Toe-in Alignment tool

BILL WILLIAMSON said:
REMEMBER, LOOSEY GOOSEY adjusted front wheel bearings can FOIL your toe in adjustment!
The STRANGE ways some Folks adjust their bearings, are plain old SCAREY!! One Guy just ran the nuts, FINGER TIGHT!!!! Some backed them off by 1 or 2 castelations!!!! SCAREY!!!
Some even used chassis grease, in the bearings!!! Don't know what color it was????
Bill Slight pre-load[/B]
Click to expand...

Bill, What kind of grease do you run in the wheel bearings?
I use the red Lucas thick stuff.
 
WHN said:
You guys are kiddy “right”.

Tape measures and shower curtains?

Do you really think there were not front end machines back in the day?

We read all the time on this forum about shimmy and death wobble. There are other people out there, on the road, also driving with us. Model A’s are not toys. People can get killed if a car or truck is not maintained properly.

There are a lot of very well maintained antique cars on the roads that are as safe today as the day they were made. There are also a lot of unsafe poorly maintained cars.

My belief is to fix it right, or do not drive it until it can be fixed. Sorry if my soap box has caused anyone heartburn.
Click to expand...

Dear Mr Kiddy Heartburn.

The shower curtain route is an exact copy of an original.

This allows me to do the job at home, not have to bring it to a garage, do it for free. I have loaned out my "shower curtain" to 4 others and they are happy with the results.

After I do the alignment I then can install the tool in my bathroom and have shower. This is truly a dual purpose, multi-functional tool.:)
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    50 KB · Views: 128
I'd be remiss not to mention this excellent post from 2014:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showpost.php?p=858893&postcount=16

Measuring your toe-in is one thing, but then how do you know how much to rotate the tie rod? This post gives the exact math to calculate it. I used it last weekend when I did my toe-in and the results came out perfectly.

For the record, I measured toe-in by jacking up the front end, marking horizontally across each tire with chalk, and then measuring the distance for that point at a consistent height in the front and the back. To improve accuracy, I measured the distance between 3 points at the edges of the tread grooves on each tire and then averaged the results.
 
Some even used chassis grease, in the bearings!!! Don't know what color it was????
Click to expand...

Bill, What kind of grease do you run in the wheel bearings? I use the red Lucas thick stuff.
Click to expand...

I've been using chassis grease in wheel bearings for over 60 years and never had a problem related to the grease.
 
I still have my toe in tools from back in the 60's. Four quarts of Texaco 30 wt. oil and two straight pieces of 6' long steel. Had to do what you had to do. Now the curtain rod with a sticky back clothing tape, takes its place. And i leave the car on the ground and roll it back and and forth and double check it a few times. Not really rocket science for me. Just my 2 1/2 cents.
 
I fear I did overkill on this toe in thing, but, it is what it is! I got some angle iron from my junk pile and some wood. I then cut the angle iron in two pieces that when held up next to my model a tires, there was an inch sticking out front and back. Next, I cut two pieces of wood, and formed the wood to fit just inside the rim lip! I then bolted the wood in line with the edge of the angle iron and screwed the wood to the angle iron! I then cut another hunk of angle to fit on the inside of the Wheel and drilled holes in both the outside piece with the wood attached and took some thread stock and mounted two sets of these on each front wheel. Using a level, got both mounted to be perfectly level and at the same height. Then using a ruler, I did my toe in measure and adjustment! The order of things, is adjust wheel bearings, then do toe in, and sadly with my homemade arrangement, since you should do toe in averaging because wheels are not true, I had to reclamp and level and measure about 3 times! But when done, no more shimmy!
 
alexiskai said:
I'd be remiss not to mention this excellent post from 2014:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showpost.php?p=858893&postcount=16

Measuring your toe-in is one thing, but then how do you know how much to rotate the tie rod? This post gives the exact math to calculate it. I used it last weekend when I did my toe-in and the results came out perfectly.

For the record, I measured toe-in by jacking up the front end, marking horizontally across each tire with chalk, and then measuring the distance for that point at a consistent height in the front and the back. To improve accuracy, I measured the distance between 3 points at the edges of the tread grooves on each tire and then averaged the results.
Click to expand...

With the shower curtain you know exactly how much to turn the tie rod. An no math needed to figure it out. With the curtain in place as you turn the tie rod with a vice grip and you can watch the tape on the rod increase or decrease so that you can get the 1/16 toein needed.

A example would be you have 7 and 1/2 to start. You roll the car and end up with 7 and 5/8. Now you turn the tie rod back to 7 and 9/16.
 
I recommend when using the Duby gage, try doing it on at least 2 different places on tires just to confirm your results.
 
I like the four Texaco oil can idea... which brings up the question, how high off the ground do you measure the 1/16 inch or whatever the measure should be? Higher up will give a larger measure until you get to the wheel center line. In other words how long are those chains on the commercial tool?
Joe B
 
JoeCB, you don't raise the front end up off the ground to do this alignment procedure. The chains on the tool are a reference as to how high off the ground the tool is placed on the tire. Place the tool on the tire so the chains just touch the ground. Zero the measurement on the tool. Then roll the car forward until the chains again are just touching the ground. Look at the gauge measurement on the tool. It will tell you the amount of toe-in or toe-out your car has.
 
Yes, that is what I'm looking for … the length of the chains? Because the height off the ground of the tool ( not the car) will change the measured toe in. If one is to set toe in to a specification then you have to know how high (off the ground) to take the measurement.

Joe B
 
The chains cannot be longer than the height of the front wishbone arms from the floor. Otherwise the wishbone will knock the trammel off the tyres as you roll the car forward and the trammel rises up to meet the wishbone. 6 inches sounds about right. It is defined in the Ford service bulletins, where the toe in figure is specified as being measured well below hub height by Ford.
I am not in a place where I can look it up tight now. Somewhere on the Barn recently the Ford service method was reproduced.
SAJ in NZ
 
Well this conversation explains a lot... Thanks all. Not knowing the correct procedure I had always checked my toe-in at hub level using the taught string 4 - wheel alignment procedure. Measuring that high off the ground I will be getting way less toe- in than the spec. Might help explain tendency to wander.

Joe B
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top