how easy is a home alignment job?

[bobdreadknot]

i wanted to get my truck aligned but i wheel so that would be a waste of money. can a home alignment be done in a grage or do i need all sorts of lifting devises and such?

 

[RiverRat]

I just eyeball mine. Seems to work good for camber and toe. Haven't got an idea what my caster looks like. You can use a tape measure to check the toe. Just make sure your steering wheel is centered and held in place. All you need is a tape measure, some hand tools and you're set!

Guess I've been hanging around contractors too much.

 

[bobdreadknot]

well what tools do i need and what am i looking for. i got uneven tire wear as is and need to fix fast when my bigger tires get on there. can anyone give a rundown of the things needed to do and what to use?

 

[XplorerKid]

ok im sure you have enuff money to go let some one professionally do it ... why not do that??

i mean that way you know its doen right

 

[Billy177]

i would get it professionally done it will pay for its self in tire life

 

[Byrd91]

I do camber by eye (a small level or angle finder is good too), caster by feel (pull to the left or right) and toe with one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=30167

It works a little better than a tape measure. I set it on jackstands to I get the same height front and back.

More on caster: More caster (centerline tilted back) on oneside will cause a push from that side. So if you are pulling right, you need more caster on the right.

 

[SiLenZe]

can anyone post on how to straighten out your steering wheel? the wheel is turned to the right to go straight i just had an alignment done 3 months ago.

 

[RiverRat]

Center the steering wheel.

Then adjust toe. (at the tie rod ends)

Sounds like those monkeys didn't do the alignment right.

 

[410Fortune]

There is a good simple explanation of doing your own alignment on the TTB at therangerstation.com

The best alignment guy I have ever used (only one who ever got it right) did all alignments by hand, with a tape measure and other alignment tools....

 

[prerunexp]

yeah i have a ranger with beams, and i took it to many alignment shops and my tires were still wearing miserably on the outside, so i said forget it and i got out there with a tape measurer, and made some adjustments and now its perfect, stupid commies at the shops take my money and cant even do things right, oh well

 

[TwoToneX]

130$ for lifetime alignment at firestone, i've takin mine in 11 times since i bought it 2 years ago, and 8 out of 11 they did it right. the other three i just took it right back and they did it again. you can take the truck in as many times as you want as long as it's the same truck. easily pays for itself especially if you wheel a lot.