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    Results 1 to 7 of 7
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Nov 2010
      Location
      Ventura County CA
      Posts
      556
      Country Flag: United States

      DIY Alignment: Am I doing it right?

      For my car, I can easily check camber by placing my angle cube on the end of the hub. From my research I understand caster can also be measured this way, but requires a bit more work to sweep the tires through a suitable steering angle. After looking at different tools and methods, I came up with a method and explain it in the following YouTube video. I'd love to get feedback on whether this method is correct and if there's anything I might need to do differently.




      In summary:
      - Start with suspension settled and car steering ahead
      - Drive onto folded-over trashbags to use as slip plates
      - Place tape on the ground parallel to the wheels to denote zero steering angle
      - Place tape on he ground 20degrees in either direction from zero steering angle using a protractor
      - Turn wheel 20 degrees one direction, measure camber, then repeat in other direction
      - Take the difference in camber measurements and multiply by 1.5 to get caster
      - Subtract driveway/garage floor slope (assumes car is level left to right, but driveway slopes down toward rear of car)

      I got the multiplication factor for the +/-20deg steering sweep based on the instructions for the Watkins Smart Camber tool which can be found here:
      https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...14+7-20-19.pdf
      Clint - '70 Nova "restomod" cruiser & autocross family car

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Nov 2011
      Location
      Wylie, Texas
      Posts
      279
      Country Flag: United States
      That's pretty much how I did it as well, but I used 30* angle and my multiplier was 2 instead of 1.5. For me the limiting factor was the camber. So what I learned was to just get as much caster as I possibly could while still maintaining the desired camber.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Nov 2010
      Location
      Ventura County CA
      Posts
      556
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks for the reply. I assume when you say 30* you mean a 30* sweep meaning 15* left to 15* right. I did a 40* sweep by going 20* left to 20* right.

      I also picked up some Longacre toe plates for measuring toe. I am really happy with these!

      Clint - '70 Nova "restomod" cruiser & autocross family car

    4. #4
      Join Date
      May 2003
      Location
      St. Charles, Mo
      Posts
      424

      DYI alignment

      This is an okay start for an alignment. This method won't take into affect the thrust line and you won't be able to set a level steering wheel and none of the adjustments will be as accurate as using a computer aided alignment machine.

      I'd suggest finding a local alignment shop who will let you work with them to set up the alignment per your specifications not the manufactures. They should also be able to set up a user specific alignment spec for you and your cars and save them for future alignment checks.

      I'm an engineer and design wheel alignment equipment. I set up my Nova at home using a similar method and then brought it in to work to get the steering wheel straight and the rack centered, and the thrust line adjusted.
      Dennis Linson

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Nov 2010
      Location
      Ventura County CA
      Posts
      556
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks for the kind reply. Unfortunately it's not financially feasible for me to go to an alignment shop every time I want to adjust between street and autocross/track alignment. Do you think a string alignment could be used to help with steering wheel centering and thrust line adjustment?
      Clint - '70 Nova "restomod" cruiser & autocross family car

    6. #6
      Join Date
      May 2003
      Location
      St. Charles, Mo
      Posts
      424

      DYI alignment

      The thrust line alignment is based on the direction the rear end is pointing. The string method is going off of the geometric center-line. Whenever you make a change to camber and caster, it will change the toe. Do you have a way to adjust the rear end or does it still have leaf springs on the back?

      you could have the alignment set at a shop then go home and do a string alignment and record all the measurements. That way you can make a camber/caster change then adjust the toe back to the original measurements. You may want to play with adjusting toe out for better turn in but make sure it is done equally on both side. It will probably get twitchy on the road and wear out the tires faster.

      You could also do a center-line string alignment then take it out for a test drive. If the steering wheel is off, you can make small adjustments in toe on both sides in the same direction until you get the wheel level. Again record those measurements for future reference.
      Dennis Linson

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Nov 2010
      Location
      Ventura County CA
      Posts
      556
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks Dennis. I was thinking to use the strings to measure the rear wheel toe on each side to see how off axis the rear end is. Then I could match the same offset up front so the front and rear tires are tracking in parallel. But ultimately I would do a road test and readjust the left/right to get the steering wheel straight. Definitely this has it's limitations, but I don't think it's that critical to have a straight steering wheel as long as the car tracks straight.

      I have leaf springs out back so my only options to adjust the rear end is to loosen the front spring perches and move them around within the hole clearances. I don't think it's worth the effort though if the car is tracking straight with a minor mismatch of tie rod length left to right. I'm not expecting my car to be perfectly square.

      Clint - '70 Nova "restomod" cruiser & autocross family car






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