DIY alignment??

[Scrapper_MV]

My Bronco is nearing the point where I might be able to drive it. But my recent flat towing incident leads me to believe that the alignment is off.

I know I can rough in the toe-in with a tape measure, but how do I measure the caster & camber at home?

Or should I just have it towed it to an alignment shop?

I'm NOT going to flat tow it again until I know it's right! That little 5 MPH incident scared the sh!t out of me!

 

[70_Steve]

I know I can rough in the toe-in with a tape measure, but how do I measure the caster & camber at home?

Or should I just have it towed it to an alignment shop?

Their are ways to check caster and camber, but way too much of a PIA to be worth trying to do at home. Wait until the Bronco is drivable, set the toe with your tape measure (I set mine that way 7 years ago, and haven't touched it since. Drives just fine), then drive it to the alignment shop. Nothing bad will happen on the relatively short drive to the shop, even if your alignment is off.

 

[gjrock]

BC Broncos sells a caster tool. part # 9310014

 

[justinoshea]

to get it 'right' you really need 1/2 degree or better accuracy which requires an alignment rack and measurement system.

Unfortunately, I have never been to shop that had someone who really new what they were doing. most just set it to spec and are done, even if the vehicle drives like crap.

I've had much better luck aligning my mustangs by making small adjustments, drive, and repeat. the D44 is another story.

 

[rednck21]

set the toe at home and drive it to a shop....

 

[Pa PITT]

I always do my own on the Bronco ..I GET A VERY clean flat spot in the shop ..then roll it forward don't touch the brakes ...I used 2 pieces on conduit pipe one inside the other ..measure up on the tire in back mark the tire ..mark the same spot on the front of the tire ..then take the 2 piece of pipe side them out to the spots.. mark the pipe ..you want the front closer than the back ..this is where I start with mine at about 1/4 inch difference go drive it then come back and make adjustments about a half turn on one of the sleeves at a tie rod ..Remember what you've done or you'll get your steering wheel off center ...you don't want over a 1/2 in difference ...One of the sleeves will adjust the steering wheel correctness and other is toe...
...Then you can put a carpenter square against the tire up thru the center cap..top of the tire should be out farther than the bottom ...rule of thumb if it is top in then you have to adjust at your top ball joints ..they make a sleeve and a socket to do this ..
...Then you can add a washer under the swap bar to push it forward ..

 

[Hal9000]

I've been doing my own alignments for years. Its really no big deal. I've done a rough alignment on a car (my old VW bug), then taken it to an alignment shop only for them to tell me they couldn't get it any better than it already was. I haven't done a bronco yet, but here are a few general tips.

1) make sure your rims are not bent first (jack the wheel up, set a stool near the edge of the tire, spin the wheel and check the runout by using a ruler or probe stabilized on the stool. Hopefully your runout will be under 1/8" or so.

2) The telescoping pipes that Papitt described is the way I measure my toe in. I went a step further by adding a cone shaped tip to each end. Measure off the rim and not the tire (tire casings can be inconsistent and uneven). As an alternate, you can jack up the front of the car, spin the wheel, use a can of spray paint to spray a colored streak down the centerline of the tire, then quickly use a screwdriver stabilized on the ground/fender/stool to scribe a true line in the wet paint as the tire spins (you'll just be hitting the tops of the tread blocks. This could be tough with all terrain tires, but if you do it for each front tire, you can measure off that line at the front and rear of the tire using a tape measure.

3) to measure camber, use a magnet/stick/tape/clamps (whatever works) to fasten a plumb line off your fender or hood so it dangles straight down past the center of rotation for the wheel. Measure from the plumb line to the top and bottom of the rim. With some basic trigonometry, you can figure out the camber pretty easily. Take the wheel off and support the vehicle with jackstands under the axle so the suspension is still loaded and you can use the same method to measure forward/backwards to the center of the top/bottom ball joint or kingpin to figure out your caster.

Oh, and by the way, you have to do the caster and camber on a flat and level surface. Otherwise the angle will throw the measurement from the plumbline off. Check your work surface with a long carpenters level at the exact location where the tires are going to sit to confirm that it's flat and level.

This can be tedius and you may decide it's worth the $80 or so to have a pro use an alignment rack, but it is definitely doable...

 

[NicksTrix]

i rough mine in and get them pretty close. then i take them to an old school guy. no computers, just old school tried & true methods.this guy will allign a bronco or a 10 axle crane, makes no dif to him.

i went to a shop once and the guy was so clueless it was scary. he was pushing buttons to watch a video to show him how to adjust the toe, and the vehicle shown wasn't even right.
let's just say i pulled it off his rack and went to the old timer. never looked back since.

 

[Scrapper_MV]

Caster is what I'm most concerned about. I guess I'm gonna have to pay someone to measure that.

 

[73stallion]

as gjrock said, BC has a caster check tool that all you need to go with it is an angle finder. it also works to check your pinion angle. cheaper than an allignment shop mike. hell, it'd cost $10 in gas to get there!

2/3 of the way down the tools page;

http://www.bcbroncos.com/info.html
http://bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=1431

 

[Scrapper_MV]

as gjrock said, BC has a caster check tool that all you need to go with it is an angle finder. it also works to check your pinion angle. cheaper than an allignment shop mike. hell, it'd cost $10 in gas to get there!

2/3 of the way down the tools page;

http://www.bcbroncos.com/info.html
http://bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=1431

Maybe I could just wait until next month when my friend Ben is coming to town. Maybe he will bring one of those tools and help me out!;D ;D ;D

 

[73stallion]

don't know how i'd get it on the airplane with me.