Alignment shop says they can't do it.

[Kern Dog]

Not sure that I get you point.
SOME people like to run staggered sizes, larger diameter wheels and have made a few changes. Asking for a 60 year old tech means that the guy MAY have been around in the 80s when these cars were still in use as compared to today. New cars have no adjustment other than TOE, right? Trucks like my 2007 Ram have eccentric cams on the lower control arms for caster and camber but what cars have that? If a 20 year old guy learns how to align the types of cars most likely to come into the shop, he will have zero experience with a classic Mopar, Ford or GM car.
In two instances about 7 years apart, I had cars with Moog K7103 offset bushings installed to get more caster. Both cars were taken to the nearest shop, a "Les Schwab" about 6 miles from home. In both cases, the monkey could not get even 1 degree of caster. Neither car had been wrecked. In both cases the cars were taken elsewhere and both were properly aligned. The Duster attained 2.8 degrees of Caster and the 71 Road Runner was over 3 degrees. The Les Schwab guys just did not know what they were doing, plain and simple.
Yes....In both cases, the Les Schwab guy was barely old enough to shave.

 

[Bb70charger500]

I think it is funny to just ask an old mechanic to do it. Really. If he was 60 years old now he would.ve been what 10 years old back then ? You can use string, levels or whatever. But don't make yourself sound silly by saying we didn't need this stuff for the last 100 years. What has changed in the last 100 years. Straight axles, toe set only with out bending I-beams. All 4 tires and rims the same sized. Thrust angle doesn't matter unless you don't mind your car going dog legged down the road. No staggered wheel/tire sizes. Ride height, f/r track width. Camber, caster,toe. same type of angles just today we have more accurate ways of measuring them. You only have problems when you modify your suspension and then bitch that nobody can do it right. Any body who says that jacking up the rear doesn't hurt the alignment is no "alignment tech" any body can set toe. But when you adjust camber/caster the toe changes. Modern cars are adjusted differently because most use a strut type of suspension but the angles don't change, just the way of adjusting them.

Ok, well whatever you think! I've done hundred s of classics and I've never had one come back with a complaint! No funny tire stuff or anything! I used a alignment rack that only went back to 1988 or so I was the only guy in town that could align old cars if not they would need to go to a guy an hour up the road at a collision shop. So sure I'm not an alignment tech by your standard s but I bet I've done more alignment s then you have and I've never had any come back with problems!

 

[MoparLeo]

OK my dog is bigger than yours. Since experience obviously means because you do something for a long time means that you automatically did it right all that time. I started in the tire/auto repair business in 1974 and retired in 2007 on disability. Started at the bottom and worked up through store Service manager and then Store Manager, I won't say with who. Don't want to start another problem But retired from the largest Tire Company in the world and it wasn't Goodyear or Michelin although I have owned and sold those as well. Regardless of the equipment, the adjustments are made to the car. And wrong. Caster and camber are adjustable on many cars and kits are available for those that didn't come from the factory with it. Easy to turn a couple of eccentrics on an early Mopar. Just like on your Ram and other makes of trucks usually torsion bar equipped. Obviously every body has different standards. Explain to these guys thatraising or lowering one end of the vehicle does affect the alignment. Show them how smart you are.
https://www.moderntiredealer.com/ar...ndling-requires-properly-adjusting-the-angles

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

A few of you guys are forgetting that the new attachment to the rear wheel will not fit on the car.Mr thinks either stock wheels of the same diameter or old school with a tape measure and string as said earlier in the thread.

 

[MoparLeo]

Of course this vehicle only really needs to go straight and toe and caster are most important for that.

 

[2quick]

So Back to the issue at hand. I Have a few issue with some of the advice I been reading through and I'm sure it was meant with best of intentions but lets look at the facts. First off the car is fast, Make about 750hp and will pull the front tire if I heat things up on the street!!! It also has a Locker so it gets a bit twitchy when peddling in and out the gas. I don't think I want to be aligning my handfull of a steet car with strings and levels at home. Toe and camber are one thing but how do you accurately adjust caster with a tape measure and level?

Not a single piece of the front end is factory, QA1 K frame, QA1 Tubular uppers, Boxed lowers, QA1 adjustable strut rods, Borgeson steering, etc. So basically who knows how bad it's out... Also the rear wheels are beadlocked and don't have a lip on the wheel to grab! I understand the issue and I am looking for a way to align it properly. I've spent all day Friday calling around to every alignment shop I know and even called some of the local race car shops to find out what hey do. Seems none of the local shop do their own alignments. So I got a few numbers and made some call but at the end of day they all have newer machines that have fixed heads that won't clamp on the rim.

This is what I got so far, I had a set of 15x8 summit wheels with 275/60-15 tires that laying around so I put them on. They are about 2" shorter and 6+"s narrower. I'm hoping what ever shop I find can jack up the car about 2" to clear the quarter or maybe swing the head inside the quarter. I will have to jack the car anyway cause it sits about 2 1/2" lower with the little tires.

As far as the two wheel 4 wheel alignment goes. I don't believe there is or ever was an alignment rack that did not use the rear tires as reference point. ALL racks need to reference the back of the car in some fashion. Years ago I had a guy in Perth Amboy set the alignment he had and old machine not sure what brand but he drove the car across a mechanics pit on two steel 6" wide I beams basically a bridge to his rack, kinda sketchy! But even that dinosaur used strings and levels off the rear wheels. I tried to find him again but don't have an address and don't remember where he was located. He may even be dead now who knows.

 

[65hemi]

I had the 65 aligned by the local "go to guy" for muscle cars and hot rods. He did a 4 wheel alignment. I had similar rear wheel clearance issues, but I have a wheel spacer that we were able to remove to get the needed clearance for the alignment.

 

[2quick]

I had the 65 aligned by the local "go to guy" for muscle cars and hot rods. He did a 4 wheel alignment. I had similar rear wheel clearance issues, but I have a wheel spacer that we were able to remove to get the needed clearance for the alignment.

View attachment 657884

That would probably work.

 

[2quick]

If you want to flatbed that beast out to long island I got a guy to do it .Hes been taking care of me and my mopar since I was a teenager.give him a call John Guelfi (631)581- 0484
www.superpages.com/bp/islip-terrace-ny/guelfi-wheel-alignment-L0137905896.htm
View attachment 656872

I am going to call him today, Thanks!

 

[2quick]

I am going to call him today, Thanks!

Dam that place is like 2 1/2 hrs from me! Anyone got anything closer to Central Jersey?

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

So Back to the issue at hand. I Have a few issue with some of the advice I been reading through and I'm sure it was meant with best of intentions but lets look at the facts. First off the car is fast, Make about 750hp and will pull the front tire if I heat things up on the street!!! It also has a Locker so it gets a bit twitchy when peddling in and out the gas. I don't think I want to be aligning my handfull of a steet car with strings and levels at home. Toe and camber are one thing but how do you accurately adjust caster with a tape measure and level?

Not a single piece of the front end is factory, QA1 K frame, QA1 Tubular uppers, Boxed lowers, QA1 adjustable strut rods, Borgeson steering, etc. So basically who knows how bad it's out... Also the rear wheels are beadlocked and don't have a lip on the wheel to grab! I understand the issue and I am looking for a way to align it properly. I've spent all day Friday calling around to every alignment shop I know and even called some of the local race car shops to find out what hey do. Seems none of the local shop do their own alignments. So I got a few numbers and made some call but at the end of day they all have newer machines that have fixed heads that won't clamp on the rim.

This is what I got so far, I had a set of 15x8 summit wheels with 275/60-15 tires that laying around so I put them on. They are about 2" shorter and 6+"s narrower. I'm hoping what ever shop I find can jack up the car about 2" to clear the quarter or maybe swing the head inside the quarter. I will have to jack the car anyway cause it sits about 2 1/2" lower with the little tires.

As far as the two wheel 4 wheel alignment goes. I don't believe there is or ever was an alignment rack that did not use the rear tires as reference point. ALL racks need to reference the back of the car in some fashion. Years ago I had a guy in Perth Amboy set the alignment he had and old machine not sure what brand but he drove the car across a mechanics pit on two steel 6" wide I beams basically a bridge to his rack, kinda sketchy! But even that dinosaur used strings and levels off the rear wheels. I tried to find him again but don't have an address and don't remember where he was located. He may even be dead now who knows.

The front HAS to be done with a specialized tool,even an old school with the bubble gauge.The rear can be done with measurements off the body to prove square. I also don't think there is an attchment for beadlocks.
If you get to a track,carefull 1st pass to make sure it goes straight! That can be adjusted there,I have changed air pressure in one tire as an adjustment!
These ET streets are my street tires.

 

[2quick]

Update, I called over to Gene at Wild Rides (A local race car shop) and asked him what they do. He gave me the number of two places they take their tubbed cars so I gave one of them a call. After speaking with the alignment tech he said he would try and get the rear heads on but if he couldn't he would use the front heads only and that he does it all the time with hard stuff like mine. So I have an appointment for early next week and I'll let you know how I make out.

 

[MOPOWER871]

That's great, good luck