SPC Fasttrax alignment guage

[badazz81z28]

Anyone have and use one of these? Is it worth the $150 rather than taking the car to the local shop?

[SR71]

while I cannot comment on the fasttrax gauge itself, I can say that being able to do you own alignment work is a really good thing. you don't have to worry about finding a shop to align to your custom specs as many only want to do factory specs.

a friend's set-up (turntables, c/c gauge and toe plates) currently resides in my garage and I make good use of it. I don't have to worry about someone doing a hackjob on my alignment or have to take their word that it is to my specs. the only hack to blame is me.

[Rick Dorion]

I have it and feel it's worth it. I also bought a set of turntables off ebay. I now have used it 6-8 times so it's paid for itself. And I like being able to play with settings without paying a shop every time. Go for it.

[nicks67camaro]

I own one...I have done multiple alignments on my 67 after every change I've done to the front suspension. The car tracks like a professional alignment with no abnormal wear. I have also done a couple friends cars. Once you get the hang of it its super easy and rewarding.

[critter]

Yes, what they said. I borrowed one and had the results checked by a shop. It was surprisingly accurate.

[Roadbuster]

Yep I have one and used it to set my alignment and then had it checked by a shop. It is accurate. The hardest for me to set was the proper toe. The camber and caster were spot on.

[dhutton]

I have one and it seems to work well but don't waste your money on the toe attachment. Get a set of toe plates.

[Norm Peterson]

Is it worth the $150 rather than taking the car to the local shop?
Like SR71 said, being able to DIY your alignments is a skill well worth having. Especially if you wanted to work up one set of alignment specs for autocross and track days and a much less aggressive set for the rest of the time.

Don't forget that you'll always have the gauge, and you'll always be able to check and/or adjust the alignment on any car you'll ever have.


Norm

[rocketrod]

I have one and it seems to work well but don't waste your money on the toe attachment. Get a set of toe plates.
Can you recommend a set of toe plates?

[dhutton]

I bought these ones, seem to work fine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toe-Plates-/170734863619?hash=item27c0974503&item=170734863619&pt=Race_Car_Parts&vxp=mtr

Don

[Randy67]

Toe plates would be easier, but it is possible to set tow with the Fasttrax. I have used mine on several vehicles with great results. I have less problems with tire wear than I did with the local alignment shops. It's so hard to find good shops anymore so you might as well do it yourself. I do need to get some turntables, would make the caster setting much easier.

[dhutton]

I read where someone made some turntables by putting grease between two large commercial floor tiles. Harbor Freight used to sell some low cost turntables.

Don

[68camotion]

Hmm how often do you align the car anyway is the balance of cost to amount of use worth it.

[Norm Peterson]

At $80 for a standard alignment (Firestone, per their online pricing for my area) the second time you use it is already starting to pay you back. The second car that you use it on puts you way ahead of the game against their "lifetime alignment" arrangement ($170).

How much more often would you just check the alignment if you didn't have to pay anything at all (keeping in mind that the cost in terms of time spent doing your own check would be about a wash against the time spent in some waiting room plus the travel time to get there)?

What's it worth to know for absolute fact that the non-standard alignment you're asking for is what you're actually getting? Or that if you discover that you don't like those settings for any reason that there's no money involved in trying different settings?

Times how many cars that you'll ever own?


The last car of mine that I ever paid to have aligned - was sold about 30 years ago.


Norm

[Simmo]

And if you get a kick out of setting stuff up yourself, and being able to try various settings and see how it affects the cars performance, and gaining the knowledge to be able to set it up just how you like it.

Hipocrite though as I'm paying for the shop to do one tomorrow...but only because mines still in a container somewhere in the pacific.

[SSTuner]

I have one along with the extensions since I do alignments on my lifted 2500HD, my son has used for his 87 Monte Carlos SS because NTB could not alignment because the tech didn't understand the removal and adding shims theory. It's payed for itself already.

[JRouche]

I have to agree with all the comments here.

Ill be honest, a front end alignment done at home by me was something I thought I could never do, or not as precise as the pros in a shop.

But after some reading and realizing that unless I provided the shop with the numbers I needed they were just gonna align it to the specs of the car that the suspension is built from (a Mustang II in my case). Those numbers wont work for my car.

So I started shopping. The SPC Fasttrax and the Longacre gauges were what I saw that looked like the ticket. But the money was a lil short :(

I needed some aluminum welding practice and had two digital levels on hand along with some aluminum stock so decided to attempt to make some gauges. They looked simple enough. I already had some heavy duty turn plates I scored and rebuilt. They allow for turn and side to side and fore and aft movement. Its like the tires are on ice. Removes all suspension bind and allows for free movement of the tire contact patch under load. A must if you are doing an alignment. Free floating tire patch to the ground. And YES!! I think the greased floor tiles will get you there also, no need for expensive turn plates. The turn plates were just a tool rebuild that is part of my hobby.

And even if you dont use the floor tiles for turn plates they do come in handy to level the car. My garage floor was off by about a 1.5" on one side up front and 1" on the other, from front to rear. I used some tiles to level the car out on my garage floor.

Now the gauges? I think they are well within affordability. Like what was said. An alignment is gonna cost 80 or so bucks anyway. But you leave there with only ONE alignment. Add one more over the years or over another car and the gauge kinda pays for itself.

I think it would be a good investment for you. And you might actually have fun doing your own alignment.

Now, not trying to hijack the thread, just trying to show that if a guy has some extra metal hanging out and not much extra cash you too can make your own alignment gauge. I DO like the gauges sold, they look to be very nice tools. And if I had the money I would have went that route.

But... I made some of my own. Its in aluminum because thats what I had. Steel would work also. And it could even be a much simpler tool. Even if you didnt have a welder it could be a bolt together tool.

Ill show the tool in the next post so as not to take away from the original thought, purchasing the SPC Fasttrax tool. I think it IS money well spent. But Im the type that thinks ANY tool is well spent money. Specially a tool that keeps some money in yer pocket VS sending the work out. It looks like a quality tool and IMO go for it. JR

[JRouche]

So, the homemade gauge... Most of them work with wheels that have a lip to capture the arms. My wheels dont have a lip. So I was gonna have to make one for my wheels. I though about making one that would set on the spokes of the wheels. That was gonna be my first choice. Then I saw a hub mounted one from Longacre.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/05/LA-1.jpg

That looked like the sweet setup. Theirs is a magnet mounted one. No good for me, I have all aluminum. But I saw that my Wilwood brake hubs have a threaded cap and hub. Perfect!!! So the measuring and building began...

Oh, and their setup is just a toe gauge, but you can buy an adapter to use it with their digital camber/caster gauge. I had a couple of new SPI digital protractors hanging around waiting for a use. So here is the use.

So it started out with me measuring the thread of the brake hub cap. Once that was set I needed to make an adapter for the hub. All the stock used was on hand so I didnt make it as custom as it could be, just using material that was on the shelf in my house garage. And its just a tool, not jewelry :)

I needed alot of clearance on the inside of the thread to clear the castle nut and spindle. So alot of aluminum got hogged out.

Why the spacers? Back to material on hand. I happened to have a 2" bar that when split in half was just too short to clear the sidewall of the tires. So spacers were needed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/a-1.jpg


Next was a housing for the digital protractors.

So I cut some plates of aluminum and clamped them up for welding. The beads weren't too bad. I HATE grinding welds down, it shows that the weld wasn't very nice. Well you get the idea, I ground down my welds LOL

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/c-1.jpg


Next was the vertical bars for the toe gauge. Simple cutting, drilling and sanding.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/d-2.jpg

The lower cross bars for the toe gauge. My car has 26" diameter tires so the lower bars are 26" long for proper toe setup.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/e-1.jpg

All the bits and pieces done.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/f-1.jpg

This is how the digital levels set in the boxes. They are captured by small set screws that align with the Vee on the body of them. Keeps them from flopping out. The reference plane that is tight to the vertical plane is the bottom of the box. When I welded the box up I made sure the upper and lower plates of the box were perfectly square with the end plate that mates to the round spacer.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/g-1.jpg


Then when assembled off the car this is what the whole thing looks like.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/h-1.jpg

To mount it to the car the spud goes on first.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/i-1.jpg

Then the 3/4" bolt is put into the box before the protractor and thread the entire assembly to the car.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/j-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/k-1.jpg

Ok... Now the sweet part of this rig. The toe measuring. Thats why I made two of these fixtures. Hook a tape on the right side of the car and measure the left side. Its really nice. The lines are sharp enough that you can get a toe reading to within a 1/32" if you need to. And the lower arms dont flex during measuring. Its pretty stout.


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/m-1.jpg


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/l-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/n-1.jpg

You see the turn plates under there. They are a must IMO. But some slippery tiles will work.


Anyway, this alignment tool can be made by anyone with some simple tools. And even easier if you have a lipped wheel. No need to go with a hub mount. JR

[BPDRacing]

JRouche,

Very nice. You call it simple, cheap and and anyone can do it. I call it well thought out, cost effecient and proffesional. Either way it turned out amazing.

BPD

[SSTuner]

What a "piece of art". Thanks

[John S]

I too have the Fast Trax tool, I also picked up a set of turntables from HF a few years ago and a toe gauge. I was able to muddle through the alignment after setting my suspension up but have only done it twice. I need more practice to really get comfortable with it.

What I would like to see is a list of tips and tricks for doing home alignments. maybe you guys with more experience can share some knowledge? One thing that still confuses me is setting the alignment with adjustable upper A Arms? I have adjustments on the front and rear of the arms and get confused on which side to adjust.
Another thing I think would be useful is setting the suspension up at baseline, by this I mean setting everything adjusted to the center of the car, front and rear tires lined up properly front to rear then making the front adjustments.
Am I off base on this?
Also, I did not mean to highjack the thread so if this is worth of it;s own thread feel free to move it.
Thanks All.

[Norm Peterson]

What I would like to see is a list of tips and tricks for doing home alignments. maybe you guys with more experience can share some knowledge? One thing that still confuses me is setting the alignment with adjustable upper A Arms? I have adjustments on the front and rear of the arms and get confused on which side to adjust.
Adding or subtracting shims equally will affect camber without causing caster to shift. Unequal changes in the shim stacks affects caster and will generally cause changes in camber as well. So if you go after caster first, once you get that set it'll only be a matter of adding or subtracting equal thicknesses of shims to put the camber where you want it.



Another thing I think would be useful is setting the suspension up at baseline, by this I mean setting everything adjusted to the center of the car, front and rear tires lined up properly front to rear then making the front adjustments.
Assuming that you have the ability to adjust the rear axle for lateral location and thrust angle, yes.


Norm

[John S]

Adding or subtracting shims equally will affect camber without causing caster to shift. Unequal changes in the shim stacks affects caster and will generally cause changes in camber as well. So if you go after caster first, once you get that set it'll only be a matter of adding or subtracting equal thicknesses of shims to put the camber where you want it.



Assuming that you have the ability to adjust the rear axle for lateral location and thrust angle, yes.


Norm

Norm,
In the case of a solid rear axle car such as my Monte is there any benefit to knowing just how much difference there is in the rear track from the front?

[69496]

Sorry to ask another question but this thread has convinced me to do my alignment myself. I looked around a little bit and the alignment gauges I found only work on either steel wheels or step lip wheels. What is out there that will work with soft lip wheels?

[Norm Peterson]

Norm,
In the case of a solid rear axle car such as my Monte is there any benefit to knowing just how much difference there is in the rear track from the front?
If nothing else, it would help you set up parallel strings if that's your method for checking toe. With the strings, you can also check rear toe, which may not be precisely zero like you might think.


Norm

[Norm Peterson]

Sorry to ask another question but this thread has convinced me to do my alignment myself. I looked around a little bit and the alignment gauges I found only work on either steel wheels or step lip wheels. What is out there that will work with soft lip wheels?
With care, something like this, with a steel or aluminum extension of appropriate length, ought to work. Worst case, you might have to add some blocks to stand the whole thing out past any bulging wheel centers or spokes. You do have to be careful to keep the angle finder 'plumb' as seen in side view, so a steel angle will let you stick a magnetic level to it for better than an "eyeball vertical".

55286


Norm

[a67]

What I do for the toe setting is to use laser levels. The small ones that project a vertical line/beam. Set them on a jack stand even with the center of the rim, one on each side at the rear of the car. Shooting the beam toward the front of the car.

Using a metal 6" rule they are set parallel to the rear wheels. Then adjust the front toe making it square with the rear axle. A tip is to use something to hold the steering wheel while doing this. Otherwise the steering wheel can move and you end up with it being off-center.

The parallel string method also works, but I kept tripping over the strings. And doing a rear-steer car (aka, 1st gen f-body), they are in the way (even more so).

Turntables make a world of difference. Until I obtained a set I was unable to get repeatable and decent results.

Bob.

[JRouche]

Sorry to ask another question but this thread has convinced me to do my alignment myself. I looked around a little bit and the alignment gauges I found only work on either steel wheels or step lip wheels. What is out there that will work with soft lip wheels?

Hey Mike. I have the "soft lip wheel" also. Thats one of the reasons I made my hub mounted rig. I think longacre sells a hub mount for their various systems. Might give them a look. JR

[JRouche]

Thank you Sir. Its always nice to get a lil confidence build from my peers!! As I muddle through the next step in the MASSIVE learning curve that IS wrenching on cars :) Im a Newbie. First time car monkey, wrenchin on cars, learning every day and having a LOAD of fun!!! JR