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TR2/3/3A Front end alignment
- Thread starter BobbyO
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I use a culmination and combination of the things I learned from the post. I first eyeball it after I have the tie rods at about 7-3/8 center to center on the studs on both sides and the steering wheel straight, and if I do to have the steering wheel on yet I put the pitman arm and the idler arm 12 o clock to the car and then tweak the tie rods in or out and eyeball that . In addition, and because of my vision compromised, I split my quality aluminum ladder and put a half next to the tiers on each side of the car parallel to each other, kind like Arts string idea to kinda build a box down the both sides of the car, so that the front end is on track with the back; But I guess rolling the car front and back and would do the same thing and would probably work better. Then I do the tape and pencil in TFB and Randall’s idea to check the math.
RJS
Jedi Warrior
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Hi
Resurrecting a very old thread here. I recently installed a new steering rack (along with ball joints, tie rod ends, solid rack mounts and rebushed steering column) in my TR4A. I was somewhat reluctant to bring the car to a modern tire shop for an alignment so, I tried Randall's method per post #3 above just to see if it worked.
Using my $11 DIY rack from Home Depot materials, I dialed her in from 1 3/16" toe in to -0-" toe in. Steering wheel went from cocked 1/16th to perfectly straight and I'll say the feel on the rack went from really heavy to delightful. Car drives straight & true with no twitchiness or tram-lining. Must admit, I was impressed how well this worked.
Rather than scribing the tire, I used a piece of painters tape applied vertically in line with the center of the tire (as suggested above by TFB) and used the edge of the tape to make my marks on the bar. First I measured on the backside of the tire. Then rolled the car forwards until the tape was facing the front, and took a new measurement. The actual measurements are meaningless, it is the difference b/t the two that you are looking for. Took me five adjustments on the tie rods (re-measuring each time) to get it right. I'd jack the front end slightly before adjusting each tie rod simply to take the weight off and make it easier to turn the tie rod. And then took the car for a quick ride before re-measuring.
I'm really impressed how well this worked. And while I might still be tempted to have a professional alignment, the fact is I drive about 1,000 miles per year and my tires will age-out well before they wear out. All in all, just wish I had replaced my steering rack sooner, the transformation was surprising.
Bob
PS: thanks Randall, miss you man
Resurrecting a very old thread here. I recently installed a new steering rack (along with ball joints, tie rod ends, solid rack mounts and rebushed steering column) in my TR4A. I was somewhat reluctant to bring the car to a modern tire shop for an alignment so, I tried Randall's method per post #3 above just to see if it worked.
Using my $11 DIY rack from Home Depot materials, I dialed her in from 1 3/16" toe in to -0-" toe in. Steering wheel went from cocked 1/16th to perfectly straight and I'll say the feel on the rack went from really heavy to delightful. Car drives straight & true with no twitchiness or tram-lining. Must admit, I was impressed how well this worked.
Rather than scribing the tire, I used a piece of painters tape applied vertically in line with the center of the tire (as suggested above by TFB) and used the edge of the tape to make my marks on the bar. First I measured on the backside of the tire. Then rolled the car forwards until the tape was facing the front, and took a new measurement. The actual measurements are meaningless, it is the difference b/t the two that you are looking for. Took me five adjustments on the tie rods (re-measuring each time) to get it right. I'd jack the front end slightly before adjusting each tie rod simply to take the weight off and make it easier to turn the tie rod. And then took the car for a quick ride before re-measuring.
I'm really impressed how well this worked. And while I might still be tempted to have a professional alignment, the fact is I drive about 1,000 miles per year and my tires will age-out well before they wear out. All in all, just wish I had replaced my steering rack sooner, the transformation was surprising.
Bob
PS: thanks Randall, miss you man