Funny that shops don't want to do it. Yes, it's a pain in the *** for 65-66's which use UCA shims, but it's also almost exactly the same as an S10. It's not really complicated, just a pain, so it usually takes a couple hours.

 

Will shops do it with a car that has wheel adapters? Or will I have to put my old 14s back on.

 

Don't see why not. Wheels don't have to come off to do it.

 

You definitely want to align the wheels with the tires/wheels you actually drive with to be accurate. In fact, you should align even when you buy new tires.

I don't know if tire air pressure effects alignment, but I always make sure that is even in both tires, just to be safe.

CP

 

to add to carlos' post about the alingment when getting new tires, you generally want to put about 1k miles on them prior to alignment.

or at least thats what ive alwaysbeen told by everyone i know


also as far as "dont do it at home go to a shop that has the right tools (computer etc)" ... those machines werent around when these cars were built so the person will be safe doing it without those.

could they make the job more precise? of course but you can still do it without them and get excellent results

 

I have used ones on the front. The rears have about 800 on them, I bought them new.

 

the last two alignments I've gotting in shops were a joke. Yes, you need to understand caster, camber and toe, and how they act, or re-act if not set properly. Mustangmonthly mag actually has pretty good tips. Tire ware is another big indicator of your alignment. If you have it right, your tire ware will be even across the entire surface. Pulling left or right, steering reaction are indicators, also the ability to return to center. Be prepared to set a rough alignment, then small adjusts 20 times to get it right. A digital angle finder and tape measure, and PATIENCE, can get you through it.

 

As I read toward the end of this thread, I was very happy to see that not ALL responders were such naysayers.

Doing alignment is NOT rocket science, although you need to do some study so you know what you're doing. A person that UNDERSTANDS alignment and how to do it, can do a better job with a camber gauge like you have and a tape measure than you can have done by some guys with their $35,000 systems that don't know what they're doing.

You can indeed use your camber tool to measure caster. It would best be done on turnplates, but if you have to you can set down a few pieces of greased sheet metal on a level surface. Do a little reading so that you can see how to measure your camber angle with the front wheel turned to both extremes to determine caster. The camber and caster adjustments interact, so do some studying in a factory manual to learn how to make the adjustment of caster and camber together.

As far as setting toe, the most common mistake is measuring from a point on the tire tread. The tire is rarely mounted such that the tire tread is the same all the way around as referenced to the wheel. SOoo.. there are several methods of which you can choose your favorite:

Use a thumbtack on each tire. Start by putting the thumbtack somewhere on the raised part of the tread on each tire, at the same height on each tire and not quite so high that you can't measure from one side to the other without an obstruction. Measure precisely from one edge of one tack to a certain edge of the other tack and note the measurement. THEN roll the car forward to put the tacks at the same height, but behind the bottom of the tire. Remeasure. If the measurement is zero, you're adjusted. If not, adjust accordingly. If the Steering Wheel is correctly positioned when going straight down the road, then split your adjustment from one side to the other. That is turn equal amounts on each tie rod adjusting sleeve. This way you won't effect the steering wheel position.

If you read toe settings in an old manual it will tell you to toe it in slightly. That was written in the days of bias ply tires. With radials, set it on zero or you will have tire edge wear issues. Also, I should have warned you to make sure that all parts are tight and wheel bearings properly adjusted before measuring toe.

Another method if you don't like using the tacks, is to vise grip a nail onto a jack stand and raise a front wheel then position the nail somewhere such that you can turn the wheel and scribe a thin line around the circumference of the tire tread. Do the same on the other tire and then ROLL THE CAR AT LEAST ONE TURN OF A TIRE TO ALLOW THE SUSPENSION TO SETTLE IN. Then do your measuring between the scribed lines.

I don't mind paying someone to do my alignment work AS LONG AS THEY KNOW WHAT THE HECK THEY'RE DOING! The problem is finding that person. If you don't KNOW FOR SURE THAT YOU'VE FOUND HIM, then learn to do it yourself and don't pay any attention to the naysayers who tell you not to do it yourself. As my Dad used to tell me; "you'll never learn any younger."

 

I personally wouldn't measure off the tire. Your mileage may vary.
The Hunter alignment rack that I learned on used the tire rim as a refrence.

Here is a picture of my home made toe setting tool.
It is a square tube with 2 adjustable 'feet'. The upright arm, on each foot, has an adjustable horizontal arm on it.
Just adjust the horizontal arms to the center of the tire rim and adjust the sliding foot till the horizontal arm just touches the back of the rim.
Then move the tool to the front of the rim, without changing any adjustments, as shown in the photo.
The space between the horizontal arm and the rim is the toe in.

 

Yes, professional alignment equipment measure off the wheel. THAT'S WHY I DESCRIBED THE METHODS THAT TAKE AWAY THE ERROR OF TIRE SEATING!!!!!!!!!! I also cautioned against measuring off of tire tread because of tire seating errors.

By either scribing a line, or using tacks, you are doing a way with the tire mounting error and it works very well. I've used these methods on the shop floor for about 30 years with VERY good success.

I like your measurement fixture as long as the uprights are substantial enough that they give consistent readings. Good job on it! Once you have it set for the width at the front of the wheel, how do you move it to the back of the wheel without disturbing your setting?