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i have researched the hell outta this thing and come to find out it's quite simple, best results take place on an allignment machine. i live in east tn/knoxville but i think i figured it out. 0 degree toe is accomplished by bending the rear axle/connecting bar forward with a slight upward angle(going towards the cab)upward angle is for caster pitch. if anyone can get to an allignment machine contact me and i will help you out further.
Having helped Steve do the six at our Atlanta party, I concur that you need more than a good alignment machine to do this bending. The axle must be over bent so it springs back to the correct position. In the overbend state, the rear wheels are pointing so far out at the front, I don't think they would register on an alignment machine. If you go too far with the overbend, you end up with toe-out that could mess up the handling as much as the original toe-in. Once that happens, it is a pain to try to bend it in the opposite direection because the fixture is not built to fit on the front of the rear beam. Steve knows just how far to do the overbend. I think he hit 4 of the 6 that he did on the first try.
You need a fixture to bend the front wall of the beam, the center torsion bar, and the rear wall of the beam all at the same time. If you don't, the beam can kink and then it is toast. You also need to compensate for any run-out that might exist in the wheels. I was surprised to see how much run-out there was in aftermarket wheels.
If you do this on an alignment machine (I was planning to until we got Steve to come), plan on a couple of hours . That is after you make all the needed hardware. That's $200-$300 of time on the machine (if you can find someone to go along with this idea), plus another $300-$400 worth of hardware. So you could have $500 to $700 of money invested with no guarantee it would come out right. The only help an alignment machine will be is to give you an instant, accurate measure of whether you were successful or not.
It sounds easy. But, if it was, there would be a lot more than two people in the US that would be doing it.
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i have researched the hell outta this thing and come to find out it's quite simple, best results take place on an allignment machine. i live in east tn/knoxville but i think i figured it out. 0 degree toe is accomplished by bending the rear axle/connecting bar forward with a slight upward angle(going towards the cab)upward angle is for caster pitch. if anyone can get to an allignment machine contact me and i will help you out further.
Since the rear wheels do not steer, there is no caster measurement. However, because the beam is not exactly in the horizontal plane, bending it does affect the camber of the rear wheels.
i have researched the hell outta this thing and come to find out it's quite simple, best results take place on an allignment machine. i live in east tn/knoxville but i think i figured it out. 0 degree toe is accomplished by bending the rear axle/connecting bar forward with a slight upward angle(going towards the cab)upward angle is for caster pitch. if anyone can get to an allignment machine contact me and i will help you out further.
You act like anyone with a alignment machine can do this. Thats a gross oversimplification of the process. Anyone who wants to do this thing needs to know how to do a alignment on a B14 with out a machine. If you think that is hard you have no business even trying this. To be fair, the B14 is super easy to align yourself so thats not saying much really. But you don't seem to know how to do it with out a machine. You might want to find my post on how to align a car with toe plates as a start.
I am going to see about getting something put together for middle october or early november, just a matter of talkin with people face to face and getting the money.
Before you collect money talk to me. If we get 6 people prepaid we can work it out.
Yeah, if anyone wants to organize a south-east, or east coast meet to get this done I am interested. I would like to get my p11 on the alignment machine and figure out exactly how much toe-in I have before committing to anything though.
Does the b15 have any rear toe? There seems to be a ton of them around here.
B15 is not as bad as the B14. They are around 1/8". It's still worth getting rid of it. Get a alignment and ask for a printout before and after. Always get a printout of all your alignments. It's fun to watch the rear of a B14/15 get different results from one year to the next on a "laser" machine. Shows that nothing is that consistent.
B15 is not as bad as the B14. They are around 1/8". It's still worth getting rid of it. Get a alignment and ask for a printout before and after. Always get a printout of all your alignments. It's fun to watch the rear of a B14/15 get different results from one year to the next on a "laser" machine. Shows that nothing is that consistent.
Exactly! Theoretically the only way it should ever be different is if something got bent....
Steve, first... thanks for still offering this service to the community. There's so little support for our B14s (especially as they age) and your efforts are truly appreciated.
As far as putting together a beam bending party... what exactly is required for the site: Do you need a lift or will jack stands suffice? Do you require an air compressor and air tools? Will a garage floor work (most of them are slightly angled towards the street)? Anything else that you require of the location?
Best case is a lift. I rarely get that. A good garage with a level floor left to right is fine. They all slope towards the doors. Thats not a issue. No garage floor is perfect. It's doesn't effect toe measurements. I need a couple jacks from the B14 some basic hand tools. I provide the rest of the stuff.
I have noticed that more and more people on the east coast are looking to get their rear beams bent. Im glad to hear that Steve is willing to do work, your hard work is much appreciated! Im going to start a list in this thread to see who all is interested. Im willing to spend the $270ish it takes to get this done. I live in Fredericksburg VA, which is halfway between Richmond and D.C. in case you didnt know. Im willing to drive about 2 hours if necessary would prefer not to but beggars cant be choosers. Weekends are going to be a must as I start back in school in the fall but can still do it during the school year since the date will be planned in advance. Here we go:
I have noticed that more and more people on the east coast are looking to get their rear beams bent. Im glad to hear that Steve is willing to do work, your hard work is much appreciated! Im going to start a list in this thread to see who all is interested. Im willing to spend the $270ish it takes to get this done. I live in Fredericksburg VA, which is halfway between Richmond and D.C. in case you didnt know. Im willing to drive about 2 hours if necessary would prefer not to but beggars cant be choosers. Weekends are going to be a must as I start back in school in the fall but can still do it during the school year since the date will be planned in advance. Here we go:
1) ESPsound
Lets start the sign up!!!
I think first we need to get someone to host it and get a location nailed down. Until you have that, money can't be collected. If money isn't collected, it's all just flakey BS.
I think first we need to get someone to host it and get a location nailed down. Until you have that, money can't be collected. If money isn't collected, it's all just flakey BS.
Fair enough. Is there anyone who can host it because I dont have a garage and my driveway isn't flat enough?
I figured you wanted a garage thats why I can't host. Come on people, several members have expressed interest. Im down 100%, my only requirement is that it is on the weekend due to school and that it is planned somewhat in advance which I know will happen anyway for it to work for everyone. Its too bad u live in CO steve or else I would drive to your house and have you do it. Thanks for chiming in on what you need as far as supplies, location and cost.
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