i got new strut mounts (hotparts.com), intrax 2" drop springs, and more than likely Tokico Illuminas...when all this goes together i will need to drive the car (brand new motor that i need to get broken in before i take it to the shop).

are there any tips for getting the alignment close??

has anyone done an alignment themselves in the garage (there was an article in hot rod or car craft)???

TIA

 

What we do at our shop when the techs take of major alignment adjustment parts, like tie rod ends, our strut mounts, etc. Take some white out and put it on the threads of the tie rods, and the adjuster sleeves, and around your strut mounts. when you put it back together ou wil have a reference point at which you can get it very close. If you haven't painted the engine compartment you can use spray paint - same idea. For the toe setting that can be measured with a tape measure, for a temporary use. Measure from the center of the front wheels, side to side. find the center of the vehicle, and get both side as even as possible. Hope it helps!

 

TTT...engine bay has been cut, grinded, bondoed, and painted.

i need to be able to drive the car so i can beat on (break in) the motor before it goes to alignment (and the horrible stop and go traffic on the way there)

 

For camber use a piece of straight wood/anything straight that will sit flush in the upper and lower lips of the wheel. Set the camber slightly negative so the wheel just sticks in on the top visually then use a level on the straightedge and bump the loose strut mount with a soft hammer until it is perfectly even. For caster I've seen one person mark outside the strut mount on the tower the center of the adjustment slot, he tightened the mounts initially in the center and then moved the mounts evenly further back to add to stability, but that didn't seem to work too well but it's simple and kinda gets the job done. For toe, measuring tape on the front and rear of the tires. It's easy to stick one end in the tread and hold it with tape while you go to the other side. Try to make the front and rear measurements the same. It's a rough alignment, but can make it semi streetable. Just make sure you roll the car after every adjustment and check them to see that they're the same and make any corrections. BTW, this isn't technically safe so don't blame me for anything. It's just what I've seen works in a bind.

 

Sounds good to me...I just don't want my alignment guy starting the car a couple times for short trips. I would like to get at least 50 hard miles on the car so everything is semi broken in.

I havn't touched the tie rods at all so hopefully my toe will be okay but ive got new shocks and springs and the new camber/caster plates that will need to be lined up.

 

The toe is going to change when the caster and camber changes.

 

damn...

 

You can eye ball the camber settings pretty close, within a 1/2*, I would just set the caster settings both the same on the plates and not worry about them untill you get to the shop. The most important thing to get right is the toe, too much one way or another will wear a tire pretty bad even in 50 miles, and toe out can be scarry if you have to slam on the brakes. I've gotten the toe pretty darn close with two tape measures, just make sure you and your buddy are measureing the same distance off the ground and err on the side of toe in, it's much more stable than toe out. I made a cheap and easy toe guage out of PVC pipe, I can get the toe within a 1/32 and it's very repeatable. I can set the toe come back a week later and it will still read the same as it did the first time. I also have a longacre caster camber guage, this is nice and if you have a way to do toe it's all you need to do your own alignments. Maybe I'll post up some pics if I can find some time.

 

Thanks. I would appreciate it (if you are able to). I had a feeling Toe was the biggest problem with alignments...last time i tore the suspension down i couldn't make any right turns without serious tire squealing.

About how much will the toe be affected if I havn't touched the tie rods but installed new springs, struts, and strut mounts (if its even possible to guess)?

 

Could be as much as a 1/4" per side with the caster camber plates. It seriously isn't that hard to get your toe within an 1/8 with two tape measures and a friend. Heck my father in law set his toe on his work van that way and has been driving it for months like that.

 

Thanks again...I'm starting to feel better but last time I tore it down it was so bad it makes me worry. I guess I'll just have to spend a lot more time eyeballing it. Because if the alignment guy somehow screwed up my new motor I would be...