1934 ford toe in

whizzernick

whizzernick

Well-known member
is the correct way to check toe in.
#1 Middle of tire

#2 inside of tire
#3 outside of tire



I have always used #2


If I am correct Why?
 
You should not use the tread on the tire, it is not accurate. I wrap once around the tire with masking tape, then spin the tire while holding a marker pen firmly to make a nice line around the tire, and measure off that line. Its true then, even if your wheels and tires are not
 
cas3 said:
You should not use the tread on the tire, it is not accurate. I wrap once around the tire with masking tape, then spin the tire while holding a marker pen firmly to make a nice line around the tire, and measure off that line. Its true then, even if your wheels and tires are not
Click to expand...

Yep! In alignment shops, they have a little 'marker device' that scribes/marks a line in the center of the rubber.
 
cas3 said:
you should not use the tread on the tire, it is not accurate. I wrap once around the tire with masking tape, then spin the tire while holding a marker pen firmly to make a nice line around the tire, and measure off that line. Its true then, even if your wheels and tires are not
Click to expand...


middle ? Inside ? Outside ?
 
It doesn't really matter WHERE you make a mark (center makes the most sense), the key is that it is scribed/marked by rotating the tire (axle up on jack stands). You do this on both tires - now you have two lines to compare on the front and back of the tires - to determine your toe-in vs out.
 
For anyone still with doubts, get in front of any wheel jacked up and spinning. You’ll see the wobble and you’ll understand why you have to make a fine line mark around the circumference while spinning.
 
V8COOPMAN said:
Whizzer.....They're talking about the center of the TREAD surface...the surface with the tread on it, that makes contact with the road. NOT the SIDE WALL!

Coop

.
Click to expand...


Ah, thanks.

I have Third Gens (made by Bratton's) alignment tool that uses the inside wall of the tire as the point of reference.
 
Tim Ayers said:
Ah, thanks.

I have Third Gens (made by Bratton's) alignment tool that uses the inside wall of the tire as the point of reference.
Click to expand...


Nothing, not even the wheel itself can be as accurate as marking a fine line on the tread. For the life of me, I can't understand why these reference points are sometimes made from variable sources like the sidewalls or the wheels, when just a minor curb bump can put a wobble on a wheel, and there is no such thing as a tire that runs true unless it's been shaved, and even shaving wouldn't normally true up a tread wobble.
 
Personally i would not trust the inner side wall to true, jut watch the tire when you spin it wobble. I took the wheels off and used two lengths of aluminium bar stock the same length as the tire and bolted the to the hub. And made my own sliding trammel gauge. I made the mistake of assuming the PO had set the toe in,one day got severe death wobble . It was 1”3/8 out!!
 

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perhaps I did not explain correct. I have always (over 50 years ) made a mark center of tread. measure front -compare to rear and make front i/16 smaller. 1/16 toe in.
There is a guy on utube useing a tool that does toein useing the inside of tire. I think that is wrong. I would just like to know why that is wrong if it is.
 
In school they actually taught us to spin the wheel, and then spray a line of paint on there, and scribe a line in the fresh paint. Besides being messy, its often times hard to scribe a line with the zig zag tread pattern bashing into the scribe tool. Thats why I use the masking tape and marker method, much easier to control and get a nice fine line. As described above, spin a wheel while its off the ground and about 99% chance it will not run perfectly true. This can be from the rim slightly bent, or the tire tread mold off a little. The line you will make with my method eliminates any of those run out factors and gives you a dead straight line for reference.
 
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whizzernick said:
perhaps I did not explain correct. I have always (over 50 years ) made a mark center of tread. measure front -compare to rear and make front i/16 smaller. 1/16 toe in.
There is a guy on utube useing a tool that does toein useing the inside of tire. I think that is wrong. I would just like to know why that is wrong if it is.
Click to expand...


The gauge pictured measures from the inside wall of the tires. You install it
near the front of the tires then roll the car forward to get your reading.
It doesn't matter if the rim is bent or the sidewall of the tire has a defect
as the point of measurement doesn't change.
 

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whizzernick said:
perhaps I did not explain correct. I have always (over 50 years ) made a mark center of tread. measure front -compare to rear and make front i/16 smaller. 1/16 toe in.
There is a guy on utube useing a tool that does toein useing the inside of tire. I think that is wrong. I would just like to know why that is wrong if it is.
Click to expand...

Nick, the 1/16” toe in is per wheel. Total difference between wheels is what you want to be 1/8”.
 
A question for the line on the tape method. How do you ensure the tape measure is exactly on the line on the other side of the car?
 
I have this exact tool. It does use the inside sidewall.
At least 65 plus years old and still works great.
 
my4dv8 said:
A question for the line on the tape method. How do you ensure the tape measure is exactly on the line on the other side of the car?
Click to expand...

A pointer on one end of a stick, a rule on the other. The stick is mounted on stilts half the height of the tire which is on the ground, fully supporting the weight of the car. Both front wheels are on newspaper, to enable an unstressed wheel position. Pointer set on one front mark, the reading taken from the rule at the other. Move that tool to the back of those front wheels for a comparison of measured dimensions. Make your adjustment to the drag link, give a little bounce to the front end to settle the wheels to be as unstressed as before the adjustment. Take your comparison measurements again, as needed.
 
Ideally, you have two people. since I am usually alone, I have made up a tool from 1/2 " water pipe with a sliding pointer on each end so I can do it myself. The pointers are about 10" high, and ground to a fine point on the tips, with a washer welded to the set screw so you need no wrench to adjust it. Simply lay it on the floor and set the pointers to the front line, and then move it to the back side and check the reading there. Also, not mentioned yet in this post, is this method is fine when setting up a new build with new king pins and bushings. In that case I believe it can all be done off the ground. However, on an older with perhaps loose bushings the car should be on the ground to see what is actually happening while going down the road with a load on it. Even a new build, I would check again after its on the ground to see if things have changed.
 
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