Toe-in tools - easy and accurate

Cave

Cave

Member
Toe-in tools… I rebuilt all steering components from the steering box to the wheel bearings and decided to re-set the toe-in since everything was rebuilt or new and the old slack was eliminated.

Rather than trust my not-perfectly true wheels and tire tread I decided to make these simple and cheap tools out of 1” square aluminum.

Simply bolt one to each hub, rotate them to the rear, measure, then rotate the hub so they face forward and measure again. No wobble, no guessing. I finally have the toe-in correct… 1/16” (actually 3/32” - the tools are that accurate) … YMMV.

Purists with absolutely true wheels may snicker, but in my real world I trust these and found them easy to use… a one-man job.



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That looks interesting. How sturdy are the arms and are they contoured to the hub and brake drum.
 
The fit is really good... notice the way it sits on the rim in picture #2... they were only finger tight, no wrenching needed.
 
Square tubing... Lowe's, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.
Hack saw... see above
1/2" drill bit (for lug bolt hole)... ditto



And half an hour of your puttering time. Easy, peasy. (Peasy is a word?)
 
Cave said:
Square tubing... Lowe's, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.
Hack saw... see above
1/2" drill bit (for lug bolt hole)... ditto



And half an hour of your puttering time. Easy, peasy. (Peasy is a word?)
Click to expand...




Yes sir it is! Good stuff. I appreciate seeing people come up with new ways to fix a 90 year old problem!
 
Great idea, but as I recall the 1/16 is based on the distance between the tires, and taken from 6 " above the floor. So if your tube is approximately the same length as the distance from stud to tire centerline, and the car is jacked up just the same height as the tire. Then taking this measurement 6 inches above the floor should put you dead nuts.
 
Why not make four while you are at it and aim them to 6" off the ground, measure and adjust and job done? (If hubs are straight) Looks easier than my curtain rods and blocks of 2 X 6.
 
Should the car be on the ground with wheels on to measure toe in? Some slack in the wheel bearings and king pins could affect your measurement? I don't know for sure. Just asking.
 
Use a duby gauge, place it between the tires roll car forward, adgust, done.
Use cut aluminum, jack up car place on stands, remove and preload from the weight of the car on the wheels, remove wheels, bolt on gauge. Measure. take off the gauge, put on the wheels jack it up, remove the stands lower the car hope there was no play in the front end or the wheel bearings, done.


Cheaper, yea. Easier, accurate?
 
For clarification… or in defense… my setup is definitely “shade tree”, no expensive tools, no garage floor, just a reliable way to check toe-in in spite of not-perfect rims or squiggly tread. And I won’t argue anyone’s technique – that’s not what the post is about... it's about a cheap and handy tool.


My guide was Les Andrews’ directions on page 2-19:
· jack the front end off the ground
· mark across the tire (tread) with chalk
· bring marks forward in a horizontal line with the hub cap
· measure then rotate tire so chalk marks are behind hub cap
· adjust tie rod as needed

Good enough for country roads. :-)
 
My method is to put a common pin in each tire, measure at 6 inches above the floor in the back, role car forward until pins are 6 inches above floor in the front and measure again. Diffence is toe in or toe out. Cost less than 1 cent.
Chuck
 
Clever idea!

FWIW: Using a Duby stick I once adjusted toe in on my Phaeton off the floor on the car lift. Sure was easy. It tracked like crap. I did the same procedure but this time on the floor and it needed re-adjustment. After adjustment, with the load of the car on the components, it went down the road like an arrow. On my car it made a difference.

Every car is in a different state of wear or repair so I am not surprised it will work for some and not for others. In the end, the car needs to go down the road straight and conserve the tires. Use what works on your car.
Good Day!

For info search: Duby Wheel Aligning Gauge
 
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Aretino, thank you. Any post will generate input from members with different perspectives. I have to say – the FORD BARN seems to be populated with a dedicated and respectful following. All of us seem to share our comments for the collective good.

Sure, there are negative comments and favorable ones like yours. We grow from contrary points of view and remain encouraged to provide additional threads with compliments like yours.

Read my Red Green quote below…
 
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