I am NOW going to do my Own Alignment! Found a Neat Tool!
 

I have seen all of the tools made by everyone on this board to do their own alignment, but none of them made me just want to get into doing my own alignment! Plus, I have 4 "TOTALLY" different Vehicles to deal with! (2003 Mini Cooper "S", 1982 BMW 320I, 1998 Chevy Astro Van and of course the 1982 Porsche 911sc)

I was wearing out the "Outsides" of the front tires on the BMW (Washington has a LOT of Circles and 4 leaf clovers) and finally realized that I needed to add camber to the 320I. Just about the same problem for the Mini Cooper. So I have installed Adjustable Camber Plates in the BMW but did not want to pay more money to get it aligned. I found this company and this tool for $275 and with some Square tubing Bungied to the wheels I can measure Toe

Camber Gauge and Castor Tools

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1301592992.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1301593036.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1301593054.jpg

Cool, very nice tool. But if I an correct, this tool only for camber, not for toe?

The tool is only For Camber and Castor

I am "Simply" making my TOE tool out of 2 pieces of Square tubing about 2 to 3 feet long that I will attach to the wheel on each side of the car and simply measure the difference between the front and back of the tire for total Toe.

That should work fine. It is similar to a unit I have used for about 15 years called Smart camber, smart gauge or something like that. The principle difference is this one has 3 point contact.
Be sure your floor is level. I found a water level (just clear tubing) works best.

nice that it comes with a case, wish my Smart camber gage did

If you see the video, You set the gauge on the floor and after a few adjustments, it compares the tire to the floor surface so you do the same on both sides and get the measurements as if you were on a perfectly level floor.

My other choice was the FasTrack sold by Eastwood that used a Bubble. It cost less, but just did not excite me the way this one does (Not to mention the Case!)

Watch the Video, it is a Little Complicated to set up, but "I" do not think after using it a few times that it will be anything but fun to use.

Now I am trying to find a set of Cheap turn Plates to put the wheels on so I do not have to leave my chair to adjust :):D

Why make it that difficult? Spin the tires and mark the centerline with chalk. Lower the car, move it the length of the car and measure the distance at the front and rear of the tires at each axle.

On a 911, the bodywork gets in the way of straight edges. You have to make standoffs. And the track is not the same, so your standoffs have to be sized accordingly.

Too much friggin' work.

You see a lot more than me!! I understand Spin the tires. I know how to mark the centerline with Chalk (But why? since it is the edges in front and rear I need to know?) Lower the car OK, Move it the length of the car? Why?

Measure the distance at the front & Rear of the tires at each Axle is what I was going to do to start with the 2 -2 feet long square tubes I had attached to the outside of each tire to begin with. All I plan to do is cut a slot in the tubes ao that the tape will easily stay in place while I measure and I have not raised or lowered the car or rolled it anywhere:confused:

Cool as that tool is, the home wrencher can get away with a lot less. Like string, a bubble level and a precise ruler or tape measure. Here's an example of many people's home grown solutions

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/459183-home-built-camber-gauge.html

edit...... But I completely understand why someone would want the quick digital method. Like when you're at the track and making adjustments "on the fly" as you try to dial in the car's handling

Thanks for trying to clean this up and make it a total Necessary expense! I already got my wife's approval! It was the case that did it for her. She knows that the only things I can find by myself are in a box somewhere. Better yet, she also likes neat gadgets and this is neat and even I can look cool using it on a friends car. You know I cannot tell them how much I spent and let them think I paid a HUGE amount of money for it.

What I really want now are 2 wheel Turn tables, but how can I justify spending another $200 plus for something I can do with a piece of paper taped to the Ground and turning the steering wheel myself? Harbor Freight "Used" to sell them for about $145 and a guy in New York has something close for about $85, but I want 2 professional turn tables with the degrees marked on them and locking pins so that when I drive on it will not move and I can sit in my chair and turn the wheels like the guy with the Hunter alignment machine. :D

BTW, I Still need to use the String to get the front tires Straight after I have the Camber and Caster and all of the Lazers are beyond my skill level to trust myself!

Vincent, give yourself a break.. If you can align your car with the 'string, straight edge, protractor method', it would take me about an hour or so to teach you how use "all of the lazers" to do alignments.. :D

The most important and hardest to find alignment tool? A level surface...

Amen! My entire back yard is Concrete and there is about 1 spot where it is "Fairly" Level (In other words with a level the Bubble will stay between the 2 marks left to right and front to rear)

as a contractor I am embarrassed by that .... but just to save my self from ridicule we intentionally don't as a practice place outdoor concrete LEVEL it is generally angled at 1 to 2 percent minimum to allow water to drain and not pool up .... even your garage floor should have a slight slope(1%or so) going down towards the door so that water that finds its way inside can find its way out .....

you can get self leveling top coat and damn the front of your garage to the same level as the back and just as on the can pour until just at level then wait till cured and you have a level floor ....

Its not easy and its not cheap .... but ???

Steve

Just use a 6' or 8' level, and a stack of washers to compensate for waves in the concrete. Place a digital level in the center to calibrate the slope.

YOu want easy, get a pair of toe plates from Longacre.... no jacking, no chalk....

Looks exactly like the tool I'm going to make when I'm ready for an alignment. I think I got the digital level for like $15

thats what i was thinking.
you could "calibrate" a spot in the garage.

instead of chalking the tires, i have seen a very neat home made jig that mounts to the front and the rear of the car for "stringing" it to do toe.

the rear is going to be a bit of a bear to do. you would almost have to string the car to do it.


never done it, just based on watching my car get done, with strings, scales and camber gauge.

A perfectly level surface isn't a must for alignment. Corner balancing is a different story, but alignment you make do just fine without the car being dead perfectly level.

Do not be embarassed! I did the concrete myself and on the left side of the yard I made it flat just so I could raise and lower the Porsche and the right side has a slope and at the Back it has a slope to the alley. I also removed all of the steps and have ramps into the basement where I work on the Motorcycles. SO nothing to do with "Professional" people.

This IS what I want how do I get them? I just looked at their site and see a set for $700! I do not htink so.

Also, you calibrate the gauge on the floor where the tire you are working on is and then set it in the tool so how ever the floor is, the gauge compensates for it.

Also they are selling the gauge for $200 and nothing else

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/product/LAR_78290_Longacre_Digital_Caster_Camber_Gauge/Caster_Camber_Gauges

Another ++ for the Longacre toe plates, just Google them up, lots of places sell them. I patronized one our our local race shops, Smart Racing

As a civil engineer i'm embarrassed/bothered that your whole back yard is concrete! :D Stormwater management/flood prevention gets harder and harder when everybody paves over everything.....

Agreed toe plates are great- especially for the front. Since the front wheels are physically connected and are pivoted by the steering rack, that's what allows you to use the relative measurement of front tire edge distance to rear tire edge distance to get your total toe and go with that number. No need to worry about the toe at each front wheel because the rack automatically shares 1/2 that total toe for each side (assuming all parts like tie rods, rod ends, ball joints are in proper condition).

Toe plates for the rear will give you total toe, but since the rear wheels are independent of each other, you have to check toe at each wheel relative to car/suspension centerline (or your parallel strings) to make sure it's the same at each wheel. For instance you could have 1/8" of total toe-in, but one wheel could have zero toe and the other could have all of the 1/8" of toe-in. Or worse you could have 3/16" toe in on one side and 1/16" of toe out on the other. That's bad......

My Entire Back Yard is 14 feet wide and 32 feet long! I live in the City in a1200 Sq Feet Town House with NO Garage only a Car Port!

My guess is All together (House & Yard) less space than a lot of Board member. Garage & Drive way. ??

I do not need the Toe Plates I need the Plates that allow me to turn the Front wheels while at rest 15 to 20 Degrees to adjust Caster

Make some... get some 1/8 alum plate, or stainless, heck even floor tiles and make a sandwich... put some grease or oil between two pieces and you will have a nearly frictionless turn plate..

We set the cars up on our Hunter Alignment rack at the track minor adjustments are done using toe plates and camber gauges.. stings, etc.

Toe plates are cheap

http://www.proracestore.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_ in_description=1&zenid=mokejkgep85qub6rleccoosbp2& keyword=toe+plates

I have used a long straight 2x4 for quick checks of rear alignment. I use strings to do my setups after major suspension work. When done I hold my special long straight (very old, so no warping) 2x4 against the rear wheel and notice where the other end is at the front wheels.
For quick checks and adjustments I can just use my 2x4 held against the wheels.

TimT
Heard of the floor tile thing before but always thought it wouldn't be the best but after reading your info it just hit me like ton of bricks.
I was fixing the drill yesterday and we changed out an 11" 3 piece ball bearing and I have other used ones, I'm going to use these bearings between some stainless plates and have real fancy swivels, I have corner scales from my racing days so I'm gonna put the swivels up front and some plates at the rear to keep it level.
Sometimes a guy like me needs a slap to start my brain back up, thanks for the slap.
Finn

A guy in NYC made these for $75 which is "Good enough I guess" but I will need to make degrees and locking pins
http://i.ebayimg.com/23/!B++UbLwCWk~...nQ03Q~~_12.JPG
And it is thin!
http://i.ebayimg.com/01/!B++U3WQ!mk~...v1shw~~_12.JPG

One nice thing about digital camber gauges is the fact that they can be zeroed to the surface you are using. For right side measurements, set the unit on the floor (or on something which is itself flat and a foot or more long to deal with minor irregularities), and zero it without reversing its direction. Now it sees a not quite level floor as being level.

Do same when you move to the other side.

Don't have to remember what adjustment to apply to the reading, or what its sign is.

The 3R race shop in Denver (home of Speed World Challenge champions in Porsche and now, of all things, Volvos) has a large steel plate on their shop floor - larger than the plan view outline of a car. In about a one foot or half foot square matrix it has screws recessed into its surface. These allow the guys to true this plate from time to time. Setting your level on the ground isn't going to produce quite the results these guys can come up with.

But it costs a lot less, and you can do it at the track when you find a place which looks to be pretty flat (as opposed to level, which will be hard to find because the paddock needs to drain). Same with your garage floor or driveway - flat is more important than level.

AMEN!!

I ordered mine on a Thursday evening (too late for that days shipping) and still got in on Monday. Opened the Box and the Case, Exactly as Advertised! "BUT" the right side latch Loop was not made perfectly and did not snap shut not to mention Looked crooked. I sent them an e-mail and immediately got a reply to return the case. I sent it FedEx Ground on Tuesday and today Thursday I have the replacement case that is in perfect condition. If they will go this far on the case latch I know they will take care of any "Real" problems. Now I cannot wait to use it.