More of the do-it-yourself alignment questions

[rapieper at yahoo.com (Ron Pieper)]

--- GGehrke <ggehrke@gmail.com> wrote:

> So I had been told that the auto hobby shop on the naval base here had
> an alignment rack, turns out they dont.
> I think I've archived all the stuff about alignments that we've
> discussed recently, but here's a question:
> 
> My suspension is shot.  I remember Dan Bubb mentioned at one point
> that I really don't even need to bother doing an alignment because of
> that.  After my recent mishap, though, I think I've got a pretty bad
> toe problem (car is really jumpy, steering wheel isn't straight, and
> my drivers side tire squeals on every turn, no matter how slow I'm
> moving or how small the turn is - think: highway lane changes, tire
> squeals).  Am I going to be ABLE to do an alignment on it or would I
> just mess things up more?  Suspension shot means that my shocks might
> as well not even be there and all my bushings are old and tired.  Tie
> rods might be damaged but  I don't even want to begin to think about
> that possibility right now.  I'm not even really worried about camber
> and such, but does anyone have any suggestions of what to do and what
> not to do or what not to worry about?
> 
> At the moment I'm swinging more toward the hate side of the classic
> love/hate relationship with this stupid car :(
> 
> -Grant-

Step 1: Determine how much play you have in tie rod ends, ball joints, and strut bearings.  If
they are reasonably sound, continue, if not, continue and do the best you can.
2. Check Camber.  Place car on LEVEL surface.  Cut straightedge so it fits inside wheel lip - I
used wood trim.  Use Sears protractor
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00939840000 ((this
is NOT the best tool at all but good enough for a quick and dirty alignment) to determine what
your camber is -   
3. Determine how much you need to change. You will want to end up with 1/2 to 1 degree negative
(tops pointed in).  Say you read +1 degree, so you need to move it 2 deg. negative.  
4. Raise car, remove wheel, put protractor on brake disk, loosen strut bolts, move the adjuster so
you get the CHANGE you need from the protractor.  Tighten, install wheel, do other side.
5. Check Toe.  I use a laser level.  Others use string, some use long straightedges.  It's good to
have a helper here.  Any way you do it, you will want a set of "near" measurements and a set of
"far" measurements. I place a long 2x4 under the front wheels, then measure out and mark the
ground at 2' and then 15', in front of each tire.  Using your choice of tools, extend the line
from the rear to front edge of each tire outwards (this is where a laser level is REALLY handy). 
Use a technique to mesure the distance between your two extended lines (string, laser beam,
straightedge).  A plumb bob can work here, or a carpenter's square, or a level) at the near and
far points.  Note: if using a laser, set your far targets first, then your near.  I use jackstands
for laser targets, btw).
6. Do your trig.  Subtract the smaller distance from the larger, halve this value, and figure your
angle based on angle sides of [your measurement] and the distance between targets.  Then double
your angle.  (I halve it to get it to be a proper right triangle.  In reality, it doesn't make a
whole hell of a lot of difference).
7. Adjust your tie rod ends in the appropriate dimension, repeast from Step 5.

Believe me, a laser level is really really good for this.

This is bound to be a LOT more straightforward than it reads here.  I did make a spreadsheet that
does the toe calculation, it works pretty well.  I'll try to dig it up later and email it.

Ron




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