Well, if you can't get your truck to a GOOD alignment shop, you can do a
decent alignment yourself. Here's how:
(Adapted from Herb Adams' "Chassis Engineering")
Camber: To measure camber, a protractor level works well. With the truck
parked on level ground and the front wheels straight ahead, place the level
against the tire sidewall, avoiding raised lettering and other sidewall
irregularities. Centering the level's air bubble will indicate the camber
angle. For the negative camber, both front tires should tilt in toward the
center of the truck at the top.
Caster: Caster is the inclination of the front spindle. Positive caster
(the rearward tilt of the top of the spindle) is essential for high-speed
stability. A fairly accurate measurement of caster can be made by taking
two camber readings. First, record the camber when the wheels are turning
full right, then repeat the measurement with the wheel turning full left.
The difference between the two readings closely approximates the caster
angle. For the left-front wheel, positive caster is indicated when more
negative camber is produced when the wheels are turned right. For the
right-front wheel, positive caster is indicated when more negative camber is
produced when the wheels are turned left. To increase cster, tilt the upper
control arm rearward in the truck.
Toe-in: Measuring toe-in is a snap. Two blocks of wood or oil cans, an
8-foot length of rectangular tubing, and a tape measure are all that's
required. In a pinch, you can even substitute a straight 2x4 for the
tubing. Set the tubing on top of the two oil cans alongside the truck, with
the tubing just touching the front tire sidewalls. Again, avoid raised
letters which may disrupt the measurement. The oil cans are there to raise
the straightedge above the tire bulge. Make sure the steering wheel is
pointed straight ahead and be certain that the door is closed firmly. Sight
or measure between the rocker panel and the straightedge. If the rocker
panel and the tubing are parallel, the front wheels have zero toe-in. If
the straightedge is close at the front of the rocker panel than at the back,
the front wheels are toed-in. Since the rocker is about four times as long
as the tire diameter, the offset should be four times as great as the
recommended toe-in specifications. Thus, if the front wheel has the desired
1/16-inch toe-in, the difference between your measurements from the
straightedge to the front and rear of the rocker panel will be 1/4-inch.
Toe-in is adjusted by turning the threaded sleeves which connect the inner
and outer tie-rod ends.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:47:13 EDT