Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898285
08/24/15 01:03 PM
08/24/15 01:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 836 Up a holler, down a crick
booger
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 836
Up a holler, down a crick
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I bought a simple kit from Speedway motors and made turn plates from pieces of masonite with grease between. Did the toe adjustment with a tape measure.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Economy-Caster-Camber-Gauge,2699.html
I paid a local shop to do the alignment first, told the guy I wanted as much caster as possible. Moron didn't understand that means as much as you can get with both sides being the same. I ended up with a car that would run in circles.
Chasing bears through the woods drunk with a dull hatchet is strongly not advised
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898287
08/24/15 01:09 PM
08/24/15 01:09 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,589 Norwich CT USA
moparts
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,589
Norwich CT USA
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Done my own alignments for years now.
Amazing how nice my Challenger drives compared to friends so called professional aligned cars
Over the years collected a magnetic caster/ camber gauge, Old style alignment shop type.
Turntables and use some wood boards and tape measure for toe
Tom ,
2011 Ram 3500 C&C Diesel 2009 Challenger R/T 1971 Challenger Conv. 511/4 speed 1970 Challenger R/T 503/727
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898320
08/24/15 02:15 PM
08/24/15 02:15 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,560 So Cal
autoxcuda
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,560
So Cal
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It will work in theory. But.. You'll need to hook that onto the spindle accurately with the wheel on with the load of the car for it to be practical. For me, some disk hubs don't have flat machined surfaces around the snout of their bearing housings. And sometimes there is very little room in there next to an aluminum rim. Like a Crager or Torque Thrust with a raised area around the spindle. And there really isn't a flat surface on the tip of the spindle. So I went up to the rim clamp version. About $240 on amazon. It was expensive, but within that I did gain a digital angle finder tool that I can use for carpentry, pinion angle, or whatever. The angle finder just magnetically sits in the tool. Just pulls right off to use for whatever. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VAS...A1J30JMN22XACTH
Last edited by autoxcuda; 08/24/15 04:47 PM.
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898331
08/24/15 02:28 PM
08/24/15 02:28 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,560 So Cal
autoxcuda
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,560
So Cal
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I used two melamine board with grease between them for turnplates. Just cause we had them. Sheet metal will work fine too. IIRC, we got the caster to around 3 degrees. Not bad with the K-frame to body spacers and the high ride height. It's manual steer, so didn't want much more anyways. It has moog 7103 offset bushings. We set toe with a tape measure to within 1/16" Can drive down highway and let go of wheel and will drive straight. Not bad for tiny bias ply tires on a Hemi Dart.
Last edited by autoxcuda; 08/24/15 02:35 PM.
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898364
08/24/15 03:14 PM
08/24/15 03:14 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312 Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
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I need to align a couple cars and would like to do it myself. Don't trust local shops anymore with the old stuff. Building tools, etc, not a problem. Doing some google searches and just looking any advice on what to do or not, etc.Low buck is my middle name here so I'm not going to buy a $400 kit.
Thanks. I spent 200 bucks on this tool. It was a good investment. Fast trax is what it's called. It helps you do all three settings including toe. Works well! I leveled my turn plates side to side. Turn plates are 14 ga steel with grease in between them. They were scrap and free. That's all it takes on our old cars. I've done 4 cars now and drove plenty of miles, works reAL GOOD AND IS NICE TO MAKE CHANGES AND GO DRIVE THE CAR AND feel the changes. Then It's nice to recheck and make sure it's not changing. Buy your own tool is so worth it and don't have any bozos driving your car after they try to align it.
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: GomangoCuda]
#1898438
08/24/15 04:35 PM
08/24/15 04:35 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312 Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Yup, Grease is no mess and keeps the plates together for storage. Don't have to regrease them when I used them 4 times so far. I don't want salt on my floor when I'm done and go to move the plates/tiles.
Last edited by Challenger 1; 08/24/15 05:30 PM.
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: 80fbody]
#1898474
08/24/15 05:23 PM
08/24/15 05:23 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312 Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
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That's another issue. The shops want you to drop your car off for the day. I'm like hell no. Thus I haven't gotten it aligned yet. I always made a Saturday appointment and I stayed with my car. They had a real old guy do it, he only worked a couple days a week and 1/2 day Saturday was one of them. The shop is right across the street from my shop and we know each other. I got to watch and go for the test drive with the old mechanic driving the car after the alignment. He did a OK job I think? But how could I ever know one way or another other by how the car drove. That's all the mechanic was looking for. Now I am much more picky about my setup, it's not stock. When he retired altogether is when I bought the tool. Should have bought it 10 years earlier, been much easier and cheaper. My alignment "rack" lol
Last edited by Challenger 1; 08/24/15 05:46 PM.
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Re: DIY Alignment Ideas?
[Re: BigBlockMopar]
#1898505
08/24/15 06:20 PM
08/24/15 06:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346 Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi
Penguin-hating Ginger
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Penguin-hating Ginger
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
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There are Apps for that. Pretty much every modern smartphone can be used as a angle finder.
Tremec has a cool driveshaft/trans/diff angle one too I've used a few times now. The most tricky part is being able to mount the phone securely/square
What if you get a call in the middle of an alignment? New voicemail idea... Hi, this is Jeff...sorry I can't answer your call but I am setting my camber at the moment. Leave a number and I'll call you back when I am at 3/4 of a degree negative.
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