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DIY Alignment. Can somebody check my math?(long) Posted by DickT [Email]  (#1628) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from DickT) on Sun, 3 Aug 2003 17:43:29
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Bought a 16" laser level on sale for $20 at Radio Shack a while back and this weekend used it in what I hope may have been a successful attempt to align my 89s with 211k miles. Would appreciate your opinion of my method. The level is 16" and fits quite nicely on a 15" alloy rim without hitting the tire. The laser beam is about an inch and a half above the base and parallel to the long axis of the level.
The last time I'd had the car aligned at a shop, the printout showed that my left rear wheel was toed in more than the right and as a result the car had a .16 degree thrust angle. There was also a camber difference between the two front wheels. About a month ago I replaced the rear suspension with a 69k miles unit and put in Superflex rear control arm bushings and rear sway bar bushings.
To verify that that the new axle it was square to the car I hooked a tape measure to one of the rear subframe mounting bolts and took a shot with the laser across one rear wheel rim towards the front of the car and found that it compared favorably with the measurement from the opposite side. I then used the level bubble to measure camber and found that there was a difference between front wheels as the shop alignment had noted. I replaced the upper 12mm strut to swivel member bolt on one side with a 7/16" and was able to equalize side to side.
According to my manual, front tread is 59.9" and rear is 58.7". I set up targets at the rear of each rear rim with a mark .6", plus the base to beam dimension of the level, plus, this is where I need help!, .020" (half of Abbotts total toe for urethane bushings spec) times the ratio of rim diameter to wheelbase. I set the steering wheel on center and adjusted tie rods until it read right. Test drove the car and everything seems OK.
I had tried a much more complex procedure with a target 35 feet in front of the car and lots of trig but wanted to simplify things so it could be rechecked easily. What do you think?
posted by 24.48.17...
, Sun, 3 Aug 2003 17:43:29 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 4 Aug 2003 15:23:33, Mon, 4 Aug 2003 06:21:42, Mon, 4 Aug 2003 09:37:30
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