Toe-in Alignment tool

[AL in NY]

One of our older club members has one of those spring loaded toe-in gauge tools that has the small chains at each of the pointed ends. I don't know the manufacturer's name or model number. I am looking to find an instruction sheet for the use of this tool. Several other club members have tried to use this tool and they can't get repeatable readings with it. I tried the tool on my 30 CCPU which has had the front suspension and steering serviced and my readings are very repeatable. There seems to be a problem with the procedure and how to get the correct reading. Can anyone help clear this up????

[Patrick L.]

I think those gauges work pretty good. I'm wondering if there is an issue with the gauge such as rust, stickiness or a problem with the vehicle its used on. It doesn't take much to get a strange reading.

[Bob C]

Here's a link to information on Marco's site. http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/align.htm

[Jacksonlll]

They work pretty good.
Car on flat driveway. Roll car back about a car length, then back where you started.
Put tool in front of axle and at the height that lets the chains just touch the surface. Position the tool ends at the innermost side of the tire.
Zero the gage.
Roll the car forward until the chains just touch the surface rearward of the axle.
Carefully read the gage.
Repeat this, but be sure to roll the car back and forth like when you started. You have to normalize the suspension and steering system before you measure again.
Good luck

[emf]

I have one of these and tried it... The problem is that when the gauge is to the back of the car, you have to crawl under to read the gauge. If I do it backwards, that is, end with the gauge to the front, will it read toe-out...

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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One Guy just drives STRAIGHT PINS into the tire treads & just measures between them with a Measuring tape. He said his tires are wearing SMOOTH & EVEN.
Bill W.

[WHN]

Front end shop, $49.95.

Today they make some really nice equipment. Had our 29 done two years ago along with a complete grease job with high pressure grease gun. Made a big difference. Drives like it has power steering, and tracks right down the road straight.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Jacksonlll

They work pretty good.
Car on flat driveway. Roll car back about a car length, then back where you started.
Put tool in front of axle and at the height that lets the chains just touch the surface. Position the tool ends at the innermost side of the tire.
Zero the gage.
Roll the car forward until the chains just touch the surface rearward of the axle.
Carefully read the gage.
Repeat this, but be sure to roll the car back and forth like when you started. You have to normalize the suspension and steering system before you measure again.
Good luck

When the rear reading is taken, it should be 1/16" more than the front reading.

[old31]

I bought a stickie tape from Hobby Lobby for $2.39 and a shower curtain from Wallmart for about $10.

This solved a death wobble that I had.

[WHN]

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.

[MrBruce]

Originally Posted by old31

I bought a stickie tape from Hobby Lobby for $2.39 and a shower curtain from Wallmart for about $10.

This solved a death wobble that I had.

I bought one and it works great. I too figured out you can use a shower curtain, put chains on it, then just mark with a pencil where the two rods come together and then roll it forward and mark again, take it off and see what the measurement is between the two marks....works great and shower curtain rods are cheap

[Cool Hand Lurker]

The pins in the tread method and the shower curtain rod with pencil marks method are the two best ideas. And also the simplest ones. That just can't be right!

[AL in NY]

Thanks for all the input guys. I believe I did my car correctly. Don't know why the other members had a problem with this tool. Maybe I'll give them a copy of the instruction sheet and they can try again.

[Dick M]

You will need rims that are true and have no wobble to be successful. Otherwise, you can get a false reading. I always find it best to use a marker that is stationary on the floor. Spin the tire with the marker against the tire. This will give you a true center line on the tire. Using the lines to measure the distance will give you a true reading to work with. Remember, if the rim is out 1/4 inch from true, you will not get an accurate reading.

[AL in NY]

Dick M, the wobble in the rim does not make a difference in the measurement. If you pick one point anywhere on the tire, it will rotate in a circle perpendicular to the axis of rotation, providing there is no play into the wheel bearings. You will have to re-zero the tool if you move it to another point on the tire if your wheesl don't run true, but the toe-in final measurement will be the same.

[Tacoma Bob]

Originally Posted by AL in NY

Dick M, the wobble in the rim does not make a difference in the measurement. If you pick one point anywhere on the tire, it will rotate in a circle perpendicular to the axis of rotation, providing there is no play into the wheel bearings. You will have to re-zero the tool if you move it to another point on the tire if your wheesl don't run true, but the toe-in final measurement will be the same.

Yup! Marco also has a great tutorial on how a "Duby" gauge functions. There are a ton of ways to do this procedure. Some simple and some not so simple. But the end results are the same.

[Keith True]

Even if you have a little play in the wheel bearings,you will be OK.You have the weight of the car holding them tight.I have a Duby bar,and really find a spring loaded shower bar to be easier.It is too hard to read those numbers through the slotted window.There was a fellow on here years ago that was setting his toe-in perfect in the garage.When he backed it out he see how far it was out with his eyes.It took a while for everybody trying to help him to figure out he was setting it with the car jacked up with the wheels hanging.When I worked in a Mack garage we set toe in with a tape measure,as per the Mack manual.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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]

[nevadavic]

I have used the "Tenhulzen" Toe Plates on several cars with good results. Summit Racing and Amazon carries the Tenhulzen 2200 toe plates.


The tool uses the wheel rim for measurements so the rim has to run true. check out the video at Summit racing for this item. The tool consists of two plates and two tape measures. Cost is $100. at most sites.

[whirnot]

Originally Posted by WHN

You guys are kiddy “right”.






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.

You don't necessarily have to have special systems to fix things right. If the results are correct, and they can be with these simple tools, then there is no reason to look down on them. I was trained on multiple brands of front end alignment equipment and as long as you understand the geometry of what you are doing these are absolutely as accurate.