Get your 911 Aligned
 

Today I got around to doing something with the 911 that Ive been meaning to do for awhile but have been too busy/lazy to to: an alignment.

I took it to Johnson's Alignment in Torrance, and they did a heck of a job, with great service as well.

Holy Cow! This makes a huuuuge difference in the handling of my car. The steering is so easy and responsive now. The tech said that my rears were really off, something like 3.75% negative camber which he set to .75 or thereabouts.

If you have not done so, get your vintage 911 aligned tomorrow!

SmileWavy

3.75 degrees of negative in the rear would be enviable in some circles.

Just had mine aligned as well a week ago today and it now drives GREAT! One thing I was pleased with, and not expecting, was that the shop gave me a computer printout of the alignment settings BEFORE and AFTER the alignment. Great to put in the records file. Best 50 bucks I've spent on the car so far...

Ok, now I'm curious -- where can I take my car to get a good quality alignment done for $50? The cheapest I've seen in these parts is the old guy at the Navy Exchange AutoPort, who squinted at me funny when I said "Porsche 911," and laughed out loud before quoting me the price.

TIA,
Dan

Your car would have to be seriously bent to get 3.75 degrees of camber in the back. That much camber is also very noticable to the naked eye. Not saying an alignment is a bad idea mind you just that the shop may be exagerating.

-Andy

Now get your early 911 balanced. Your handling will improve another 100%.

Sign me up!! :)

Edward

I get my car aligned 1-2 times a year. It's already been corner balanced. $50 buck? Here in PA it runs about $150. I can't get my wife's Envoy done for less then $65.

After buying some pricey new rubber this summer.......I had mine aligned and corner balanced...........what a difference. Well worth the expense.......and also the tires will wear evenly.

not sure how i should respond to that comment.


The mechanic mentioned something about that type of set up being more desirable for racing.

The rear tires were/are completely worn down on the inner edges...I should have noticed that sooner but have been too busy making money. Now I am spending it.

$50 bucks for a 4 wheel alignment at Tire Central in Lowell, Arkansas. :D

Most aother shops in my area are around $80. I thought it was a helluva deal. Like I said...best $50 spent so far!

$130 here in LA... but the mechanics have all of their teeth and do not date their sisters.

jk,

3.75% is in the neighborhood of 1.7 degrees, I believe.

You guys are lucky, 993 alignment and corner balance is $450 at Andial. 993's are picky when it comes to alignment as not many shops can properly set/adjust the kinematic toe..

Chris

Nice kidney punch there Sonic. FYI this area is growing like mad, I believe the second fastest growing MSA with the exception of Las Vegas, and there is a lot of money in this area with Wal-Mart vendors & all. Also, last I heard, there are more millionaires per capita in Arkansas than any other state.

Maybe you're thinking of Kentucky? ;)

I guess the mechanics in LA are all running a chop shop in the back...

LA......Lower Alabama?

I guess the mechanics in LA are all running a chop shop in the back...

Ouch !!

....good thing I live north of L.A. ;)
(nice comeback :) )
http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/...s/beerchug.gif

Edward

Trash smasher: Nice to see another arky on the board. I cant get my alignment done for anywhere near $50. The guy I take my car to charges about 80 bucks but takes his time to dial it in.


Hey sonic last time I checked, still had all my teeth and I dont date my sister but, I have a cousin that is pretty cute ;)

Warpspd / Trashsmasher,

Where are you guys getting your alignments done? I'm in Farmington and was afraid I'd never find anyone close that could do a thorough job. I'm replacing all suspension bushings and installing tierods on a 77 911 purchased recently. I'm going to trailer it somewhere for alignment so I don't tear up the tires. The closer the better. Nice to find a few other enthusiasts close to home. Thanks, Pat

Yeah - you guys don't knock Arkansas - it's the state that brings us Bill Clinton and Walmart.

Oh and we need pictures of your cousin...

I get mine done at an alignment shop down the road in greenwood. Pm me for details...

cousin pics....and she better be a girl :-P

Mike- any reccomendations for alignment in georgia? particularly down the macon way?

Just discovered that the tie rods boots on my SC are totally shredded and can't wait for full suspension refresh later this winter. So I'm throwing turbo tie rods on this weekend and will drop it off at ASG for just setting up front toe. They said $44! When I redo everything later in the winter, I'll take it to them for a 4-wheel alignment and corner balancing.

Not sure about the price, but I take mine to Speedware in Redmond. Another place that I've been told is basically the best by a trusted wrench was TruLine in Seattle (Byron). Again, not sure about the price - but I was told wrt TruLine 'dont bother with anyone else'... :) Of course, both of those are pretty far out of the way for you.

Patzim - I had a 4 wheel alignment done at Tire Central in Lowell for $50. It took them about an hour and a half. It's on Highway 71 North of Springdale. They attach reflectors to each wheel and the laser hits them to determine the adjustments made. They printed up before and after settings for my car. I'll try to scan them tomorrow and post the before and after dimensions if anyone is interested. I thought it was pretty cool to get the printouts. And the way the system looked, it seemed like it would eliminate any operator error that would occur from measurement. The manager said if I wasn't happy with the alignment to bring it back and they would dial it in again. Right afterwards I made a trip down old 71 (through the mountains) and the car handled wonderfully. But then again it was way out to begin with.

One drawback, their computer specs didn't go back to '70, it only went back to '77. So I had my car aligned to '77 specs. It has a Carrera front suspension and to my knowledge not a lot had changed over the years, so I told them to go ahead with it. Seems to have worked out fine.

Trash Smasher:
Lessee.....took about 1.5 hrs of shop time for a customer cost of $50...

So...what kind of profit margin ( split between the shop and the workers) does this work out to?

Would "you" like to own a business like this? How long will they stay in business?

- - Wil

The same shop in Torrance is revalving my Bilstiens and raising my spindles. Once I finish throwing the shocks and struts back on it's going back to get a corner balancing and alignment. Steve there races Porsche's. They know what they are doing.

My 911 has been with Steve Weiner at Rennsport Systems in Portland for about three weeks. He has corner balanced and aligned the car (about $350) corrected the bump steer, mounted and balanced four Yokos, lowered my seat, corrected an oil thermostat problem, ducted air to my oil cooler, valve adjust, etc. Now the car has the much desired "drives very well" from Steve.

I pick it up Friday. Can't wait! When I dropped the car off Steve's shop had two Cup cars, a C2 turbo undergoing major upgrades, a 3.8 RSR, a private 69T made into full race, on and on. It was a jaw-dropper for me. If he's willing, I'll snap a few pictures and post them.

Rennsport Systems is highly recommended. Steve's one of the nicest guys I've ever known.

Troy