Thanks for the info Tony. I did not take it for a drive. I just lowered it and bounced up and down on the rear bumper.

Hi Chuck,
This is a copy from a previous post of mine.
There is a triangle method to check the front or rear height settings.
To check the rear height, raise the car at the exact center of the front.
I use a tape measure to find the exact right to left center.
I then raise the front exactly on the mark. I use a hockey puck between the jack and car.
The idea is to allow the front of the car to tilt freely giving you a height at the rear not influenced by any error at the front. The rear height will be a bit lower when lifted at the front.
You can lift the car enough to clear the front tires.
You can also remove the front tires and lower the jack at the front to a height near 24.5 at the front fenders.
Again the idea is to then check the rear dimensions at the fender arch or at the center of the rear torsion bars.
If there is a difference you'll need to correct it by re-indexing the rear bars.
If the rear is equal on both sides at the fender and the torsion bars, the front is influencing the rear and the front must be re-adjusted.
To set the front equal, lift the rear at the center seam of the motor with a hockey puck beteen the motor and jack.
Like the previous procedure, the front will be unaffected by the rear and you'll see the front settings unaffected by the rear.
Make certain you are on a level surface and carefully measure.
Do this carefully and you will have corner balanced the car.

This will get you close. Be sure to disconnect the sway bars and shocks.

I'll give up my cheap and quick rear camber secret. I have a car which was apparently set up by someone with no interest in street driving. The rear camber was somewhere between 3 and 5 degrees negative by my visual estimate. The tire wear was only happening on the inner 3 inches of the tire. Now, all future upgrades aside, I needed to get that rear tire wear straightened out just to work out the other bugs with the car.

I read that 0' camber was acceptable and decided that it was my target because it was easy to hit. Here's how this goes:

I took one wheel off by placing the floor jack under the control arm with a pad.

Place a carpenters level (24") across the reflector on the rear of the car and adjust the car to level with the floor jack.

Loosen the camber lock nut

hold the level (or clamp it with a welder's vice grip and tape padding) to the rear brake disk.

Adjust the camber eccentric until the disk is vertical and tighten the lock nut.

Put the tire back on, repeat on the other side.

This isn't exact, and a slight variation in the body could throw things off, but I'd rather be one degree off than five degrees off.

For the front, look up a Trammel bar, which you can make at home to get the toe-in close.


Good luck! It sounds like you are making excellent headway.

Chuck:
Unless you are on ABSOLUTE level ground, you are working against yourself.
Index the rear to the height you want (24.5") with the short bar in the middle of the spring plate (Eccentric bolts in the middle of the range)
The front adjusters should be equal somewhere in the middle of the range at 25" height.
If they are not, the front T-bars can be re-indexed.
Grease the nuts/bolts and let the Tech do the final alignment/cornerbalance (With the driver's weight punched into the computer)
If you pre-set the height on uneven ground, the Tech may have to re-index.

So the project goes on... I spent all day working on the car today. Thank you so much for all the input. It has really helped me get my head around this suspension stuff, but I haven't finished yet. I was almost done with the ride height adjustments when I smelled fuel. After a little searching, I found a small fuel leak in the output line of the fuel pump. I couldn't believe it. As I fiddled with it, it started leaking more, so I went ahead and removed the fuel pump and plugged the line from the tank. After a little searching on this forum, I found some great info for replacing this fuel lines. I plan on using the Walt Fricke method, so that I don't have to replace the lines in the tunnel. Here are two great threads: #1 and #2


For the benefit of those who will be doing this project in the future, here is a summary of what I did today:

1. I started by ensuring that my floor was level. I have seen references to using a clear length of tube full of water to check for a lever floor, but I did not have that handy, so I just put a carpenter's level on the ground to get an idea if my garage was level. By this method, my garage is perfectly level. I know this isn't the absolute best way to check but I think it is close enough.

2. I started out getting the front ride height set. I raised the rear end on the engine block centerline, took off the wheels and lowered the rear to the approximate ride height. I then set the front tire pressure at 29 psi and measured from the ground to the center of the wheel to ensure my tires were the same height. They were. I also took the belly pan off, which released pressure on the sway bar. Then I just adjusted each torsion bar to get the ride height at 25 inches.

3. Now to the rear. I put the rear wheels back on and lowered the car off of the jack. I then jacked up the front end and measured the front suspension frame member to find the exact center. I got 3 2x4s stacked up and placed a large socket on top to act as a pivot point, so that the rear would not be influenced by the front. I lowered the car down onto the socket, but found that I could not get the car any lower then about 26 inches at the front fenders because my jack is too tall. This extra inch in front height caused me problems on the rear.

I then jacked up the rear, disconnected the struts and sway bar and double checked the angle of the spring plate. Both were right at 24 degrees, attached to the trailing arm and resting on the bottom aft spring plate cover bolt. Now I made adjustments to the spring plate cam bolts to set the ride height. Before adjustments, my measurements were L: 24 7/16 and R: 25 inches. My target is 24.5 on the rears. Because I was in the ballpark, I elected not to re-index the torsion bars. There was a pretty steep learning curve as I started messing around with the cam bolts. I kept overshooting the mark each time and on a couple of tries I didn't have the bolts tight enough, which caused my settings to move. Finally, I just set the car as low as it would go and was about to start over when I found the fuel leak.

Although this narrative is long, it makes the project sound easier then it really is. It's not that it is hard, but it just takes a lot of time bolting and unbolting everything. For each step listed above, I had to adjust and re-adjust things many times. I did not realize how much each adjustment affects the other settings. I went round and round the car trying to fine tune the heights. Then, when I lowered the front back onto the wheels, I would discover that my rear heights were off again. At one point, I found my fronts had risen an inch. Not sure how that happened, but I think it had to do with a major change on the rears.

So, tomorrow I will start again. I almost had it complete when I discovered the fuel leak that consumed the last couple of hours of the day.

Once again, thanks to everyone who gave me input. It was invaluable for this project. Once I get the ride height set, I think I am going to make an attempt at a DIY alignment. At least to get close enough that my mech can true it up fairly quickly.

Chuck

Hi Chuck,
Looks like you are doing great.
Us DIY guys lacking slip plates to resettle the suspension after adjustments, must take our car around the block then start again.
Of course we can make our own slip plates.
Doing it at home brings us new respect for the alignment shops.
I'm retired so I have time on my hands.

After a week on vacation for Thanksgiving, I hit my project again. I am now becoming a pro at bolting and unbolting all of the required pieces. I think I have gotten to a point where I am happy with the ride height.

As Doug put it, the biggest lesson I have learned is that the ride height you think you have is not accurate until you take the car for a drive and then let it sit for a while. Mine has settled more then an inch. If you are not aware of this, you will chase your tale all day. Also, Having an extra floor jack really helped a lot. I was able to get the car absolutely balanced using two floor jacks.

Now onto the alignment. I made my own camber gage and am using this great excel spreadsheet I found somewhere else on this forum. I would point you to it, but I'm not sure where I got it. I am also going to make some slip plates.

Alignment question for the pros:
1. When doing the alignment, I know I need to loosen the spring arm to trailing arm bolts, but do I also need to unbolt the struts and sway bar?

2. Is it best to make the adjustments with the weight on the car, or is it better to jack it up to make adjustments?

That's it for now. Off to buy stuff for the alignment. Here is a picture of my homemade camber gage:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196199673.jpg

My alignment guy makes those adjustments with the weight of the car ON. No, this is not easy.

Level ground is essential; the front is easy.
I believe the rear sway bar should be disconnected.
Put enough stuff into the driver's seat to make up for your weight.
You'll find it almost impossible to move the eccentric bolt (big nut) with the weight of the car on it, especially if you have no pit to really get under it.
After you get the height you want, connect the sway bar. If the bar doesn't line up real easy with the drop links, something is wrong:
Either ground not level, or wrong/uneven adjustments, or both.

I also used the grease trick between 2 asphault flooring tiles on a level floor. When the car is bounced up and down the tires are able to move very easily. The spring forces are balanced quickly, no need to drive around the block.

With one end of the car supported in the center, and the tires free to move at the other end, you are doing a corner balance in your garage. It worked very well.

Be very careful with this method, since the car will move about with relative ease. Be absolutely sure the opposite end of the car is carefully secured, and can't fall off the jack.

wait a minute...wait a minute......

Squelch sez..." then jacked up the rear, disconnected the struts and sway bar and double checked the angle of the spring plate. Both were right at 24 degrees, attached to the trailing arm and resting on the bottom aft spring plate cover bolt."

Is it just me....or wouldn't it always be same angle if it RESTS on the lower-aft bolt?. Shouldn't the lower-aft bolt be removed to see the REAL angle that the spring plate will take?..unfettered by the artificial support of this bolt ???

Wil's right, the lower bolt MUST be removed, or you will get the wrong angle readings.

Thanks for the input guys. Wil, you are correct The angle will always be the same when resting on the lower bolt. At that point in the project, I was measuring everything I possible could. I had also measured this angle with the bolt removed and the spring plates hanging free, after I had indexed the torsion bar, and they measured the same then too. I think it was 32 degrees. Thanks for pointing out my buffoonery.

TODAYS UPDATE

Up to this point, I have successfully set the ride height/corner balance using the tripod method and today started on the wheel alignment. Here is what I have done today:

1. Bought 12 16x16 concrete blocks ($3.98 ea.) and 20 cheap floor tiles ($0.68) from Home Depot.
2. Set up 3 concrete blocks per wheel and then used extra floor tiles to get all corners level. Setting the car on 3 blocks gave me enough room to crawl under to work.
3. Put grease between top two tiles to make my slip plates. The amount of grease in this photo was not enough. I added more after taking the picture.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196297597.jpg

4. I Jacked up the car to place it on the blocks. I had to use two floor jacks in order to get it high enough. I used one to lift it up a bit and then put 2x4s on the other one to raise the car even higher. I also had to move one jack to the rear before raising the front too high. Then did the same two jack set-up on the rear.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196297654.jpg

5. The grease did a great job making slip plates. I was able to slide the car around on the blocks just fine, though a different grease may be slicker. I used Mobile 1 synthetic, because it is what I had on hand.
6. From there, I used that spreadsheet I found to figured out what length I needed on the top bolt of my camber gage and dove under the car to start making adjustments. If anyone wants a copy of this spreadsheet, PM me. There is no way to post it on this site.
7. I had to disconnect the sway bar in oder to get to the 12mm hex bolt, but once that was done, making adjustments was very easy. You can buy a cheap set of 1/2in. drive large hex sockets at Autozone.
8. Before making adjustments to the hex nuts, I loosened the bolts connecting the spring plate to the trailing arm.
9. I alternated between the left and right side and eventually got both sides set nicely. I did not have any ballast to simulate my weight, so I put my wife in the driver seat. She's a bit lighter, but hopefully that will be close enough.
10. In between each adjustment, I bounced up and down on the rear bumper. It is just too much trouble getting the car on blocks to drive it between adjustments. I am hoping the slip plates are effective enough.

FRONT CAMBER
1. For the front, only the left wheel needed adjustment. It had too much camber and apparently had never been adjusted before.
2. For those that have never seen one, the top of each strut is coated with a black plastic paint that must be removed before adjustments can be made. Here is my right strut, with the black coating:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196298659.jpg

3. Here is a picture of the left, after I chipped away at the black stuff. It comes off fairly easy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196298782.jpg

4. Once I got enough of the black stuff off and bolts removed, the strut was still very hard to move. I had to jack up the front end to get the weight off of the wheels to get it to move. From there, it is just a matter of trial and error to get it set correctly.

Anyone know what that black plastic paint is and whether or not I need to replace it?

So, by the end of the day (about 5 hours work), I was able to get the front and rear camber set. My learning curve was very steep and I ended up doing things several times as I messed them up the first time. Next time it should be much faster.

Tomorrow I will knock out the tow adjustments. I went ahead and set up the strings today. Here is a picture of my set up:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196299060.jpg

BY THE WAY:
I broke my Craftsman Torque wrench when I dialed it up to 150 ft/lbs to tighten the ride height bolts (Something came apart at the handle end) so that gave me an excuse to upgrade. I was a bit suspect about its accuracy since I have used it as a breaker bar for years.

Anyhow, I decided on a Precision Instruments C3FR250F. Precision Instruments sells the for $235. Most places on the web are priced between $185-$225. I bought mine from www.gaging.com for $175.

Sorry for the long post. Hopefully someone will find this helpful in the future.
Till tomorrow,
Squelch out.

I am glad Wil pointed out the error.
The tar is just there to prevent water from splashing into the trunk when driving in the rain.

Don't ever use a torque wrench as a breaker bar and set it back to "0" when not in use.

It is not necessary to drive around the block to help settle the gas-pressured shocks.
And bouncing the bumpers only helps a little.
The trick is to wait overnight for them to really settle.

This is the time to install the bump-steer kit and turbo tie rods.

You would be well served to have the alignment/corner balance checked after and might be surprised about the results.

torsion bar setting
 

Guys,
here are some notes I wrote for a local W/shop specialising in Porsche, a few years back - in exchange for a favour they did for me.
Excuse the grease marks, they are well used since. I have had the same issue.
The w/shop told me it can take a while to get them set right - trial and error. There had to be a better way to calculate it , so this is what I came up with. There probably been earlier posts on this, but this is my approach to it.
It does work.
Alanhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196366655.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196366744.jpg

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Well, I finished up the alignment today. Here's what I did:

1. Yesterday, I set up the strings, using a jackstand at each corner (see photo above). Today, I centered the car between the stands, using measurements at each wheelcap . It was a little harder to do this morning, because the grease on my slip plates was cold and not nearly as slippery as yesterday, so the car was harder to move back and forth.

2. I then double checked the camber on all four wheels. The fronts had not changed much, but the rears had changed a bit, so I went ahead and tweaked them back into specs.

3. After I was satisfied with my camber readings, I started on the toe adjustments. Using the strings and a digital caliper, I measured the front and rear of each wheel.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196382966.jpg

On the rear wheels, I found it pretty easy to adjust toe, even with the weight on the car. However, on the left rear, the I could not achieve a perfect zero toe. At the extreme adjustment, I within .028 of an inch, but could not get the toe to come to exact neutral or toe out. On the right rear, I could get toe in or out and I set it at zero toe.

On the front wheels, I had just a hair of toe out, so I just loosened the left control arm and made a minor adjustment to give me about 1/8" toe in. I was very lucky in that my control arm bolts were not too difficult to break free. The innermost bolt is very difficult to get to. The sway bar must be unbolted to get to it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196383092.jpg

Once I was fully satisfied with all of my settings, I went back and tightened everything up and properly torqued all of the bolts. The only one I couldn't get to torque was the 177 ft/lb ride height adjustment. Just not enough clearance to get leverage. I will get that done when it is on a lift. My new torque wrench arrived just in time via FedEx Overnight. Here's a picture:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196383750.jpg

Don't worry, I won't be using this one as a breaker bar.

I took it for a drive and it did just fine. It tracks straight and true and the bump steer is noticeably absent. Under hard braking, there were no adverse effects. The steering wheel was a little off, but was easy to fix.

When I got back from my drive, I re-measured the camber. The fronts are just about perfect at -1.02 and -1.06 degrees.

On the rear, the left is good at -1.44 but the right is at -1.98. I think I will try to tweak that right rear a bit to get it closer to -1.5.

I am happy with the ride heights. They are right at 25 in. front and 24.5 rear.

Here is a screenshot of the Excel spreadsheet I used. I wished I could remember where I got it. With a laptop in the garage, this made the measurements a piece of cake.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196385656.jpg

CONCLUSION
So, after about 6 days worth of work in the garage here's what I've accomplished:
Replaced broken torsion bars
Set ride height
Tripod method corner balance (don't know how accurate that is)
Full front and rear alignment (minus caster)

Turbo Tie rods would have been a good addition, but I didn't think about it and money is getting a bit tight.

I've only had this car a few months. Before starting this project, I had never done much work on P-cars, though I am adequately mechanically inclined. This project is not difficult, but is VERY time consuming. I would say I have about 30+ hours into it, though some of that time was spent cleaning things up and painting parts. I was also very lucky in that my car is pretty clean and I did not have any trouble with rusted bolts or stuck bushings. Most importantly, I have learned a lot and saved of ton of money. The information contributed by fellow Pelicans was invaluable.

Now that I know how everything works, I think I could knock out an alignment in a day, but the set-up is quite time consuming.

Well, here's an end of project picture. I still need to put on my rockers and my new chin spoiler.

That's not me in the car.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196384059.jpg

I took my car to a local garage and paid them $17 to just check the accuracy of my home alignment. Here are the results. The top is an Excel spreadsheet I used and the bottom is the results from the garage's alignment rack:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196443915.jpg


Overall, I think the results are very good. There are still a few things I would like to tweak a bit, like the right rear camber and the rear toe, but I am not sure if it is worth the effort. For the most part, I am amazed at the accuracy achieved.

Now that I know what I am doing, the next one should be even better.

If anyone sees any glaring mistakes, please let me know. Feedback is definitely appreciated.

All in all a pretty good effort.
Front Camber is good.
To much right front Caster and Toe, I wouldn't go more than 1/8" total Toe-in and I would tweek the Caster close to 6.
Right rear Camber is too much negative for street driving; you basically run on the inside edge of the tire giving a very uneven wear. 1.5 deg would be plenty.
For the rear Toe, I would go neutral "0".

Alignment doesn't mean that it is cornerbalanced but, if you're happy. :)

It would have been very easy and cheap to do the bump-steer thingy.
All you need is two longer metric bolts and enough flat washers to make up the 12-13mm spacing to push the rack up.