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1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Bumpsides Ford Truck

diy alignment

Old Jun 24, 2010 | 03:04 AM
  #1  
carpenter547's Avatar
carpenter547
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From: agricultural cover desert
diy alignment

ok first off please don't tell me not to i never take that advice *and i have the kids to prove it*

second
has any one aligned thier truck them selfs and how difficult was it. logic states that it shouldn't be too much more difficult than snaping a layout for framing. which btw i am very good at.

recently i search of my choice of tires i slapped some springs from a 79 350 crew cab 460ci on my 71 250 with a 390 it was supposed to give a 3 inch loaded hight. but unforseen consequences have resulted in a 5 inch ride hight increase and i kinda like it so it is gonna stay *till the springs settle at least* only 2 issues with this so far

one extra rub due to lack of lenght from lift on passenger side *have a fix for this already*

two wrong camber angle on tires looking for a shop to fix that issue.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2010 | 10:40 AM
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Not too much adjustable except for toe with the twin I-beams, unless you have them bent (something that I wouldn't attempt at home without an accurate way to measure caster and camber before and after bending, not to mention the actual bending process itself) but since you say you're looking for a shop to fix the camber angle, I guess you figured that part out already...

But they can do the toe at the same time. However...there are a couple of old racer's tricks for setting toe. One of them includes the construction and use of a trammel bar. Here's a write-up I just came across:

DIY Front end alignment: Make the Trammel Bar Mechanical Daydream

I just glanced at it, but it appears that this one is adjustable for different vehicles. If you wanted it for your truck only, it could be made non-adjustable which would be even easer to fabricate. I've seen them made entirely of wood, where the uprights were made of plywood. I made one years ago for my race car which was made of metal, and adjustable as well.

Here's the string method:

Wheel Alignment Guide - Measuring Toe - Hot Rod Magazine

Another trick is to get hold of two very flat plates of either metal, if you want something durable (aluminum would be best due to weight, but should be thick enough to be stiff) or else good, non-warped plywood or other composite wood that will sit flat against the outside of your wheels. Put something heavy like a concrete block against them to hold them in place. Cut a small slot at the front and rear about an inch or so up from the ground on each one, and using two tape measures slide the dumb end (that's the end that that any dummy can normally hold even if he has no idea how to read a tape, but no dummy is needed for this operation!) into the front and rear slots on one side, and then extend the tapes across to the other side and through the slots. You can now look at the smart end of both tapes at the same time and read the difference in toe directly off of them, and adjust and recheck accordingly. Very easy to use, even easier to use and make than a trammel bar.

 
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Old Jun 24, 2010 | 11:48 PM
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carpenter547
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From: agricultural cover desert
thanks

glad to see that my idea for once was being done by some one else

2 tapes and some boards

ok well i guess that ends that

and thanks for the links i will follow those up and research on them some.
 
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Old Jun 27, 2010 | 09:45 AM
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to make a good measuring point you can jack up the front. get some spray paint. spin the tire and paint a stripe in the middle. then take a flat head screwdriver or a pick and scribe a line in the paint by spinning the tire. Repeat on the other side. You use those lines in the paint to take your measurements.
 
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Old Jun 27, 2010 | 01:04 PM
  #5  
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From: UPSTATE NY
i like to place 2 jacks right under the springs at the end of the ibeams to lift it up by the suspension. then use a tape measure to measure the distance to the middles of the front of the tires, then the back and use a 5/8 wrench to loosen the collar and adjust the toe to where it is 3/16"
takes a half hour of your time
 
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