This tip is for the at home front end replacement mechanic,

Before you go and take off the tires after the truck/car is jacked up.
You need a reference point for toe-in.

Take a piece of copper/galvanized pipe, a piece of redi-rod half the length of the pipe. Drill a 3/16" hole and tap it for a wing bolt about a foot from one end of the pipe.


With the redi-rod inside the pipe,adjust the length to fit between the front part of the tires equal to the center of the rim on the sidewall,tighten the wing bolt and remove and set aside in a safe place.
Reset the toe-in with the measuring device after the parts installation so you can drive the truck to the alignment shop with no problems.

I did this with My Mustang after a complete front end replacement.
I drove it to the alignment shop didn't charge me for one because it was already with-in limits.

I did the same thing with my Truck in 93,it needed the alignment though.



Dennis



Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving My Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"


78 F-150 429CJ,Silver
w/Explorer Pkge.
641/2-Mustang 260,Pre-World's Fair Car.
64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V
84 Volvo DL Wagon

 

I just used a tape measure to get it close, Then I used a pair of vise grips and a clothes pin spring to scribe the tires and set the toe myself. I used a furring strip and a couple of sharp nails for a reference dimension, then measured from that. Use a little glue on the nails when you hammer them in to keep them from rotating and changing your reference.

 

This sounds more plausible than the mark-the-tie-rod-with-white-paint method found in most manuals. I've never been able to use the paint method with any success, there is always 15-20 degrees deflection in the steering wheel when done.

Out of curiousity, do you leave the steering wheel locked in place while taking this measurement or center the wheel?

 

Actually, I did this on my Mustang that doesn't have locking steering.
I eye-balled the driver side tire straight and then did a quick eyeball down the passenger side.
Did my measurements and started taking things apart.
I hope to find my Alignment Test Result sheet to post on the wall in the den.

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[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
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Ditto here, I just eyeball straighten the wheel opposite the side I will "repair" first and make my measurements. After the repair I get the measurement reasonably close b4 I do any repair on the other side.