Re: my new rocco and parts needed

["Wm. Josiah Erikson" <scirocco@insanetechnology.com>]

Dave -
	I have done all of my alignments myself, but I happened to have
some good circumstances to do it in. I get the car totally level, using a
carpenter's level and shims of wood under the tires (roll the car back,
lay down small pieces of plywood, roll back). I check that the surface
that it is on is level, not anything on the car.
	Then I use a good level to set the camber. This is tricky and not
necessarily extremely accurate. The wheels should be turned as close to
straight ahead as possible. I have been able to adjust the camber with the
weight of the car on the wheel I was adjusting, but it's tricky - you have
to get back there with a couple of 17" combo wrenches...
	When that's done to your satisfaction (and it can take a lot of
fiddling - if your car has been hit, it might take more than fiddling - it
might take a new suspension part or two, or crash bolts), then you check
the toe with a good guage, or string and a tape measure if it's all
you've got. It's a good idea to throw some PB Blaster or
equivalent (although I think that there isn't really one) on the tie rod
adjusting points the night before - sometimes they're frozen pretty
solidly.
	I think it comes down to the question of how valuable is your time
vs. how much it will cost to take it to a shop. It takes me a couple of
hours to get an alignment done right in this way when it's really off. My
Audi? I'm going to take it in to be done professionally, most likely (I'm
putting Bilsteins in it as soon as I get off my lazy butt and DO it).
	-Josiah




On Mon, 2 Jul 2001, Dave Novak wrote:

<SNIP>
> #2: It needs an alignment badly. Should I attempt this myself? I've done
> front end work, but I'm not sure I have the tools to accomplishment. Right
> now the steering wheel is about 2 o'clock from where it should be, and it
> tracks slightly left if you let go of the wheel while driving. Should I just
> drop the $40-50 and have it done at the local garage?
<SNIP>


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