Suggestions for a shadetree method of setting toe-in?

Use a steel tape! Jack up front end. Hold a pc of chalk against middle of treads & have someone rotate tires to put marks all around circumferences. Measure mark-to-mark on front. Do same, horizontally, on back. When your adjustment has them even, toe-in should be zero. Would prolly be best to re-check & re-adjust if needed, to get that zero when weight of front end is resting on ground/floor/whatever--after it is resting weight on floor, spring front up and down a couple of times before checking. On older cars which called for 1/8 inch "in", that method was about as good as anyone needed. s

Google "Stringing a car", and you should get several hits. It's easier than it sounds from the description - I've done it on my own car a few times. Granted, I have no illusions that I got anywhere near hundredths of an inch accuracy, but it was close enough. (And to be honest, I have

*SERIOUS* doubts that *ANY* vehicle - even a 2007 model, never mind a 20 year old pickup - specs toe-in to the hundredth of an inch. As you say, it isn't exactly easy to even READ that, let alone SET it... As far as that goes, I'd be surprised if any vehicle that age is even CAPABLE of that tight an adjustment - slop in the tie-rod ends alone could easily exceed that)

Another method is to chalk a centerline in the tread of each front tire, then, with the wheels pointing straight ahead, measure from tire to tire at the front of the tires, then, without moving anything but the tape, measure again at the rear of the tires. Try to measure as close to the level of the axle-spindle as possible in both cases. Ideally, if you're looking at the driver's side wheel, you want to measure at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock points on the tire.

Adjust your tie-rods and re-measure. Repeat as needed until both measurements are the same. You'll be AT LEAST good enough to get to a shop without completely eating your tires, and you may very well be close enough that the shop won't end up doing anything meaningful. (But

*DON'T* rely on this method to get things "right". It's nothing more than a "band-aid" so that you can get to someplace to do it right. Run too long on this "fix", and chances are real good you're going to start eating tires like there's gonna be no tomorrow.)

Thanks for the suggestions, that and a bit of research should get me on my way to the alignment shop.

Out of curiosity, when the spec calls for 0.03 in (or whatever), is that the difference at the edge of the rim or at the tread on the originally equipped tires?

The toe spec is at 14 inches from the center of the wheel (center of the axle). Tidbit remembered from Moog School in the 70s.

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aarcuda69062 wrote: .

The toe spec is at 14 inches from the center of the wheel (center of the axle). . Tidbit remembered from Moog School in the 70s. ========= =========

does it ever drive you crazy think'n that maybe you know more than one human has a need to know..........

~:~ marsh ~pours cuda a mushroom tea..........and tries to remember the

70's.....................................................nah.........it's all a blurr~ ~:~

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If you're not going more than 10 miles or so to get to the alignment shop.....then use the tape measure method that's been described. The wear will be negligable within that amount of mileage and virtually non-existant.

fact, not fiction........

here's what we used to use back in the 70's for damned acurate toe alinement on vehicals at the body shop......

take a piece of pipe long enough to reach past the outter edge of both tires when layed across the front of the vehicle......

scribe your center line on both tires as described in the other posts...... all you need is a veriticle reference line..no need to be balls on exact......eyeball will do the trick...ONLY about a 1/2 inch long.

bend 2 ......16 penny nails at 90 degrees and use hose clamps to attach them to the pipe to make adjustable pointers. (no nails ??....anything with a point on it.)

now.......read ray's post about roll'n the car back in forth... because that is EXACTLY the BEST way to insure you're balls on with yer toe setting.

put the vehicle on level ground...move forward a couple feet insureing the STEERING WHEEL is straight...stop with the reference mark DEAD CENTER of the radius of the tire, with the mark on to the front.

SET..your toe gauge to those marks.

Then....KEEPING THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT... move the car to the rear making at least one full rotation of the tire, with the reference mark to the rear.

Adjust your toe HALF of the amount that it's off by your toe gauge.

Repeat proceedure untill your toe is set to ZERO.

then.........

when you git back from the alignment shop....... do a repost...let us know what the PRE-ALIGNMENT.. toe setting was.

jest fer giggles.

~:~ MarshMonster ~takes a toke........tries to remember something else from the 70's...............nope.....still don't remember where he planted it~ ~:~

This gauge is called a single beam trammel. It doesn't cost much to buy good trammel points and make this type of very accurate measuring device yourself. Below is a link to a set designed to go on a wood beam

3/4"X3/8". You can get them that fit onto pipe or square aluminum stock as well as hardwood beams. Notice that there is a fine adjustment for fine tuning after you get the points locked down close to the target measurement. The points are very sharp and the device can be accurate down to .001"

-jim

.....jack each wheel up and put a few inches of masking tape on opposite sides (180 degrees front to rear). Then with a firmly positioned ball point pen, mark lines on front and rear by rotating tire...not moving the ball point pen. To measure the distance between the rear marks, improvise a "caliper-like" U-shape device, perhaps of wood and coat-hanger wire (to clear the body) and carefully set it to the rear distance between ink marks. Then carefully move it to the front marks without changing its setting. Note the difference in the spacing, zero for zero toe-in, or 1/8" less in front for 1/8" toe-in, for example.

(180 degrees front to rear).

rotating tire...not moving the

"caliper-like" U-shape device,

to the rear distance between ink marks.

the difference in the spacing,

My tires have a seam and I have always used that for alignment measurement. Mine hasn't been on a rack since I bought it and I get perfect tire wear.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

======= ======= Mike Romain grabbed his magnify'n glass... located the rite keys....and within 45 minutes had typed this for the NG :

My tires have a seam and I have always used that for alignment measurement. ?Mine hasn't been on a rack since I bought it and I get perfect tire wear. . Mike ========= =========

pushing them in and outta the garage fer the neighbors to drool over, and trailer'n em to shows don't count Mike.

:)

~:~ marsh ~sips his crownroyal.....~ ~:~

Eastwood sells a Wheel Alignment Guage for $45. I have never used it, but it might be worth a try.

(This account is not used for email.)

LOL! Mine certainly isn't a 'Trailer Queen'.

My Jeep CJ7 has been my daily driver for over ten years now. It has made three 3000 mile vacation camping trips to the East Coast (Nova Scotia, PEI, NB and Newfoundland) in the last few years and I take it out to play in the Bush on a regular basis including 6 days in the deep Canadian Bush last week.

A am just about through with the second set of mud tires (about 40% left) I have had on it since I bought it and they have worn out perfectly even.

Now a Jeep CJ7 has a solid front axle so the only alignment adjustment is toe in, but still, that was the question right?

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Got a local race track? As in circle track? Go into the pits and watch the crews between races. I guarantee you'll see at least 3 different ways to set toe.