piratetrucker

I want to hear from people who do their own alignments on how they do it. I've done the front, but just for total toe (not individual), and I was wondering how others do the whole thing.

Mostly interested in DIY stuff, not so much the store bought equipment.

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Derrick

"It's better to go into a corner slow and come out fast, than to go into a corner fast and come out dead" - Stirling Moss

 

Shawn B

Here is the way that Steve (98sr20ve) does a DIY alignment.

http://www.sr20forum.com/driveline-t...ml#post1651591

Yeah, it's in there.

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2004 Tahoe, stock and fully loaded.
'93 Classic - R.I.P. 2007 My mechanical companion. Operation Resuscitation underway....

* The best offense is a good psychosis. *

98sr20ve

Get toe plates. Strings work but are a PITA. You can google this and get how to do it very cheaply but the purchase of toe plates now will save you tons of money over your life. Doing it with strings will work but take so long that you will eventually pay people anyway.

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Steve

06 G35 6MT

piratetrucker

I've got some "toe plates". Some pieces of angle iron that I lift on some wood blocks to get off the tire bulge. They work OK for total toe, but I want to measure the toe of each wheel. Do you know of a good way to do this, Steve?

98sr20ve

Let me dispel a myth for you. Practically speaking there is no individual toe for the front wheels. Total toe is all that matters in the front. Lets argue your side of the point to help you understand it better. Lets say you have zero toe on the left wheel, 1/4 inch of toe in on the right wheel and your wheel is pointed straight ahead (and we assume the rear is perfect in thrust). Take your car for a drive around the block. The wheel of the car will now be tilted slightly to the left (I think it's early and I am drinking my coffee) and if you pull the car straight in the garage to measure you will find both wheels now have 1/8 of toe in. So ignore each wheel of toe in the front. In the back you are actually measuring thrust not each wheel of toe. It will balance out to be equal on both sides but the car will go slightly sideways down the road. So individual toe in back matters, call it individual toe or thrust its the same basic thing. You need to read my how to on alignments and use a laser or strings (argh) to get thrust in rear correct. You need toe plates. I have found home made toe plates to not be repeatable. If you want help with alignments ask in that thread so we have it all in one place. Another couple points on the front. It's more important to make sure both the tie rod lengths are equal and the wheel is pointing straight ahead. If you want to argue wheel toe in the front then you better have tie rods of equal length adjustment first. Thats the only way I can begin to appreciate that argument. Also, you adjust individual wheel toe using a test drive to insure the wheel is pointed straight. If both tie rods are adjusted to the same length and the wheel is straight you can't ask for anything more.

piratetrucker

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, I was wondering about individual toe (thrust) for the back. I understand it makes no difference in the front as long as the wheel is pointed straight, etc...

I do need to make more toe plates for myself, as the block of wood method sucks, but I do use the same block of wood at the same position and center the iron the same on the wheels every time. I even have the garage floor marked for the most even spot. Basically everything is marked as to where and what side it goes, it would just be easier if I cut something that was less fiddely (<-word?).

I haven't read your alignment thing yet, I guess I haven't found it. Don't waste anymore of your time with this until I can find that and read up on it.

Thanks for your help,

piratetrucker

Found it. I just haven't read down that far yet!

98sr20ve

I do thrust in the back with a laser and my toe plates. This stuff is tough at first but once you get the hang of it it's not hard at all. Good luck and ask if you have a question.

NismoTheDog

alignment question, not about toe though. hopefully steve can chime in again.
i have ground control camber plates and progress coilovers. on the alignment rack my caster is way out (reading on the machine is +2.4) i think its supposed to be around 1 something. i loosend the strut top bolts but cannot seem to get the caster to move at all. how do you usually go about adjusting caster with GC plates?

piratetrucker

^^^^

That would be a good topic to add to the "official" alignment thread. It's pretty hard to measure caster.

98sr20ve

You loosen the bolts that hold the camber plate to the frame and move the camber plate all the way back to get as much caster as you can in each wheel, then take it to a alignment rack and move the wheel with the most caster to match the wheel with the least caster (get the balance even)

rex

You might have to jack the car to get the weight off the spring before the plate will move. Sometimes getting the max caster on both sides limits the amount of camber you can add.

Steve - Have you nailed down a way to measure caster easily?

98sr20ve

No, you need turn plates and I never bought them. I have seen other methods I just never tried them.

And when you max it out the tophat can easily hit the frame and make noise. So back them both off a little or grind the frame for clearance.