DIY Alignment

[mrd]

It seems most guys on here get alignments professionally done. Is this something that can't be done by yourself, or do shops use some high tech machines to make everything super accurate?

Also does it make a difference what type of shop you go to? I was thinking about just going to the auto shop at Sears, would I be better off finding a shop that specializes in tires?

 

[BeauJ]

You can't eyeball an alignment, so yea, you'll need to go to a shop. They usually have specialist in the shop and all they do is alignments. They use special machines to make it just about perfect. And DO NOT go to Sears. Go to a tire shop that actually knows what they are doing.

 

[85Dave]

I do my own alignments. I built my own "toe gauge" out of 2x2, thin plywood, and a wooden ruler. Jack up the first wheel, and spin it. While it is rotating, scribe a line using chalk. Set it down on a magazine. Do the same for the other tire. Now measure the difference between the front and back of the tire. That is your toe measurement. Adjust as necessary.

Camber can be checked with a camber/castor gauge. But camber is very difficult to adjust on Gen 1's.

 

[Hartman]

It is possible to get it close using some old school string methods, but nothing compares to a computer alignment done by qualified persons as Beau mentioned.

 

[MalcolmV8]

Firestone has lifetime alignment for $139 right now. No restrictions. You can stop by every time you hit a pot hole if you want and they will check it free of charge and adjust as necessary.

 

[85Dave]

It is possible to get it close using some old school string methods, but nothing compares to a computer alignment done by qualified persons as Beau mentioned.

My experience with using shops is that they will get it in spec, but will not spend the time to get it optimal. And the specs allow for quite a bit of variation. I learned to do alignments on my SCCA car. Nobody in town was willing to put in negative camber in my Mustang because it wasn't within "factory specs".

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Harbor Freight and JCWhitney sell excellent alignment tools. I'd suggest anyone with interest in doing their own alignments to pick up a set. It's not rocket surgery, and with some patience you can do a very good alignment in your own garage.

85Dave, that's a good tip about the magazine under the wheel; should make a good 'turn plate'.....

http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm

 

[darrellx14]

i did my own alignment to my truck. the ttb front end is a biootch to get the camber and such right anyway so i just get the toe in and toe out as close as possible to zero. my truck's front end is excellent except it does get slightly shaky when it's over the 85 mark, but that's only normal for 31in m/t's

 

[IAmTodd]

I set my caster and camber perfect when I installed my adjusters after lowering my truck. It was just dumb luck though.

Get it done right by someone who knows what they're doing. I normally go to the dealer.

 

[Rhett]

It seems most guys on here get alignments professionally done. Is this something that can't be done by yourself, or do shops use some high tech machines to make everything super accurate?

The alignment shops usually do a good job. You can do it yourself, especially if you know what you're doing, but I always prefer to take it to an alignment place. I've "eyeballed" alignment after a front-end job, just so I could drive the truck a few miles to the alignment shop to get it accurately done...