Alignment Question - 78 SC

[lespaul]

I installed a camber strut brace and the turbo tie rod kit. Did not touch the rear suspension except to put new rubber bushings on the rear sway bar. Now, I need an alignment. I live in southern Vermont and cannot find a shop in a 50 mile radius that claims any experience with 911's - except one. And, it was recommended by a repair shop that I know does have experience with older 911's.

What instructions, if any, do I need to tell this alignment shop?

Car is for street use -- although I may track it a few times.

Thanks.

[jason2guy]

you could get away with just the front toe setting, which can be done at home.
thats if it was all good before you did the work. ive had good luck with home alignments. the first time takes a loooong time but after that it goes quicker

[macssc911]

I hate to tell you, really worth finding someone who can do a proper 4 wheel alignment Went down the road with a shop and they finally told me they did something but not sure on results. I found the right person. Think it will be worth the effort
Good luck

[jjeffries]

Brad, it would be very easy for any shop with an alignment machine to set the toe for you...that's the only dimension you changed. Most alignment systems will have specs for just about all cars/trucks in their computer. Maybe get this done now for $70-100 then get a full-bore specialist job, corner weighting etc by a 911 pro later on? Kind regards, John

[lespaul]

Thanks guys. I feel more comfortable now. I am going to go to the recommended shop and let them set the toe in and check the front camber.

Brad

[lespaul]

So I took it in to these guys and this is what they came up with.




Please advise on whether the front settings are proper. Too much negative camber? The car feels "twitchy" or on roller bearings at higher speeds. It used to feel like it was set on rails and stuck to the road and I liked that. Also, even compensating for crowned roads, it slightly pulls right and the steering wheel is ever so slightly turned to the right.

The rear left toe is out quite a bit. After investigation, it turns out the guy was trying to turn the ride height adjustment nut (not the toe or camber adjustment nuts) and said the nut was frozen. I am going to PB blast the rear toe and camber adjust nuts and take it back in to get that set properly. Could the left rear toe be causing the pull to the right?

Finally, he took a pair of channel locks to my brand new strut brace and marred it up BEFORE adjusting the toe on the tie rods. Grr. Am I correct that he should have just set the front end toe and camber with the strut bar loose and then just tightened the bar up to take out any slack?

Am I just wasting my time with these guys? I could go to a Porsche dealership an hour away and pay them $199 minimum.

Brad

[Zack at Pelican Parts]

I'd definitely recommend a shop familiar with older Porsches myself (not to mention one that respects cars as more than mere appliances). The fact that he took a pair of channellocks to something other than a tie rod worries me.

That being said, our 911 Alignment article outlines some guideline values to aim for, as well as symptoms and remedies for alignment issues.

Looking at your alignment sheet there, it looks like your caster is fairly out of whack from side to side. Your driver's side is on-point, but your passenger side is nearly a full degree away. And that's just the start of it.

[T77911S]

when i had tires put on my 930, i asked the guys there if they had done a 930 alignment. the guy said he really had not done any. so i asked where to take it. they told me 3 places but said this one had the latest and greates alignment machine. so i went there. i asked the "old guy" if he had done 930's. "yea i have done a few" in his sarcastic kind of old timer way. so i let him do it. $80 out the the door.
this is my opinion on it.
i think it does help if the guy knows what bolts to turn and how things interact but the most important thing is what machine it is on. if you have an older machine and the tolerances are not very good then the alignment wont be good. if the tolerances are really tight on the machine and all 4 wheels line up to what the specs are, thenn that is as good as you can get.

i set mine to spec because i put $1000 set of tires on it and i wanted the most mileage out of the tires. i watched him do it and saw the numbers and all 4 wheels were dead on for the specs. what more can you ask for.

the porsche shop here in town wanted like $400 for an alignment. he tried to BS me with how complicated the 930 suspension is and how difficult it is and blah blah blah. i could see how someone that does not work on cars might buy into all that.
i think the shop i took it to did it in less than an hour.
if you want corner balancing i would take it to a shop like this one for the alignment and let someone else balance it.

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by T77911S

i set mine to spec because i put $1000 set of tires on it and i wanted the most mileage out of the tires. i watched him do it and saw the numbers and all 4 wheels were dead on for the specs. what more can you ask for.

Really?

All your numbers were in the green? Can we see your printout?


Cheers,

Joe

[stlrj]

Here's my printout:




I got my numbers in the green as much as possible. Since then, I was able to get my front camber to zero degrees by raising the front a bit, so it's now into the green zone.

Results: Never handled better. No understeer or oversteer. Handles like a normal car.


Cheers,

Joe

[jjeffries]

Brad, i think the fact that this guy set upon your camber brace with the Channle Locks demonstrated a bad attitude that you don't want to expose your car to again. I'd have asked them to reset the front toe only.; it's the rear suspension of these cars that really flummoxes the non-specialist. You did such a capable job on your engine that I'm wondering whether you may do the whole suspension at sometime in the near future? Like CraigD of Colorado's great thread? If yes, then leave the alignment alone for now, and get it done by a serious specialist when complete. If you want it done right now, there are more options between the gas station and the dealer (wthere the techs maybe too young to know how to do this, anyhow); maybe it would be worth taking a day and driving to a good independent in Massachusetts or Connecticut. John