If you can build a car, you can align it, don't let it intimidate you. Every hot rod is a little bit different, no matter how similar they may seem. One car may need a bit more of something to get it to drive right. Start with the basics, measure/check to be sure the front and rear axles are parallel, 4 to 6 degrees of lay back (caster) on the front axle, and an 1/8 inch of toe.
This is toe out by your description. Excessive toe in usually tire eating machine Increased toe in is usually tracks srtaight is very responsive ( think gokart) as long as the ackerman is correct but it feathers tires. The tires are both wanting to go to the center. 1/8 toe in is where you want to be Edit: Near zero is about here, its increased from 1/8 toe in : end edit Increased toe out is exactly the opposite of increased toe in, sloppy , wanders, difficult to keep staight, feathers tires Excessive toe out is that drunken sailor effect. Wants to go left and right at the same time but can't so It takes turns. Usually can't drive it enough to eat the tires n but it will. This is street cars not race car left turn only, slide the rear or on a bank cars
yep that is the symptoms..very hard to keep straight if i move the wheel to left left or right very slight the car has a go kart affect it wants to swing over to the direction and i cant correct it in time i have to slam on the brakes
Ok so picture a toe out configuration. The left tire is already pointed left. Move both the same amount left . By the time the right moves left enough to be going straight, the left tire is pointed at the ditch and pulling the right tire harder. Start checking from scratch like i said earlier and you'll be cruising easy. Btw. Go karts will dart left or right on a dime, not pull you into the wall.
Listen to this guy about caster and differences in builds ^ Caster does not need to be set in stone at the old wives tale of 7 to 8. Caster requirements change with total weight ratio on the front end, as well as wheel offsets, tire size, etc. the 1/8+ toe "IN" is important. Scribing the tire is too. It is a bit hard to scribe a true line without the special tool that has a spring loaded needle that follows any out of round tire, but scribing is the only way to accurately deal with such a small amount like 1/8". If you had measured to just the sidewalls or to the center tread groove, you can easily get 1/8" or more error. I don't use a tape measure; I use a long 1x1 wood strip and then mark lines on it that line up with the tire scribed lines. Set this strip on top of 1 quart paint cans that sit in front and in back of the tires. That way you get parallel measurements. Mark the lines on the strip in front of the tires, then swap the strip to the back to see how far off it is. Toe really should be measured higher than a paint can; it should be halfway up the tire, but that is not possible at the back of the tire because the frame and oil pan are in the way. The proper tool was shaped like a wide H. The cross bar sat low, and the pointers would reach higher like goalposts. ..and you asked how to set the wheel straight ahead before checking toe: Use a straight edge like a steel yardstick placed across the sides of the tire. Then eyeball where it is pointing to on each rear tire. it may be at the outer edge of the rear tread, or the first groove, whatever. Then make both front wheels to point at the same spot by slightly turning the steering wheel. Then check your toe in.
By the way, centering the wheels dead ahead before setting toe is important due to Ackerman. As soon as the wheels start to steer right or left, that 1/8 toe in automatically changes to zero , and then goes to heavy toe out in hard turns.
It looks like you have a bigger problem than simple alignment. Find someone that has set-up knowledge and let them look things over for you. This car is dangerous in it's present condition.
Lorodz, you must be saying..... So many voices in my head, I'm confused, please, please, make it stop . Just kidding, you can do it.
Now that's funny! 4 pages of action in a couple hours, I got a few question/help threads I can't get a page in a week on two of them.
Meat Lover Pizza and some Beer and all will be good. By the way Lorodz, I still got that Beer waiting if you ever make it West.
Ha, Meats...lets go crusin downtown a pickup some anchovies.....in YOUR car.. mine is all over the ashphalt until someone fixes it.....
Car on tires you will run with on the ground- at ride height, - full ride weight, on level surface. Then put degree indicator on the king pin boss.
Slopoke.. True caster is measured with a caster gauge, turning the wheel 20 degrees or so to the left and right, then measuring the difference. This route is necessary for independent front ends, where each side can be adjusted separately. But for straight axle cars, a protractor or angle gauge will do the job. All your concerned with is that the axle is layed back 4 or more degrees, evenly on both sides, to avoid having the car pull to one side. The exception is a bit less on the left to compensate for the crown of the road. And we're talking about positive caster, axle tilted back toward the rear of the car. The best place to measure from is the flat bearing surface of the axle boss, but if the car is all put together, find any flat surface common to both ends of the axle, like the spindle, steering arms, or the top of the king pins. It's best to set this stuff up when the car is being built. Hairpins/4 bar have some adjustment, if you've got split bones in a finished car, you're in for some cutting and welding to make adjustment. Some guys swear 4 degrees is plenty, I personally would consider 6 degrees a minimum. I have 7 on my deuce chassis, 8 on my wife's Model A, and 9 on my modified. I'd say find someone with a chassis set up similar to yours, see how they are set up and drive, before cutting anything up. Hope that helps.
Hvspeed....that totally helps. Gettin ready to build my suicide perch and hairpins this weekend. I will make sure to tilt where the spring mounts back 7 degrees as well. Thanks a bunch.
Your welcome. Your at the right place for gettin these things set up. Another thing I do, is take the leaf spring apart, and use just the main leaf for mock up. It can easily be compressed with a c clamp, simulating ride height, checking angle on the shackles, etc. put some pics here too.
holy shit ....so many things to try. huh everyone has a small bit of info that im shure is correct ....but here is what i got today i jacked the car up took a yellow oil crayon made a nice straight as i could center line around the both tires.removed the cross steering rod , i took a t-square and clamped it to the frame and used a speed square to make sure it was straight on both sides i measured the back of the tires and i measured the front of the tires with the wheel straight i think the back was like 59 1/2 and the front was 54 and like 9/16 so i took 1/8th off the front of both tires set the cross steer bar back in and took it for a ride still a lil wacky....now somone said the tires would feather well before i measured anything while i was making the line on the tires i noticed the feathering going towwards the outside of the wheel looks like the road is kinda chewing the tires up..so i know something is up i just cant get it perfect ...i need another set of hands to do this ....all the parts on the car are new except the front axle old taffy pulled one ,spring is new shackles new hardware new.?
Center line to center line on tires - back @59 1/2 front @ 54 9/16 ?? That tells me you have 4 and 15/16" toe in. What the hell? You want 1/8" toe in! What am I missing here?
A crayon won't give adequate accuracy. use a sharp scribe to get a line on each tire. Measure between the lines to calculate toe-in.
My radar keeps going off. Something doesn't compute. The OP had been all over the map. We have yet to get adequate info. the story keeps changing.
Only if crayon is 4 15/16" in dia. Hey Bud, like said before your looking for only 1/8" differance from front to back. Example 55 1/2" front and 55 5/8 back.
i know ..i know...like i said numbers are off ...i need another set of hans to hold the damn measuring tape...lol
Johnny Gee<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_6438158", true); </SCRIPT> Senior Member ill take that beer now...been a long couple days ...
No need for the second person.....just set up something straight on a pair of paint cans on both sides of the car....you can weight it down with a sledge so it wont move....start with the front side of the tires.....hook the tape on the lip of the level or angle iron pull it to the other side and record measurements then repeat from behind the tires....hope this helps. been doing it this way for years on my racecars.
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