Robert,
You are probably better off aligning the axles to have proper toe-in and camber when the main gear is under load, unless your gear shows signs of strain/damage (fractured paint/filler, etc.). Localized application of any stiffening plies would have to be done carefully - it is simpler to do an alignment of the axle, assuming the main gear's sturctural integrity is satisfactory. I have seen several examples of unsymmmetric gear flexure on the VEZ, mine included (my gear flexes more on the right side than the left, for no known reason).
I did the final alignment of my VEZ axles this way, measuring toe-in and camber of the wheels with the airplane loaded near gross weight. You need to plumb-bob and chalkline the centerline of the airplane, measured from BL 0 at the firewall, to the centerpoint of the nose gear fork pivot. Using level straightedges along the wheel outer rims allows you to measure toe-in - I like about .25 to .50 degrees, total toe-in, under load. The camber angle is easy to measure - I like a 0 degree camber angle. Minor camber & toe-in adjustment can be done with shims & flox.
You can take all the critical measurements of the wheel alignment under load, them relieve the gear to do your work. You can mathematically determine the thickness & location of any shims. If you have the ability to machime a thin tapered shim from 2024-T3 aluminum, that is a good way to do it. Make sure any shim you install is "captured " - all shims should have boltholes to allow them to be constrained by the .25 bolts that attach the axles to the strut.
Study the plans to see how the initial alignment of the axles is done as well, if you did not builkd the airplane.
Any questions, shoot me an email.
Best regards,
-Joe Person
EAA Tech Counselor 4418
VariEze N79JN
Bothell, WA (KPAE)
