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As someone who takes his car apart much more than the average joe alignments have become a real issue for me. Those of you who have read any of my other threads know that not only do i enjoy digging into the weeds of complex DIY work, but I my past experience "experts" or "professionals" never quite life up to my expectations when it comes to knowledge or quality or timeliness or price point. Getting a good quality job in the car industry by someone who cares about their customer and takes pride in their work is becoming rare, and those shops that provide such a service are not affordable and available to the masses. I hope this doesn't offend anyone here it's just my experience and opinion. So whether it comes to engine builds, machining, fabrication, or just general maintenance I've found myself investing in my own skills, abilities and tools rather than dropping my car of at a shop thats cheap enough for me to afford, giving my keys to a guy trying to up sell me on all sorts of stuff I know that i don't need. That is except for alignments.
The magical lasers and lifts and fancy software that prints out images of all suspension angles has always been something that feel in this weird gap where buying equipment was too expensive and the job wasn't all that expensive or critical. Short of a car falling off the lift an alignment can only cause so much damage and the price isn't crazy. Hell for something like 200$ I bought a lifetime alignment for my Vette that's paid off years ago. That being said, with my engine and transmission rebuilt nearing completion, I'll have a car that i literally built myself, and am now in the process of tuning myself. The idea of handing the keys over to the guys at my local firestone is making my stomach turn.
There are a few places in the area that i really trust to give alignments, just so happens their all privately owned (most of the time the owner still works int he shop) and they let me hang out in the shop with them and explain what they're doing and why their doing it while they wrench on my car. But unsurprisingly my 200$ get one alignment not unlimited. So i think it's time to tackle my alignment woes once and for all.
No this will not be the most economical approach, and to be honest i'll more than likely still toss the keys to my truck or my wife's beemer to the boys at firestone without a second thought. But I'd love to design and build a rig capable of performing a damn good alignment on my vette that i could perform myself in my garage with my tools. There would be something satisfying about literally never having to have anyone other than myself work on my vette for any reason.
This thread will follow the design, build and testing process. But first, before i dive in, i'd like to get your idea. What have you seen work and not work. I have used the string pulled between jack stands method and while i was able to get close(ish) i'd like something much easier to use and much more comprehensive and accurate.
If you're looking to build your own setup, I'd make a copy of the Smart Strings alignment setup. Easy to use, and when used properly, precise & accurate.
you can buy alignment calipers , but they won't fit inside any tool box I have ever seen.. I guess with just one car as a target, a guy that does everything else could make your own dedicated tools easily enough.
However, you would still need to weight the car as though you were in it, or weight it to the usual passenger load. if you are going to all that trouble, might as well do it right. . So, It might still be a job where do it yourself might be more trouble than it is worth.
I second the need for a very good alignment . Focusing on good tire wear is very functional, but sometimes misses the point of alignment, and that it is not only about how it effects tire wear.
When I was searching out a garage for my newly purchased used 03, I was at a shop with a lumpy inclined asphalt driveway, and I watched a tech working on an SUV in the driveway. He was bumping and swinging the laser alignment tools hanging on the wheels until he could get it to spit out a usable reading , a green light in this case signaled a good read, and accompanied the print out . With a computerized alignment print out , few would doubt the results, unless they saw the work was not done on a level rack, and who knows what type of weight distribution, because the vehicle was one of those big old suburbans, and the drive way was almost steep.
You already have knowledge of the scarce good alignment shops in your area, so you are way ahead of most people. I assume the good shops are as scarce in your area as they are in mine, when you consider all the places that offer alignments. My area has one or two shops that I would trust, but it is really up to the staff.
My alignment shop had me sit in the car as the alignment was done, and asked about the stuff I had in the car, if the spare tire kit, cd's , quarters for the parking meters, and some other items were the usual load, and if I usually had a passenger. Most of his customers know ahead of time to bring the passenger or not.. He. used his track calipers , but also had all the usual electronic gear, I think he had three computerized set ups, from different builders.
The warrantee on the work was a drive around the area for a bit, and speak up then, because after the test ride , you had your chance , no matter what.
I got a little bit of a toe out on the rear wheels because when he asked about observed issues, I mentioned a little bit of rear end walking when I changed lanes on an uneven surface at about 85mph. My first concern was that the used car was in good enough shape to get his attention.
He only works on the cars that he likes, and I was glad my old OEM rubber components were approved as being able to hold the settings, since I didn't check that deeply when I bought my new old heap. When asked about any handling issues, I didn't mention the complete wash out of the front end when pushed hard, I had read that was a design decision.
I was bummed when I found it as I was checking the car out, and I guess it is safer that way, but I sure didn't expect it. I like it about as much as the olds delta 88 steering feel . If American sports car means haul *** and act like an idjet when the mood strikes, I'm in . I think it profoundly American to design a car only for fun.
P.s. Yes I know better than to drive like a fool. If I am taking chances for fun , auto wrecks are not in play.
I've been setting camber with a Longacre gauge and toe with their toe plates for years. I don't have the plates to do caster, so I end up tweaking the side with more caster down until the car/truck no longer pulls in one direction. Kinda half-***, but it seems to work well. I have yet to touch the alignment on my Z06, but it's coming soon enough. I'll likely just get it corner weighted and aligned by a trusted shop because corner weights are not a DIY capability of mine.
Sorry for the delayed response guys, I'm still wrapping up my full engine and transmission rebuild and trying to get a decent tune on the car to get it back on he road. I have been looking into all of your suggestions and will hopefully start designing something in the near future. Once i get something drawn up I'll post the concept here to get your thoughts and suggestions.
Prior to getting my C5 Z06 I had a Lotus Exige, which I did all of the chassis set-up including alignment. I tracked the car regularly, so I wanted to be able to tweak camber and toe without spending countless hours and dollars at the alignment shop. Instead, I spent countless hours in my garage. It was really cool to be able to hit the track and see how the car responded with additional camber or a little less or more toe-in (front as well as rear).
I made a custom alignment rig made of aluminum angles (similar to Smart Strings), it attached to the body with bungee cords and bolted into place (front toe hook location, rear diffuser mount points), used flourescent parallel strings, and Harbor Freight turntables at each wheel. I used a digital caliper to take measurements and a laser pointer for sighting when needed. I also made angles to set camber. The rig, turntables and supplies cost about $300. It was a lot of work; learned a lot; was glad that I did it.
From experience, I'd say keep it simple and old school or go BIG (like a proper alignment rack). Professional racing teams used the string technique for ages because it works. Once you master it, you'll be surprised by the level of accuracy and reliability that can be achieved. I took my Lotus to an alignment shop to check on my alignment work and keep myself honest...right on the money for my set up specs...hitting 130 and tracking true and dicing through corners made it real.
Despite all of that, my C5 Z06 goes to the local reputable alignment shop. I'm in and out out in less than one hour and about $75 (likely more $ if you live in a metro area). Doing my own chassis set-up gave me knowledge gained through first-hand experience. I can engage the shop mechanic in a meaningful conversation about alignment specs and have the experience tools to competently evaluate a car's set up.
My suggestion is to find a respected alignment shop to do the work unless you have a reason to do it yourself (such as racing, etc.). Building an alignment rig and dialing in the process to do it well is a learning curve that won't pay off (time or money wise) unless you do it regularly.
Last edited by M.Y.02Z06; Apr 15, 2020 at 10:11 PM.
Reason: Details...details...
I have tried a few different methods. I have a set up to measure camber with one of the digital cubes. I also have some toe plates.
What I use now is a carpenters square and a scrub tool called Gunson Trakrit to measure toe. A 1/4" of clearance between tire sidewall and square give me - 1/2 degree of camber. I can vary back and for to get more or less. Tire square with pavement 0 camber.
Alright, so now that the car it running properly and I'm well underway with tuning it, its finally time to put some miles on her which means getting this alignment equipment built so that i can properly align the car. I started this week by beginning to fab up "Ts" that i will mount to each wheel. The consent is that the T will effectively establish the plane of each wheel and allow for a proper alignment. (other than for caster which i will need to make a secondary system for. I'll post a few pictures of what i have so far. As well as a quick sketch of the dimensions for reference purposes. I'm starting by building one for the front and one for the rear, I'll then duplicate them so that i have a set of four once i prove that they work. Next i'll be building adjustable stand offs and a method to fix the the T to the rim. I should have at least the first two done by the end of the weekend.
Rear Wheel T Front Wheel T The heat from the welding warped the square tube a bit so I used some K clamps to straighten the T out Checking flatness on a surface plate tapping 1/4-20 holes
I've never tried any DYI for alignments, always have had the interest though. I have been in the bay while the car was on the rack & amazed how precise the adjustments are. GM did an awesome job of designing & keeping geometries perfect as the suspension cycles.
I'm curious what you have going & will watch closely
Continuing with the build, I used acetal to make rim stand offs that would not damage the rim itself. The 12 stand offs are 0.75 diameter by 0.75 height and tapped 1/4-20 thru. I then cut lengths of 1/4-20 threaded rod and used locktite to attach them permanently to the stand offs. These can then be threaded into the Ts, eventually with lock nuts so that the Ts can be level perfectly to a uniform standoff height before being installed on the rim. the last thing i had time for was to cut and grind pieces of bar stock that will fit into lock into the ridge that retains the center caps of the rims. I'll get these parts drawn up and posted in the near future.
Alright, the fab on the Ts is pretty much done. I made two more Ts, one front and one rear, to match the two that i had. I then drilled and tapped the center of the metal retainers that will slip into the center of the rim. Threaded rod was then treaded in, welded in place and then cut to length. I then cut small pieces of steel bar and welded them onto the ends of the Ts to proper align the toe measuring bars when installed. They would act as a surface to rest the bar on and a second piece was welded as a back stop onto one of the front and one of the rear Ts. Lastly I cut a 0.75 hole on what will be the outside of the Ts. This will allow for a socket to access the barrel nut responsible to secure the T to the rim. With all 4 Ts complete I cleaned them up and I'm currently throwing on a coat of paint to keep them from rusting.
As stated before the Ts will take care of toe and camber. So now i need to come up with a plan for caster.
Tapping center cap retainers Prior to welding after welding All four cut to length All four Ts clamped together to ensure their all the same lengths Prior to cutting back After cut in line Ts ready for paint
All painted up and assembled with the spacers. Finishing up the retainers today so i should be able to start taking measurements by the weekend. Who knows if they'll work as intended but at least they look nice.
I'm thinking, given the spans, that camber will be more accurate than toe?
Measuring toe should be just as simple as measuring from one T to the other. I built them low enough to clear the body and mechanical. The trick will be ensuring that the car tracks correctly. to do that i'll be shooting a laser from from the front to rear T's and then vise versa. the laser should be equal distant from the face of the rim. These tools should be able to get me as close as the accuracy of my measuring devices.
I have been working on leveling the T's tonight and i plan to make some modifications because i'm not super happy with the ease of leveling as is.
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DIY Alignment
