stopped by the shop today to pick up an OT vehicle for our church and happened to mention the fellas at the shop about a front end alignment for the 1955 Ford Club Sedan. Their tire and front end man said that they could line it up no problem. They use the vin to get the computer to spit out front end specs. However he said that if I run radials I may want to provide the measurements myself. What have you guys found? OEM specs ok for radials?
Don't let that guy touch your car. The new computerized machines do not have specs for a car that old. Radial tires or bias ply do not matter. You need a front end man that actually knows how to align a car without a computer. The front end guy at my shop only uses our machine so that he can see what his adjustments are doing on cars like yours The new alignment machines do use a VIN scanner but our cars definitely do not have a barcode in the door jamb. When I asked my friend about aligning my 55 that has Aerostar Springs and versallies front discs and spindles he immediately rattled off what the Caster camber and toe should be. Look for a guy that is competent enough to align your car.
ditto what Cowboy said. He's the alignment guy, and he's asking you for specs??? Ask around, find out who the local street rodders are using. You're close to Cincinnati, should be a shop there. Ask on the main board.
When I was looking for someone to Align the front end of my 53, I was told that if they could not install the alignment tool on the rear wheels, they could not do an alignment. A search for a Shop with old alignment equipment was also a bust! They were not able to help me and did not care, as there was not a big demand for Older Cars needing Alignments. Best bet is to Invest in a Alignment System from a cl***ic car supplier and do it yourself.
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