would it make a difference to handling? To the average person, probably not, the only thing Joe Average would notice is the steering wheel on a different angle.
Another example, the X series Falcons, they have an adjustable radius rod by way of a threaded section at the sub frame mount. 4 flats of the nut, which is a rotaion of 240 degrees on the nut, moves the lower control arm forward or back almost one complete thread, this is about 3mm. Now the distance between the top and bottom ball joints on a Falcon is about 280mm. "4 flats" is 1/4 of a degree. Now push that out to about a 600mm length Commodore strut = bugger all.
VB-VP have an adjutable strut top, it can go in three positions, looking at the top from the side of the car, it can go 12 oclock, 4 oclock or 8 oclock, 12 oclock is maximum negative camber, neutral caster (in relation to moving the strut top), 4 is maximum positive camber, maximum negative caster, and 8 is maximum positive camber and caster. Rotating the strut top moves the top of the strut about 60mm, this equates to about 1/2 of a degree in camber when moving it from 12 to either 4 or 8. Moving it from 4 to 8 or vise versa is about 1/2 degree in caster with no alteration to camber. So about 60mm of movement at the top of the strut is only about 1/2 degree change in the angle of that strut. You think 5mm or even 10mm of movement of the K frame will make a noticeble difference to the caster angle?
Making sure the K frame is square really only affects the thrust line and set back of the front wheels. Even then, only marginally. Would it make a difference to handling? To the average person, probably not, the only thing Joe Average would notice is the steering wheel on a different angle.
Another example, the X series Falcons, they have an adjustable radius rod by way of a threaded section at the sub frame mount. 4 flats of the nut, which is a rotaion of 240 degrees on the nut, moves the lower control arm forward or back almost one complete thread, this is about 3mm. Now the distance between the top and bottom ball joints on a Falcon is about 280mm. "4 flats" is 1/4 of a degree. Now push that out to about a 600mm length Commodore strut = bugger all.
VB-VP have an adjutable strut top, it can go in three positions, looking at the top from the side of the car, it can go 12 oclock, 4 oclock or 8 oclock, 12 oclock is maximum negative camber, neutral caster (in relation to moving the strut top), 4 is maximum positive camber, maximum negative caster, and 8 is maximum positive camber and caster. Rotating the strut top moves the top of the strut about 60mm, this equates to about 1/2 of a degree in camber when moving it from 12 to either 4 or 8. Moving it from 4 to 8 or vise versa is about 1/2 degree in caster with no alteration to camber. So about 60mm of movement at the top of the strut is only about 1/2 degree change in the angle of that strut. You think 5mm or even 10mm of movement of the K frame will make a noticeble difference to the caster angle?