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Cliff - in the 70s my local BL dealer used a metal caliper like yours to track my Maxi, after his hi-tech gadgets and scuff plates failed to do the job properly.
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Sounds like an ideal project for my welding classes!
The last time I had my wheels aligned at a garage, they bodged it up (steering wheel position 10 degrees off centre when going straight). Should have returned car straight away, but was busy. When I did get round to going back (a few days later), I was too late to complain.
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When I did get round to going back (a few days later), I was too late to complain.
No you weren't. They just told you that and lost your custom.
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I have a set of tracking gauges that I bought years ago. Basically 2 pieces of angle steel with elastic straps that hold them to the wheels. There are 'fingers' that sit onto the rims (so that the rest clears the sidewalls) There are also small slots that accomodate the tip of a steel rule. All you then do is hook the rule on at one side and measure across to the edge of the corresponding gauge at the other side. Then same measurement 'behind' the front wheels and work out the difference. It used to work well enough, but I haven't used them for years. Nowadays I leave well alone unless there are obvious signs of poor handling or tyre wear. Perhaps that's not a good idea, but there you go! I think it was made by Gunsons of Colourtune fame. (Yes, I have a Colourtune kit as well - when do you reckon I could sell it as a collector's piece on Ebay?!!)Fascinating gizmo and surprisingly accurate. Not recommended for a diesel C5 of course.........
Graeme (Sad old git of 'Practical Motorist' vintage!)
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All the methods described will only enable the front wheels to have the toe-in or toe-out set in isolation to the vehicle they are attached. What I mean is, that the correct alignment is relative to an imaginary centre line running the length of the vehicle exactly bisecting the front and rear 'axles'. In other words, the alignment of the rear wheels should be checked first, and the fronts set to give equal toe-in or toe-out relative to the rears.
I reckon you could make use of one of those spirit levels with a laser beam mounted to the wheel to project a light on to a board or wall in front of the car to mimic the kind of set up most tyre bays use.
Not much use though on cars with adjustable rear tracking - I think these must be set up on a proper 4 wheel computer jobbie.
p.s Gunson still make an alignment checker. You just drive over it. Like the above methods, OK for reducing tyre scrub, but not to correct poor handling etc.
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I'm not quite with you Richard. Surely whatever you set the front tracking to, on the road the car will drive in a direction that divides the toe in equally between the two wheels? If you set one pointing straight ahead and the other turned at 10 degrees, wouldn't the car go in a direction such that each wheel pointed 5 degrees off centre?
I agree if the rear tracking is adjustable, or the rear suspension has been bumped or set up wrongly, that would add an extra dimension to the problem.
In my experience the real difficulty is having set the track, making the steering wheel centre. Bodgers just move the wheel a spline or two, the proper way is to adjust the track rods equally on each side, but in opposite directions (if you see what I mean) so that the toe in remains the same. Even carefully counting the turns, I still like to do a recheck afterwards.
I sometimes watch garages setting tracks, and they never seem to test drive the car to see if the wheel is centralised - hence the number of posts here I suppose.
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[snip] ... the alignment of the rear wheels should be checked first, and the fronts set to give equal toe-in or toe-out relative to the rears.
Richard,
It is possible to set the fronts relative to the rears if the length of string or bar you are using is long enough to be held against the front and rear wheel rims on each side. This is what I meant about having to take into account any differences between the front and rear tracks. I have to admit that checking front to rear alignment like this is very tricky; probably impossible if you are working on your own!
It is actually several years since I last used the method and this was on the Triumph where the front and rear tracks are different. Also, the wheels on this old car are set well in so the bodywork gets in the way. I should think that most modern cars have the same front & rear track and the wheels will be set out more anyway, so the job will be easier.
I don't bother with D-I-Y tracking on my everyday modern cars but have not been happy with how the 'professionals' have done it on two out of the last three occasions. One of them tried to charge me again when I took the car back two days later because the steering wheel wasn't straight. They said that I must have hit a kerb! You avoid that sort of nonsense when you do it yourself.
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Grameme, you can still get Gunson's Colourtune, I bought one recently as I wanted to investigate the CO/HC emmision problems on my car, and it gives you a clue to what's happening on each cylinder. Quite a handy little thing.
I now quite fancy knocking together a wheel alignment measurer, and I assume I can just do a front wheel only one as the rear wheels on my cars are non-adjustable. I've never really been satisfied with what garages do when it comes to wheel alignment too.
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I now quite fancy knocking together a wheel alignment measurer, and I assume I can just do a front wheel only one as the rear wheels on my cars are non-adjustable. I've never really been satisfied with what garages do when it comes to wheel alignment too.
Good idea, and well worth doing I think. All the gadgetry and optical stuff is intended to make you think this is a high-precision job and needs the proper tools and an expert operative. Then when you read a typical workshop manual that says "Toe-in 2.5mm +/- 1mm" you realise it really just means about an eigth of an inch.
Obviously you have to know the proper setting for your car, but the kind of precision needed is easily within DIY capability.
I have never tried making tools fopr checking the other aspects of wheel alignment, but I don't imagine they can be that difficult - plumb-lines, protractors etc.
I did once alter the king-pin angle on a car. The tyre seemed to be wearing a bit faster on the outer edge, so I moved the top of the turret in a bit. It totally cured the problem.
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If you have curbed a front wheel and knocked the alignment out and then adjust the \'wrong\' wheel to correct the toe-in, then the steering wheel will be out of alignment with the front wheels straight ahead. As others have said, the bodger will re-position the steering wheel, but the outcome will be that the rear wheels will not be pointing straight ahead and will scuff. Admittedly, this will result in less wear than the fronts out of alignment, but it will affect the general handling, particularly cornering.
If you type \'four wheel alignment\' into Google, you should find a better explanation than my feeble attempt.
A random example: www.directtire.com/school/totalalign.html
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Wheel alignment method
In the past I have used a length of broom-handle cut in length to be about an inch less than the width between the front wheel rims. This was then drilled centrally down the length at each end with a pilot hole to take a 2 inch long, or so, flat headed wood screw at each end that was left protruding by half an inch. By adjusting the wood screws it became an adjustable gauge that could be offered up between the fronts and backs of the front wheels to ascertain tow-in.
It was successfully used in the days of rear engined cars but today it would need modifying into some sort of \'U\' shape because the front engine prevents it going straight across.
May be a straight timber bar with end pieces sticking up (as suggested above) but added to it the adjustable wood screws sticking out.
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Sorry,
"It was successfully used in the days of rear engined cars "
should have been written,
It was successfully used in the days of rear drive cars . . .
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That's it Buzzbee, that's just how mine works. The only advance I made is in imbedding steel nuts into the wooden uprights (flat bit of wood screwed on, hole down the joint, chiselled out recess for large nut).
I use threaded rod 1/2" diam and about 9" long, the whole thing built to accommodate the car with the widest track. It is then adjustable for any other car.
The only extra modification I have never got round to is fitting some kind of removeable stabiliser to stop it falling over while I am setting it up. It would have to be removeable for convenience of extracting it from under the car before transfering to the front of the wheels. At present I prop it up with bricks, and mutter to myself "next time . .. "
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I have a set of tracking gauges that I bought years ago. Basically 2 pieces of angle steel with elastic straps that hold them to the wheels. There are 'fingers' that sit onto the rims (so that the rest clears the sidewalls) There are also small slots that accomodate the tip of a steel rule.
I had this same system which I think was made by gunsons. If I remember very difficult to use properly and anything other than small or fairly skinny wheels, not the 235/17 wheels on my Audi !
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Have a look on this site, www.miata.net/garage/alignment/index.html, I know it refers to Mazda Mx5's, but the principals is the same.
I set up my westfield using string and steel bars with adjustable bolts at each end, it has run dead true for 16 years and never scrubbed a tyre.
Just takes a bit of time and patience.
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