[Vwdiesel] DIY alignment tips?

[Roger Brown]

Shawn Wright wrote:
> On 5 Nov 2005 at 19:45, Val Christian <val at mongobird.com> wrote:
> 
>> On my 84, I simply went 0 camber.
> 
> Last time I got it done, I had to argue with the shop, as they told me camber wasn't 
> adjustable! I showed him how, and pointed at the numbers on their computer, and 
> refused to pay until it was right. 
>  
>> For toe, you can use a trackguage which is spring loaded to sit in the
>> tire/wheel grove, and with little chains to get it level and a fixed 
>> distance off the ground on each side.  If you don't have one, use a 
>> light weight chain, and a helper.  Put chalk marks on the tire so you
>> can hit the same spots the same height off the ground.  
>>
>> You can get pretty close with this method.  On the road, I've used string.
>> I was 16 at the time, and a family car hit a sheet of plywood falling
>> off a dumptruck.  One 8 yo brother had to ride with me, because the 
>> family station wagon was full.  It was a Sat night, so I did the align
>> readjustment in a parking lot while little brother ate.  The wheels were
>> pretty straight, but the caster was way off.  The car was down for the 
>> entire vacation while parts were ordered.  (We traveled with two, needed
>> for eight kids.)
>>
>> BTW you have the right way to get the camber, but I use a calculator and 
>> do it off the wheel, and use a magnetic torpedo level, with shims.  
>> For shims, I've used the sheet magnets which everyone hands out.  Lift,
>> adjust, tighten, set down, roll car back and forth, and test.  Repeat
>> at least twice.  Usually more.  Oh, your 0.24" sounds like quite a bit 
>> too much.  
> 
> I'll have to double check my math, it could be 1/8" I suppose. I'm more worried about 
> toe though.

1/4" over 14" is 1 degree.  Prove it yourself, fire up your favorite trig-calculator and enter:

  .25 / 14 then Inv Tan and you get 0.982.. degrees.

On the toe in, I once got a spring loaded rod to use between the front tires, but it did not work well on the VW, could not get 
it through the measure in back.  I suppose you could make up a jig similar to what I use on my 4x4:
	http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/AxleTech/index.shtml#Alignment
But instead, make up some wooden (or metal) brackets, a horizontal bar about as long as the tire diameter and a vertical panel 
to push up against the side of the wheels/tires.  Then with both sides tight to the wheels, measure the front and rear 
separations for toe in.

-- 
    Roger