All it takes is a tape measurer. First measure from the center of the Front and rear hub/axle one one side, and the other. They should be close, within a eight or quarter (which is pushing it) and the from the ball joints to a common hole (There will be holes that should be in about the same place on each side) on that side of the front subframe. This can save a lot of time and money to find why a car pulls after being aligned. If slightly out of whack, alignment can tempolally compensate for this ( camber wise if one side is shorter than the other). Good Luck.

 

or the control arms are bent?

 

or the bushings are bad, or the control arm is bent(like above), or the axle housing is bent, or the spindle is bent, etc... Those measurements will tell you that you have a problem, but not that it is a bent frame(subframe/unibody in the case of thirdgens)

 

I've taken my car in to get aligned before, when I got it back it seemed to drift more than before. I took it back a couple days later and they checked it out and said the alignment was good. They said it might be tire pull, where the bands in the tire begin to seperate causing the car to pull, but the tires are only like a year old if that. I have new ball joints, idler arm, center link and poly bushings all around also new shocks and struts. I'm not buying the tire pull bit. The car only has 75,000 miles on it, what could it be?

 

Think for a second guys, everything you said can be eliminated. I'd hope you could find a bad bushing
Rear axle- Measure from centerline of axle to rear of fender lip. Then spin tire 180* and repeat. If different- axle, if still off- tube
Spindle- measure balljoint toframe, and center of hub to the back of fender. If balljoint is good, and other is bad -spindle. If both bad control arm. The center of hub to the fender lip will also help confirm a control arm.There are numerous more that you should be able to think of. This is actually pretty accurate and is better than paying a couple hundred to be put on a rack just because you are curious or lookng at car to buy. I'm not saying tis is the final word and as good as a rack, but it will tell you if you should put it ona rack.

 

well you could also just spray a puddle of water in front of your garage and drive through it ... if the path of the rear wheels is not exactly the same as the fronts (if the water trail is wider than your tires) then you prolly have a bent frame. thats how we do it in hawaii lol j/k

 

HAha Next week I'll tell you how to straiten them with a come along, a telephone pole, and a big hammer. J/K

 

.

 

You think you're real funny, huh, turningfast?
My brother who used to be a mechanic actually saw this done at a bodyshop (which, coincidentally, is no longer in business) with a come along, a pipe fence (i think), and a chain.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

 

P.S. My Iroc is 2.5" shorter on the right side wheel base than the left. Is that an option or was it standard on all '86 models???

 

There is nothing funny about it. I helped to do this a month ago on a car that whacked a curb at 40 mph. It's not a recommended way to do it though, a rack is more accurate.

 

PS
How do you think a frame shop measures and fixes this? It's just they use a more accurate method.

 

I would have to agree with turningfast of course that was the method back in the day, now they put it on a rack and use lasers, at least the good shops do.

 

i work at a body shop and what's wrong w/a good tree and a come along???? j/k
nah gotta put it up on the frame machine.......You can X out the engine compartment to see if your twisted in the front..I'm not frame a guy but have learned alittle from being in the shop. Just find 2 points diganal from eachother and measure them. Then do the same 2 points on the other side. Just make sure that your making an X over the top of the engine. The 2 measurements shold be the same if not you've got troubles. Don't think i explained this to well, sorry guys.

 

Seen it done all the time though I work off of a Shark Rack 98% of the time, this does happen in the shop for minor pulls. I dont think because a shop did this that the whole reason they went out of business. As it states above those little holes in your frame. Those are there for a reason, there is no need to measure off suspension components. Thats just dumb in my opinoin. Use the holes (factory refrence points) to measure diagnolly for measurement of a bent frame.

 

Measuring off of suspension components is not dumb if you want to find if control arms are bent or the axle is cocked, without a rack.