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Post by boggissimo on Jan 24, 2023 17:42:50 GMT
I keep trying to get around to having a proper alignment done on my car, but keep having to wait until I've made the next mod to the suspension, and haven't found somewhere that'll do it on a weekend. (Any recommendations in the Southeast gratefully received)
So since I've been trying to do a lot of other stuff myself, I'm wondering about doing my own alignment. I know you can do it old school with string and measuring tape, but I'm happy to take a modern shortcut too. I reckon if I can get a home setup for less than the cost of two professional alignments (i.e. about £250), it's got to be worth it.
Anyone doing it themselves? What is the bare minimum kit needed? Any good resources? I've watched a couple of videos, including a good one by Donut Media here. |
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Post by Zed. on Jan 24, 2023 18:28:42 GMT
look on ebay etc. for a cheap camber gauge, while yoou're at it a tracking gauge, can be found cheaply and are yours to play with forever  otherwise, string / spirit-level and tape-measure or rule will give a good idea  also, remember that you can set the suspension & geometry to account for driver / navigator etc. - like having a fat git in the passanger side could make the car lean slightly  Rich. |
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Post by thruxton on Jan 24, 2023 18:42:07 GMT
Or as in the case or Zed in the passengers seat of an NC …. Run it on the door handle.
Rich.
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Post by dave6 on Jan 24, 2023 19:09:40 GMT
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Post by Zed. on Jan 24, 2023 20:10:43 GMT
Or as in the case or Zed in the passengers seat of an NC …. Run it on the door handle. Rich. I've also helped boggissimo to test his cars suspension Rich. |
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Post by howardb66 on Jan 25, 2023 8:03:08 GMT
No, I don’t do my own geo. I get it checked before the start of every season & it does move around a little, plus I get to adjust it to make the cars handling to how I like it. I lean on the car pretty heavily & need it done better than I could do it…
Mine is booked in at Northampton Motorsport on Monday.
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Post by boggissimo on Jan 25, 2023 9:37:11 GMT
No, I don’t do my own geo. I get it checked before the start of every season & it does move around a little, plus I get to adjust it to make the cars handling to how I like it. I lean on the car pretty heavily & need it done better than I could do it… Mine is booked in at Northampton Motorsport on Monday. what are the chances of getting it done on the same day as a CM power and weight day? Impossible? |
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Post by howardb66 on Jan 25, 2023 9:46:08 GMT
No, I don’t do my own geo. I get it checked before the start of every season & it does move around a little, plus I get to adjust it to make the cars handling to how I like it. I lean on the car pretty heavily & need it done better than I could do it… Mine is booked in at Northampton Motorsport on Monday. what are the chances of getting it done on the same day as a CM power and weight day? Impossible? Contact NMS, but at a guess it would be tricky as previously their weighing equipment is in the same place as the hunter machine- might be possible if you go first or last? Give them a call & explain that your coming from miles away etc? 01604 766624. ps if you want to do the Abingdon long course sprint, there’s only 14 places left. |
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Post by dickie on Feb 18, 2023 12:13:39 GMT
I use BG digital gauge + bits of wood on axle stands string and a tape measure. I have fitted extrended lower front ball joints at stock ride height. I am running less front toe which is workable on long drives but sharpens turn in.
I used two steel plates with grease between them to allow things to settle and turn.
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Post by wannabe on Feb 18, 2023 14:22:38 GMT
alignmycar.co.uk lists places with Hunter laser alignment kit, which may or may not be useful. I tend to be annoying and loiter around the workshop talking to the person doing the spannering, rather than sitting in the waiting room like an obedient child  as that way you can see how bad it was and how they treat the car generally, and can talk about options for alignment.
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Post by batou on Feb 20, 2023 13:00:22 GMT
Yeah, I've got a gunson camber gauge and use tape measures but honestly I don't feel its anywhere near ideal. I tend to try just to get it close to where it needs to be and then have someone do it properly on an actual level surface with the right gear. Finding a place though, urgh, that is the hard part... Hunter machines are expensive and require training and understanding of various cars, sadly most places that have them are simply there to just do toe adjustments to school run cars that bump kerbs but that laser alignment tag line sure brings the punters in but they barely know what they are doing. They are also priced accordingly, I can't find anywhere immediately local that would a) put in anything other than factory numbers and/or b) not charge per adjustment. I asked one place not too long ago and they would move on the "price is £30 + vat per adjustment" I asked very politely if they would adjust their pricing to do it by the hourly rate as I get that pricing structure makes sense if you just do toe on one side, but no they wouldn't even entertain the idea, so eventually I worded it like "bro, for f***'s sake there are twelve adjustment points on this car now, if you think I'm paying over £400 for an hours or twos spannering on freshly fitted bolts to numbers that I'm providing you with then you can shove it up your rear canoe" it made no sense, I'd be paying a minimum of £120+VAT and they didn't even need to think, or get the blowtorch out, idiots  . A few years back found a local place that used to race MX5s in the end but honestly, I don't think I'd recommend them, I should have marked the points before I went in and got the car back, they took two weeks and although it drove better, I suspect they just did front and rear toe and left the camber roughly where it landed (but at least equal on the front) as when I undid the rears a few months to remove the arms from the subframe ago I noticed they had used NONE of the camber bolts I provided them with (I gave them 8), two of the very old crusty ones that were on there sheared on me. I know people used to use Blackboots/WIM but they guy who ran it passed away not too long ago poor chap, not sure if they are still the same outfit as its re-branded to pro-tyre but might be worth a shout if a chap called Joe runs the alignment side things there. A few people have mentioned Ruislip tyres which is a reasonable distance for me so might try them this time. On my previous car I used a place in Kimbolton that races Exiges and they did a stellar job but I think they might have changed hands or gone now. Sorry for the rant but its a frustrating point, literally I can spanner all the adjustments myself in an hour or so but finding someone who isn't over an hours drive away to do that but with it sat on a fancy machine has been (and still is) very annoying. alignmycar.co.uk lists places with Hunter laser alignment kit, which may or may not be useful. I tend to be annoying and loiter around the workshop talking to the person doing the spannering, rather than sitting in the waiting room like an obedient child as that way you can see how bad it was and how they treat the car generally, and can talk about options for alignment. This website is completely broken/sh$t I'm afraid  |
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Post by warpspeed on Mar 1, 2023 10:18:08 GMT
String down the sides can be a real nuisance to set up.
I have had much better success with two straight lengths of fairly solid rectangular metal tube (50mm square aluminium).
Make up two exactly equal length spacers that screw into these parallel bars at the front and at the back.
Sit the now perfectly parallel bars on something at hub height (bricks ?)
The whole thing can be set up in a couple of minutes, and with a steel ruler you can easily measure front and rear toe pretty accurately.
Its pretty easy to make your own camber gauge.
Two pieces of wood or metal with a hinge at the bottom.
Rest one piece vertically across the rim, and put a vertical spirit level on the other piece.
It then just a case of measuring the distance at the top, and applying some basic trigonometry.
Caster and bump steer are a bit more complicated, but not impossible.
Its arguably more important to get both sides as close to being the same as possible, rather than worrying about absolute accuracy.
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as that way you can see how bad it was and how they treat the car generally, and can talk about options for alignment.
. 
le sigh