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car dogtracking #744689 07/10/10 11:32 AM 07/10/10 11:32 AM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota C correctdirection OP member
correctdirection OP member C Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota	My car is dogtracking, many people have been telling me this. I just put cal trac springs and bars on, was using super stock springs car run straight. What i was wanting to know is how do you measure to make sure rearend is square. Car was aligned springs was only change made. Thanks for any input.

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744690 07/10/10 11:46 AM 07/10/10 11:46 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,924 A collage of whims topside Too Many Posts
topside Too Many Posts Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,924 A collage of whims	Jack it up, get the rear wheels off, and start comparing measurements side to side: axle centering pin to a location forward & rearward (look for body-dimension holes in the rails). Measure the wheelbase both sides. Measure the front sections of each spring. Sounds like the rearend isn't square in the car. If it's dog-tracking, you should notice having to turn the steering wheel to make the car go straight.

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744691 07/10/10 12:32 PM 07/10/10 12:32 PM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota C correctdirection OP member
correctdirection OP member C Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota	Is the wheelbase the same side to side? Someone told me that it is sometimes different

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744692 07/10/10 12:43 PM 07/10/10 12:43 PM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,527 PA moparacer master
moparacer master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,527 PA	I have went though this with my car before and the only way I found to get it close to perfect is to jack it up and level it, find the chassis centerline and chalk-line it on the floor, then snap a perpendicular line off of that, then drop a plumbob and string off the axle centerlines. I know its a pain but its the only way to get it perfect. 67 Barracuda street/bracket car 11.27-119 68 Dart 502 BB 8.70s-152 414 cid SB Dragster 7.65-174

Re: car dogtracking [Re: moparacer] #744693 07/10/10 01:04 PM 07/10/10 01:04 PM
Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,506 Az Crizila master
Crizila master Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,506 Az	Quote: I have went though this with my car before and the only way I found to get it close to perfect is to jack it up and level it, find the chassis centerline and chalk-line it on the floor, then snap a perpendicular line off of that, then drop a plumbob and string off the axle centerlines. I know its a pain but its the only way to get it perfect. Went through this proceedure with a 69 Camaro I was restoring ( unibody with a seperate front clip ) a few years back. Borrowed a frame checking tool from my local body shop which made it much easier. It addresses issues like "Zee'ed" / bent frames that you would otherwise not pick up. Especially important if the car has been hit or has had frame repair in the past. Essentially what you are doing is making sure that the part of the car that all the other stuff is bolted to is straight. Fastest 300

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744694 07/10/10 02:19 PM 07/10/10 02:19 PM
Joined: Jun 2003 Posts: 52,972 Romeo MI MR_P_BODY Master
MR_P_BODY Master Joined: Jun 2003 Posts: 52,972 Romeo MI	Quote: Is the wheelbase the same side to side? Someone told me that it is sometimes different Is this a A-body... A-bodies have a wider front than the rears and will make it look like its tracking weird... have to look at both sides while its going down the road

Re: car dogtracking [Re: MR_P_BODY] #744695 07/10/10 02:35 PM 07/10/10 02:35 PM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota C correctdirection OP member
correctdirection OP member C Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota	yes it is a 68 Dart. Car is definatly dogtracking.I just cant figure out why it started. Car never done it with superstock springs.

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744696 07/10/10 02:42 PM 07/10/10 02:42 PM
Joined: Jun 2003 Posts: 52,972 Romeo MI MR_P_BODY Master
MR_P_BODY Master Joined: Jun 2003 Posts: 52,972 Romeo MI	Quote: yes it is a 68 Dart. Car is definatly dogtracking.I just cant figure out why it started. Car never done it with superstock springs. Most of the time the rear end is not straight... measure the axle to the front spring mounts to see if its equal you could have different length springs

Re: car dogtracking [Re: MR_P_BODY] #744697 07/10/10 02:46 PM 07/10/10 02:46 PM
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 179 Auburn, Indiana The Duster member
The Duster member Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 179 Auburn, Indiana	A friend of mine had the same problem. Ended up being broken centering pins, which allowed the rear to move around under hard load.

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744698 07/10/10 02:48 PM 07/10/10 02:48 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,521 Richmond Va, KeislerTKO 60... V VanishPt master
VanishPt master V Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,521 Richmond Va, KeislerTKO 60...	Roll to a stop with the wheels as straight ahead as you can get them. Then wrap a string all the way around the car ( at axle height ) using the tires as the wrap point. Look at how the string touches the sidewall at the leading edge of each rear tire. The side with the gap is to the front. You can then try shimming that side You can see a 1/16" of an inch change doing this. I had to shim one hanger back 1/4" on my Challenger

Re: car dogtracking [Re: MR_P_BODY] #744699 07/10/10 02:58 PM 07/10/10 02:58 PM
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota C correctdirection OP member
correctdirection OP member C Joined: May 2009 Posts: 39 south dakota	Checked springs both are same length, centering pins are there, pins a little smaller than hole in perch but have played with that and made no difference. I have kept close eye on that thinking that was the problem but doesnt appear to be. thanks again for all input

Re: car dogtracking [Re: correctdirection] #744700 07/10/10 03:05 PM 07/10/10 03:05 PM
Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 12,339 somwhere S smokinwoody I Live Here
smokinwoody I Live Here S Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 12,339 somwhere	I use a Laser...car/chassis center line...then measure off the Laser lines...after that I take the car/s in for a 4 wheel alignment.. Lasers are cheap

Re: car dogtracking [Re: smokinwoody] #744701 07/10/10 03:27 PM 07/10/10 03:27 PM
Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,506 Az Crizila master
Crizila master Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,506 Az	Don't want to be an alarmist, and I agree with checking the easy stuff first, but it sounds like you are getting past that point. Also don't know how much HP you are making ( assume a lot more than the A body was intended to handle if you are going to Cal-tracs). When all your suspension checks are good, you should start looking at the frame. Any slight wrinkles in the trunk floor or rear fenders around the fender wells are tell-tail signs. Fastest 300

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