Need help how to set caster camber do I need the car on the ground or could I put it on jack stands? Can I put a level on the disc or do I have to have the wheel on? On the left side the tire is out on the top do both of the top an bottom need to be level? Then do I adjust the strut tower or the tie rod end? I know this is not the proper way but just to get it right enough to get it to the alignment shop. Thanks .

 

To set caster / camber you will need to move the upper strut mounts.

You need perfectly level ground to set the alignment properly; but if your just trying to get it to an alignment shop then I guess it does not need to be perfectly level. (but no jack stands)

Lastly what your attempting to do with out the proper tools / knowledge is very crude. Your car will handle like crap and your tire wear will be hellatious!
I'm not trying to sound sanctimonious; My point of my second paragraph is to let you know that this is in no way a "short fix alignment". You should not drive very far with it aligned improperly.

 

If you have to, have it trailered to an alignment shop if the alignment is out that badly. Because of how the top of the strut is adjusted, both caster and camber are sort of done at the same time on third gens. There's a special tool that holds the top of the strut by the top of the fender. This allows the camber to stay in position while the caster is being adjusted. Without the tool, you can't set one without screwing up the other adjustment.

Camber isn't hard to figure out but special tools or an alignment rack is required to know how much caster there is.

 

Yes it has to be aligned on level ground with the suspension loaded. If you've just set the car down you will want to roll it back and forth a few feet to settle things. When i replaced all my steering and front suspension i did an alignment purely by eyeball just to get it to the alignment shop. When they hooked up the machine, all but one spec was within range. the one that wasn't green was right on the edge.

If you try eyeballing it, do the caster 1st, you should be able to get away with just pushing the strut mounts towards the firewall as far as they'll go.

2nd, set camber. The strut mounts can be difficult to move with the suspension loaded. just get the wheel as straight as you can. you could probably use a level if you want.

Set toe last. make sure steering wheel is straight i looked down the side of the car to compare the angle of the front wheels to the rear wheels and adjusted accordingly.

Make sure everything is tight and DO NOT drive anywhere other than the alignment shop This method worked for me.