CAM ADJUSTERS: 
The cam mechanisms on king pins have a different effect on male and female stub axle assemblies. 

On a female stub axle, where the pivot bearings are mounted in the chassis, and the adjustment cam is in the stub axle, rotating this cam has no effect on caster or KPI angles, but is simply a camber adjustment device. Rotating it will have a minuscule effect on the Ackerman angle, but this can be ignored. These cams can be rotated to adjust the camber to the desired amount. About one quarter to one half a degree negative is a good place to start. Ensure the wheel is pointed absolutely straight ahead when adjusted, and make sure the toe-in is adjusted properly afterwards. Toe-out of 2mm is a good place to start with the above camber settings.

On male stub axles, where the bearings are carried in the stub axle and the cam adjustment is on the chassis, the adjustment must be considered only as a two position caster adjustment. The cam works only in the full forward and full rearward positions, ie more or less caster. Using this cam to adjust camber should only be used in the most drastic situation, such as emergency crash damage. A concentric bush is available to give a caster position between the two adjustments, and special cams can be made to give a change in camber whilst retaining the desirable caster setting. Unlike the female stub adjustment, this one is not infinitely adjustable between two points. Incremental adjustments to this cam will result in differences in caster across the chassis, a very unacceptable situation. Apart from making the behavior of the chassis different in left and right hand turns, it will cause the kart to drift towards the side with the least caster in a straight line. The resultant steering correction will upset the camber angles, the tracking and weight jacking. The tyre scrub will make it slow on the straight and the differing caster angles will make it slow in some if not all corners. Not how the serious racer goes about winning races.

PERFORMING A WHEEL ALIGNMENT: 
Performing a wheel alignment should be part of your regular maintenance routine, and should also be done after contact or a ride through the rough. It's amazing how often a check of the front-end reveals problems that need to be addressed. 

There are a number of products on the market to perform a wheel alignment, ranging from the high-tech Sniper laser system to a simple pen and tape measure. Cost, ease of use and accuracy all vary and it will be up to you to decide your level of investment. 

To set front wheel alignment, start at the back of the kart. The Reason? It's fine having the front wheels in alignment with each other, but they also need to track parallel to the rear wheels so that the kart doesn't 'crab' when traveling in a straight line. On each side of the kart, measure from the rear axle to a common point at the front (for example, the king pin). The two measurements should be the same. If there is a small variance, there should be enough clearance in the axle bearing mounting bolt holes to adjust it to be even - just loosen off the bolts slightly and tap the axle with a soft hammer before gradually retightening. Sometimes the mounting holes might need to be filed a little and if the difference is more than 3 or 4mm, it would indicate your chassis has been damaged. Also make sure the axle is fitted flat in your chassis and is not higher on one side than the other. Spooky handling and poor braking can be experienced if this is the case. 

With the rear axle now parallel to the king pins, we can now turn our attention to the front of the kart. Loosen off the four tie-rod locking nuts and ensure the tie-rods can easily be twisted to make adjustments. If not, remove them, clean and lubricate the threads. Also check for straightness and the condition of the spherical rod-end bearings. Replace any damaged or worn components. Some stub axles have two mounting holes on the steering arm for the tie rods so that Ackerman can be further adjusted. Make sure the same holes are used on each side (you might need a longer or shorter set of tie rods to test the other option). Lock the steering column in the straight ahead position. This is usually done by clamping vice-grips on the plastic bush at the top of the column. 'Straight ahead' is when the Pitman arm is centralized, not necessarily when the steering wheel is straight. 

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4