DIY alignment
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Freshman User
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DIY alignment
this may be a dumb question but oh well.
i recently changed my lower and upper ball joints. even marking where they should have been placed before, i now need an alignment. last time i got an alignment i was told i needed to get my frame pulled in order for them to get my driver side to it's correct place. that being said i don't really want to waist the 60 bucks on an alignment, get my frame pulled in a month or so then have to get another alignment. would it be too much of a complication for me to do it myself and what would i need to do to get the alignment right?
i recently changed my lower and upper ball joints. even marking where they should have been placed before, i now need an alignment. last time i got an alignment i was told i needed to get my frame pulled in order for them to get my driver side to it's correct place. that being said i don't really want to waist the 60 bucks on an alignment, get my frame pulled in a month or so then have to get another alignment. would it be too much of a complication for me to do it myself and what would i need to do to get the alignment right?
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Cornelius, Oregon
It's not impossible to do yourself, we do it on racecars all the time. However you're going to spend way more than the $60 on the tools to do it yourself, so if that's all you're worried about it's better just to have an alignment shop do it.
You're looking at probably around $150 for a bubble caster/camber gauge, or upwards of $300 for a digital one. All of them require you to be able to accurately measure turning the tires 20 degrees to the left and right, so you're into it another probably $300-400 for turn plates unless you feel like making them yourself. And, you're going to need something to measure toe-in/outl, so probably another $100-150 for a toe gauge. Though the toe gauge you can make yourself relatively easily.
So... all that to say, unless you're going to be doing it a lot, you're really better off spending the $60 on having a shop align it.
You're looking at probably around $150 for a bubble caster/camber gauge, or upwards of $300 for a digital one. All of them require you to be able to accurately measure turning the tires 20 degrees to the left and right, so you're into it another probably $300-400 for turn plates unless you feel like making them yourself. And, you're going to need something to measure toe-in/outl, so probably another $100-150 for a toe gauge. Though the toe gauge you can make yourself relatively easily.
So... all that to say, unless you're going to be doing it a lot, you're really better off spending the $60 on having a shop align it.
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Originally Posted by pitrow
It's not impossible to do yourself, we do it on racecars all the time. However you're going to spend way more than the $60 on the tools to do it yourself, so if that's all you're worried about it's better just to have an alignment shop do it.
You're looking at probably around $150 for a bubble caster/camber gauge, or upwards of $300 for a digital one. All of them require you to be able to accurately measure turning the tires 20 degrees to the left and right, so you're into it another probably $300-400 for turn plates unless you feel like making them yourself. And, you're going to need something to measure toe-in/outl, so probably another $100-150 for a toe gauge. Though the toe gauge you can make yourself relatively easily.
So... all that to say, unless you're going to be doing it a lot, you're really better off spending the $60 on having a shop align it.
You're looking at probably around $150 for a bubble caster/camber gauge, or upwards of $300 for a digital one. All of them require you to be able to accurately measure turning the tires 20 degrees to the left and right, so you're into it another probably $300-400 for turn plates unless you feel like making them yourself. And, you're going to need something to measure toe-in/outl, so probably another $100-150 for a toe gauge. Though the toe gauge you can make yourself relatively easily.
So... all that to say, unless you're going to be doing it a lot, you're really better off spending the $60 on having a shop align it.
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Originally Posted by burninfordrubber
Why would you need to get your frame pulled? Was the truck ever wrecked. If not I would seek another alignment center....
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 57
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From: Fairfield Ohio
Alignment
well that answers everything now without a adjustment collar you cant adjust it sounds like they replaced it with sust a spacer I would take it back to whoever did the damage repairs and make them do it correctly and foot the bill for a alignment...
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,931
Likes: 180
since it was wrecked and apparently not fixed 100%, i would think an alignment would be in order. on your original question can you align yourself, the answer is yes. i have done my own alignments in the driveway on several cars and trucks over the last 30 years. NEVER been to the shop. i do this with a couple 2 x 2 straight edge boards a $5 level, and a $5 12 ft ruler. This is not rocekt science. How do you think they did it in 1960 before all the super computer equipment was developed. I should say you can do a partial alignment. i also changed out the upper and lower ball joints on a 4 x 4. marek where they were to start and put back in the same space. i then check the toe in and toe out. you can adjust the tie rods to make it right. put a level on the outside of the tire top to bottom and see if it is tipped inward or outward. you can adjust the upper A fram bolts to correct that. you cant do the caster and camber both at home, that would be difficult, but i have found it somewhat unnecessary.
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