The Crusty Cuda: Whole lotta Shakin' (N96) Goin' on!

[njsteve]

Here's the alignment contraption in action. You do camber first. You have to zero the level on the garage floor rght next to the wheel so it zero's out to the floor's angle. There was probably a 1 or 2 degree angle to the floor toward the left side of the garage. So I had to readjust it when I went to the other side of the car.

The reading on the ground is zero (I put the edge of the bubble just below the zero line so It's easier to see). And once it is clamped to the wheel it reads the true reading of 1/4 degree positive for the passenger side.

[njsteve]

Caster is measured by attaching the contraption to the wheel and then turning the wheel outwards 15 degrees. By design, the end of the bubble level has a 15 cut to the fore and aft of the end of the level. So you just turn the wheel til it approximates that mark. Then you zero the right side of the bubble gauge. Once you zero it, you then turn the wheel inward to the other 15 degree mark and see what it reads.

Here it reads about 1/2 degree negative caster. (It was kind of hard to get the photo angle right so it looks like 1/4 in the photo).

[njsteve]

Finally I did the toe today. I tried two measurement versions to see if they match up. (They did). I used the old Manco Wheel Alignment tool. You set it behind the front wheels and zero the gauge. You them move it to the front of the front wheels and read what it says. Though the initial reading was about 16 on the scale, which reads in 1/32nds, When I tried my other method, it showed a difference of 1-1/2 inches between the rear measurement and the front.

My second method is to take a metal straight edge, hold it tight agains the tire and trace a chalk line along the straight edge. You do that to both wheels. Then simply measure the distance under the car from one line to the other. Subtract them from each other and you get the amount of toe-in or toe-out. I had 71-1/2" behind the wheel and 70" in front.

So I adjusted the tie rods to move the passenger side wheel out (which was noticeable turned in) and wound up with a measurement difference of 1/16" which is the spec. After I adjusted the wheels, I made new chalk marks and verified the Manco gauge results.

[njsteve]

I then bolted the old driver's seat in place and took her out for her maiden voyage! I was able to see the odometer roll from 76,999 to 77,000 miles! I drove a couple miles and the alignment worked out nicely. No pulling or drifting. With the tall, bias ply tires, the car is really easy to steer with the slightly negative caster, even at low speeds.

I then backed her into the garage. I still have to adjust the tie rods to get the steering wheel centered. The center spoke is currently in the 4:30 position and needs to be moved to 6:00. It was getting dark so I will save that for another day.