strotter Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 My '72 tends to "dart" a great deal on uneven or just rough-textured road surfaces. It's got full poly bushings, 205/55-15's all around, and has recently been aligned; but I'm paranoid and suspect the shop that did the alignment got it wrong. Is there any way to accurately check the alignment at home? For that matter, can I *set* the alignment myself? I've got some tools and frankly don't enjoy depending on someone else to do what I can possibly take care of myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 The only tools that I have seen for aligning vehicles at home are for adjusting "toe". Even with those tools you will only get it close and you will not get it as close as an alignment rack will. Did you get a print out of the before and after measurements? I know at our shop we have to have both, not only for the customers records but ours as well. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zachb55 Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Jack up the front of your car. take a tape measure and with a friend measure the distance across to a certain tread (make sure you both remember which tread you used). Take the first measurement as high as you can at the rear of the tire while keeping the tape unobstructed. Next measure the front of the tire (make sure nothing has moved, and measure to the same treads) and see what the difference is. a good point to aim for is about 1/8th of an inch less in the front then the back. also, it is good if your tires are pointing their straightest when your steering wheel is at its straightest point. this got my car to driveable, and actually its pretty damn good, just got a loose right wheel bearing that pulls me that way after a while. good luck. -Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynekarnes Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 STRUT ALIGNMENT LEVEL Safely get your vehicle back on the road after replacing struts, rack and pinion steering, or doing any type of front end work. Accurately restore the strut alignment to factory specs without expensive equipment. * Super strong magnet mounts on brake rotor, spindle or steering knuckle * Easy-to-read unbreakable bubble level * Camber settings from -3° to +3° ITEM 42496-0VGA $9.99 Email link to a friend http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42496 at harbor freight ... no idea if it works ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zachb55 Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 well you cant change the camber on our cars without a kit or doing some welding anyways can you? i thought he just meant getting his toe-in set up right -Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Zach, I wouldn't measure toe with the car jacked up. Z's have a lot of bump steer, so the measurements with the front of the car in the air is going to be a lot different than with it on the ground. Strotter - Measure the front of the tires as high as you can get and the rear of the tires as high as you can get. Subtract, and there is your toe. Shorter distance in the front is toe in, shorter in back is toe out, equal is zero toe. It would help to know the alignment settings you got from the shop. If you have a lot of negative camber you'll never get the dartiness out, but it will handle better than if it had 0 camber. The bubble things work if you have a LEVEL surface to measure on. I have one and I use it just to get in the ballpark sometimes, then take the car and have it really aligned. Bottom line though is that if you don't have adjustable camber bushings or camber plates or adjustable TC rods, the only adjustment you CAN make is front toe. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 What I was thinking of checking/adjusting was the toe-in. Sorry guys, I didn't get any specifications from the shop after the adjustment - to tell you the truth, I didn't know shops supplied details of the job. I must be going to the wrong places (but that may be the problem, huh?). I've been doing a little bit of research on the matter. I hadn't noticed before, but the Haynes manual gives a toe-in specification of 0.080" to 0.20" (2.0mm to 5.0mm). They define toe-in as "the amount by which the distance between the front inside edges of the road wheels (measured at hub height) is less then the diametrically opposite distance measured between the rear inside edges of the front road wheels", and goes into some detail about making the adjustment. They suggest making a simple tool to make the appropriate measurement, which I think I'll throw together this weekend, just to check. I'm thinking several lengths of 1/2" pipe, some elbows, and some bolts might make something useful. I'll let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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