3x8 new steering rack install/adjustment procedure?

Caster & Camber aren't too critical for a reasonably short drive from your house to the shop that's doing the alignment. Just put the old shims back where they came from.

There's a couple of reasonably accurate ways to set toe-out/in using a straight board long enough to reach across both front wheels, a short board, & 1 or 2 carpenter's squares. It's basicly the way shops used to do alignment before all the fancy eqpt became available.

I'm doing this from memory, but search the web to double check. There are several 'how to' descriptions out there. Probably it's even still in the Haynes & Chilton manuals.

Adjust the tie rod lengths until they're pretty close to the old ones, & the wheels look parallel with the steering wheel centered.

Basicly, you pick the wheel wheel that appears to be closest to parallel with the body. Keeping the steering wheel centered, adj. that wheel as parallel as possible using the short board across the middle of the wheel as a guide.

Method #1:

Fasten one of the squares to one end of the long board.

Now, use the 2 squares & the board to measure:
1) Distance between the outer front bulges of the front tiers
&
2) Distance between the outer rear bulges of the front tires.

Adj. the other tire, re-measure, & repeat as necessary.

Meas't procedure:
Lay the long board across in front of the front wheels wheels up as close to the middle of the wheel as the spoiler will let you raise it. Pull the board across until the square firmly touches the outside of the tire you just made parallel with the body.. (Helps to have something like a stack of bricks or boards to lay under the end of the board). Now lay the other square on the other end of the board, while keeping it exactly parallel with the board, move the square along the board until the other leg of the square touches the outer edge of the other wheel. Mark the position of the square on the long board.

Now repeat the measurement with the long board behind the wheels.

The difference between the 2 measurements is your toe-out/toe-in. Adjust the 2nd wheel until the 2 measurements are equal & you've now got the front wheels parallel.


Method #2:
Then lay the long board across the front of the car & use the square to align it exactly 90 degrees from the wheel you just setup. The long board should be pretty close to 90 degrees with the body, but a little variation is OK as it's the position of the wheels relative to each other that's important.

Now go to the other wheel & adjust it until it's at 90 degrees to the board. Now the wheels should be parallel with each other. This method is a bit harder to do because the angles can get pretty small.

You get the concept tho.

Alternatively, spend $12.99 + shipping for a Harbor Freight 'Wheel Alignment Gauge' #30167. It basicly does the same thing as approach #1. If you're having trouble followiing my highly lucid procedure #1, maybe the manual for it will help:

http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/30000-30999/30167.pdf

 

Jwise

What is the phone number for AW Imports? I have a rac that needs to be rebuilt or replaced and 400 bucks does not sound so bad.

Thanks
Bill

 

Thanks!

Bill

 

While we're talking Heath Robinson methods of setting the toe-in , here's the method i've used in the past on a Healey.

Similar to what Verell says but using two long boards which appear straight by eye, (eg 4 m lengths of tongued and grooved wall cladding). If you lay these along the front wheels extending out to the front, again as high as possible maybe on bricks, then you can measure the distance between the planks some distance from the car. The advantage here is that at the end of such a long lever arm, the small toe-in of fractions of an inch becomes whole inches which are easy to measure accurately. Disadvantage is you've got to do a bit of trigonometry.

good luck,
Richard

 

I've always had good luck with AW Imports and Frank. Great folks with good prices and fast shipping.

Get familiar with the string alignment method. These cars sit so low that most alignment machines can't align them due to the fact that a lot of alignment machines need to be able to "see" each other under the front of the car. If the front heads can't "see" each other, the alignment machine won't work.
The newer laser racks don't have this problem, but they are $50K and not every shop has them.

Good luck,
John

 

Richard
Just to clarify, the measurement you get at some distance in front of the car (3ft) is compared to what measurement? I assume the measurement immediately in front of the tires or behind the tires. Does it matter?

 

This is where the trigonometry comes in...

If, for the sake of argument, the toe-in needed is 0.1" between the front and back of a 10" wheel (too small I know) then if you can measure across these bits of wood say just in front of the wheels and then again 100 inches further on, the difference between these measurements will be 100/10 x 0.1 = 1 inch if the toe-in is correct. The 1 inch diference is easier to measure accurately but you do need straight bits of wood.

To be honest, I don't think this method is accurate enough for a 150 mph F-car. It was OK however for the more gentlemanly Healey.