Front wheel alignment
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 655
Likes: 12
From: Texas
Front wheel alignment
My chassis is nearly complete with engine and transmission all rebuilt new. I still need to do a front end wheel alignment, now that I have some serious weight in the chassis. How are some of you doing a front end wheel alignmnet on your completed chassis before putting body back on? How are you acheiving a measurement of your front wheel/tire from the rear to compare it to the front of the wheel/tire. etc. How do you acheive the needed measurements. With a tape measure and level? Should I weight till body is back on car before: A. I tighten control arm bushing bolts. B. Front end wheel alignment. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
From: Elgin South Carolina
Wheel alignment
Vettenut, my front end guy tells me to wait until I get the body, engine, trans etc. back on the chassic before I bring it to him, he need the weight that will be on the car all the time to do a good job.
To get your car so you can steer it with some amount of ease, I usually take a level put it against the wheel/tire in the vertical position, get it level then go in at the top slightly, then take a string tie it to your rear springs so you can bring it out and across the horizontal center of the rear tire, pull it tight and go to the front wheel/tires and pull it across the center of the horizontal plane like the rear, what ever it is out you can adjust your tire rod ends.
What you are trying to accomplish is to have the string flat across the horizontal plane of the rear wheel touching both sides and adjust the front the same with the string toughing the rear and front of both rear and front wheels.
Hope I said it so you understand it and good luck.
Wade
To get your car so you can steer it with some amount of ease, I usually take a level put it against the wheel/tire in the vertical position, get it level then go in at the top slightly, then take a string tie it to your rear springs so you can bring it out and across the horizontal center of the rear tire, pull it tight and go to the front wheel/tires and pull it across the center of the horizontal plane like the rear, what ever it is out you can adjust your tire rod ends.
What you are trying to accomplish is to have the string flat across the horizontal plane of the rear wheel touching both sides and adjust the front the same with the string toughing the rear and front of both rear and front wheels.
Hope I said it so you understand it and good luck.
Wade
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,182
Likes: 94
From: going faster miles an hour...with the radio on in browns mills new jersey
If you are going to be taking it in for alignment, eyeballing it will get you close enough. With nearly an inch difference between the front and rear track, I wouldn't try the suggested string method. Wait until the car is all together before you tighten the control arm bushing bolts.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,683
Likes: 3,680
From: Central Arkansas
Originally Posted by midnight1957
Vettenut, my front end guy tells me to wait until I get the body, engine, trans etc. back on the chassic before I bring it to him, he need the weight that will be on the car all the time to do a good job.
To get your car so you can steer it with some amount of ease, I usually take a level put it against the wheel/tire in the vertical position, get it level then go in at the top slightly, then take a string tie it to your rear springs so you can bring it out and across the horizontal center of the rear tire, pull it tight and go to the front wheel/tires and pull it across the center of the horizontal plane like the rear, what ever it is out you can adjust your tire rod ends.
What you are trying to accomplish is to have the string flat across the horizontal plane of the rear wheel touching both sides and adjust the front the same with the string toughing the rear and front of both rear and front wheels.
Hope I said it so you understand it and good luck.
Wade
To get your car so you can steer it with some amount of ease, I usually take a level put it against the wheel/tire in the vertical position, get it level then go in at the top slightly, then take a string tie it to your rear springs so you can bring it out and across the horizontal center of the rear tire, pull it tight and go to the front wheel/tires and pull it across the center of the horizontal plane like the rear, what ever it is out you can adjust your tire rod ends.
What you are trying to accomplish is to have the string flat across the horizontal plane of the rear wheel touching both sides and adjust the front the same with the string toughing the rear and front of both rear and front wheels.
Hope I said it so you understand it and good luck.
Wade
Dan
