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Hello. So I FINALLY got time off to swap out my busted power rack for a manual one. I'm using alignment plates to get it close enough to drive to the real alignment shop. Just making sure that I'm using these things correctly.
That’s pretty much it. If the wheel is straight I wouldn’t even bother with the alignment shop. Assuming your garage floor is decently flat, the resolution on those tapes is as good as any alignment shop is going to be.
So it looked ok in my garage, but it was kind of rough once I got on the road. I was way off on the steering wheel. It's like a new car now tho.
Before
After
Looking at your toe plate and alignment pics, from where I'm sitting, if you are going to keep using the plates it looks like you need think about what your doing wrong. The tape measure was sagging in the middle or hanging up on the backside, the toe plates are warped, they were strapped on to tight causing them to bow, just propped up against the tire and they slipped a little, not compensating for tire and wheel runout, etc, something is wrong.
I do not think your total toe should have been off by over 4*. My mistake, I meant 1*.
Last edited by JimN; Sep 29, 2019 at 12:29 PM.
Reason: Typo
Toe plates to me are nice for a quick check or use at the track, but you really need to build a string box if you’re going to diy at home. I built a setup a few years back and it worked great, I just don’t have access to my garage to do work anymore.
That is a nice setup. It's not something I'm going to build or buy for myself. The 97 f150 & the 97 del sol we have don't even qualify as daily drivers since I retired. After I finish the steering, suspension, and alignment work on both of them I do not think I will need to mess with them for a long time.
Regards, Jim.
Wheel alignment question
