Home alignment tools/kits.

[Halle Terry]

Just wondering if anyone has got a kit/set of tools they use for alignments?

As part of my grand plan of making my once practical car as impractical as possible, my car is apparently too low to perform alignments on haha.

Currently as it stands, my car strangely gained about 15 degrees of toe-out over the weekend, how it happened I don't know.

So anyone got any links to kits/tools that I can purchase to do them at home? I figured in the long run it would be worth while as I can fiddle with the settings as often as I want.

[Milhouse]

Piece of string.

And no im not trying to be funny, you can do a pretty good alignment with a straight edge and piece of string

[Kaido]

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Chassis_Set_Up_Equipment/1235

--->

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Chassis_Set_Up_Equipment/Wheel_Alignment_Products/1243

have everything from the really cheap stuff to the really $$$ stuff

[RICEY]

Not hard to get a low car on the alignment hoist with a bit of effort, sounds like whoever you went to just cbf traying a little harder than normal.

[mc68]

string line it :)

nothing can be more accurate than a ruler

[Lump]

john fowler had (has?) the best alignment machine/setup ive seen for low cars - no ramps/hoist at all

[coFF33]

piece of string + eye

have you replaced your bent/broken bits yet?

[mys1]

Measure camber and castor to check its right and string/measuring tape for toe.

The actually theory is quite easy, KPI angles and what not can be tricky without the right gear, but im pretty sure you dont care with your lack of ride hieght and minimal driveability anyway....

[Mofo]

as above, providing you dont need a race ready alignment, jack the car up, take a strut out and disconnect your sway and have a play.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff47/todd_williams/dump/1-1.gif

[Halle Terry]

john fowler had (has?) the best alignment machine/setup ive seen for low cars - no ramps/hoist at all

Do you have a contact number at all for this bloke?


piece of string + eye

have you replaced your bent/broken bits yet?

Nothing as far as I can tell is broken or fucked, at least nothing crucial.


Not hard to get a low car on the alignment hoist with a bit of effort, sounds like whoever you went to just cbf traying a little harder than normal.

Well I can see from their point of view it would be a bitch to deal with, the exhaust is like 5cm off the ground haha.

[Lump]

could be this, but last time i was at his shop he was in subi - seems he's moved?

Wheels World in Osborne Park. John Fowler on 08 9244 2277

[mr_mike]

as above, providing you dont need a race ready alignment, jack the car up, take a strut out and disconnect your sway and have a play.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff47/todd_williams/dump/1-1.gif

good luck trying to give a car a wheel alignment with the suspension unloaded.

Tools u need are all available at Bunnings or SuperCheap
A straight edge such as a metal rule
String-use this to give you a straight edge from front to rear wheel to measure toe out/in
a degree dial gauge (i forget it correct name) can check camber
tyre chalk just so u can mark the tyre so u always measure in the same spot
Tape measure to measure toe and height.

Do a google search there is a few web sites that run thru what and how.

If ur car is low doing it in ur driveway is going to be a long process as u will need to measure, jack car up, make adjustment, let car down, measure repeat.

[S133LTR]

could be this, but last time i was at his shop he was in subi - seems he's moved?

Wheels World in Osborne Park. John Fowler on 08 9244 2277

Johns at wheels,tyres & more now days (or something similar.. the old speedworks in Carbon crt)

That subi set up has been gone for at least 5 years but its safe to guarantee if its got wheels John and Bob can sort it. Ride height would def not be an issue.

[Lump]

yeah it was quite a few years ago now, it was a wheel allignment machine in a pit, pretty cool setup.

[S133LTR]

Unless you had to park there or drive into the bay.. what a mission!!

[Mofo]

good luck trying to give a car a wheel alignment with the suspension unloaded.If you were referring to my photo, i had the suspension out and the wheels lifted to the same height as when the car is sitting on the ground, i dont see how this is any different to still having the sus in and the car sitting on its own weight during a wheel alignment.


If ur car is low doing it in ur driveway is going to be a long process as u will need to measure, jack car up, make adjustment, let car down, measure repeat.Or you could just measure your ride height, jack car up, remove suspension, d/c sway bars then lift each wheel you want to align with a jack to the same ride height as when the car is under its own weight. Then proceed to do your adjustments. When the car is dropped back on the ground it should be exactly the same as it was in the air.

Like i said earlier, this isnt a solution for proper wheel aligning at home, just a method of experimenting with different configurations easily at home without the drama of multiple trips to your wheel aligner...

[mys1]

Why are you disconecting your sway bar and strut to do an allignment?

Your set up leaves alot to be desired, you have to have the wieght going through the tyres, not the chassis/tyre combo as you have pictured in your photo.

[RICEY]

^^ What he said, as soon as the cars back on the ground all the angles will change.

[Mofo]

you need to d/c the sway to make tucking the wheel easier, otherwise the opposite wheel will want to lift. the sway has nothign to do with alignment anyway.

picking the wheel up with a jack (unless im missing something here) is no different to sitting the car on the ground, perhaps the only difference is your bushes wont be loaded, but unless they are flogged out then the difference should be negligible. the point of contact is the tyre just the same as if it was sitting on the ground, and the wheel and suspension have a fixed trajectory when compressed so i dont see the problem.

ive done this several times and its worked for me hence my arguement.

[mys1]

Its a hacks way, as any home allignment is,

I'd only be adjusting Camber and toe, And i would be doing it on the ground, but hey thats just me..... what would I know....

[Mofo]

dude i know its a hacks way, ive already said it twice, and ill say it a third time now. It isnt a method i would recommend for any kind of serious alignment. However, it is an effective way of experimenting with different configurations.

[Halle Terry]

Ended up just getting professionals to do it.

I fucked around with my tie rods to reduce the insane amount of toe out I had, when I rocked up it still said I had 20mm toe out on the front hahaha,

Also included in the Terry special alignment was fixing my -6 degrees of camber on one side, -4 degrees on the rear etc. Safe to say glad I just got a pro to do it haha.

I went to Bob Janes in Armadale, Ken the manager there is a real top bloke and looked after me. I highly recommend popping down and saying hi to him.

[DCEVO]

^^^ Thanks mate :)