.Tools

A reasonable way to do alignment is to get a toe measurement tool. I bought mine from speedway motors I think. It is a way to measure from one side of the car to the other under the car. It has rigid pointers that come upward from square aluminum tubing. You can adjust the zero point and then measure relative toe from the front of the tire to the back.

Add a bubble style camper, caster, inclination gauge. Several to choose from. Longacre, or speedway motors. My guess is $120 or so for the camber guage and $60 or so for the toe guage. Both can give accurate readings on a flat floor. Turn plates help but are not necessary.

I don't think the (stupid) pointer tools that go on the front of the tire are useable.
 
Mike - Keep the "cheap" posts coming. We need more low buck pointers. Here is one from my own experience. My friend made a toe in guage from a long piece of 1 inch (I think) electrical conduit tubing, the type which encloses the wires along your basement wall. One end turns up at a 90 degree angle and has a nail welded into the end of it for a pointer. The other end is straight, but with a sliding tee fitting and locking screw which holds another piece of electrical conduit which also has a nail welded in the end for a pointer. I know beacuse I am too "cheap" to make my own so I borrow his when I need it. Besides, the $60 I saved is going into my "GT40 Penny Jar". To adjust toe in you measure the front of the tire tread center line (jack up the tire and make a chalk line on the tread if necessary) and compare to the back of the tire tread center line. I believe that 1/8" toe in results when there is 1/8 inch less at the front measurement than at the rear.
Regards,
Blue
 
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Guys,

You may be a little tired of my "cheap" posts, but monies are an issue ... so I am trying to spend what I have well. Please forgive me.

1) Looking for the most cost effective tool for wheel alignment. Eastwood has a gigantic vernier like device for abt $40. J. C. Whitney has a similar one for abt $40. Anyone use either?

2) Looking for the cheapest way into a nutsert and rivnut tool (they are slightly different but can be applied with the same tool). Want to use 8x32 and 10x32 plugs. Good tools seem to be abt $60. Set seem to be abt $90. 10-32 steel rivnuts are abt $21/100 and 10-32 steel nutserts seem to be abt $18.

Anyone have a really good supplier at more reasonable prices?

thanks,
 
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OK Guys,

Have the tubing, and have made the end piece and the slider (on a lathe ... way too high a quality!). What would be the best "pointer" configuration for this toe tool ;> )

thanks!
 
Really anything that is rigid and that will reach up to the center of the wheel will work. Select whatever is easiest to mount to your rail, etc.
 
Mike - Sounds like you are in the LOW BUCK ZONE now, but I am not sure about all that fancy lathe stuff ... the closest we ever came to making a part on a lathe was when we jacked up the rear wheel of the '34 coupe and bolted a piece on to turn down with the grinder. We ran it in first gear for a few minutes with the grinder put to it and ended up with a crudely turned piece which worked perfectly for what we were doing at the time. But that was a long time ago and I can't remember what it was. Anyways, all you need is the first piece shaped like an "L" with the short section long enough to reach the center of the wheel, say 14-16 inches or so, and the long section enough to reach from the center of the right tire tread to the center of the left tire tread plus a little extra for sliding, say 6 feet total. The section coming off the tee should be equal to the 14-16 inch section on the other end, so that the entire tool is shaped like a really wide equal sided "U". You want to be able to lay the tool on the floor under the car behind the front tires and raise the pointer ends up to the center line of the tire tread to get your readings. Take the reading from the back side of the tire tread, lock the tee in place, and then pull the tool out. Then slide the tool under the car in front of the tire, raise the pointers up to the center line on the front of the tires and take the measurement at that point. Make your adjustments accordingly.
Good luck,
Blue

[ February 04, 2002: Message edited by: BlueOvalBlood ]
 
Yes to make sure things are accurate/repeatable it is better to scribe a line arround the tire as you spin it. Sometimes the tread blocks have a little runout and can not necessarily be used as a reference point, etc.
 
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Blue,

Basic shape isn't the problem ... figured that out from the Eastwood and Whitney ads for their tools. The question really is what shape ends on the legs would be most usefull. Haven't used such a tool before, so I thought I'd ask.

The lathe has actually been pretty useful. Have made adapters for newer corvette hubs to the DRB uprights I'm using and making the bolts and spacer tubes for the lower of the rear uprights, as well as to do some of the forming of the clevises in the rear suspension. Have also made spacers and cut grade 8 bolts so that I could use the maximum flat under the rod ends.

Looks like there is going to be some work on the steering column as well.

One would probably not go out and buy a lathe for these things ... but if one is already there.

thanks,
 
Mike - The ends on this particular homemade guage were made by welding a nail coming straight out of the end of the piece of tubing.
Regards,
Blue
 
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Mike,

the cheapest nutsert "tool" is to put a bolt through an oversize nut and then into the nutsert and then while holding the nut tighten the bolt till it collapses the nutsert. Sometimes a box of nutserts will come with these install nut/bolts.

Sometimes in close quarters you can't get the tool in there anyway and have to use the nut/bolt method.

If you want a tool buy just the tool and not the set with plastic case and assorted nutserts of which you never use half of them anyway. Way less that way. Plastic cases are a ploy to make you buy a bigger tool box.

I have a Marson "Thread Setter"(Chelsea MA) no part #. Looks like a hand pop rivet gun.
 
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DONT GO CHEAP HERE! I bought one from JC Whitney and saw basically the same thing at Harbor Freight ~ $15. 6-32 broke first time I used it. All the other mandrels have bent event though they have that hardened tinkle sound. The rivetnuts that came with it have about a 50% success rate: threaded portion splits.
 
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Kalun,

I need to do about 24 10 x 32's. How about a high strength bolt with n additional long nut jammed into the head and a keeper nut jammed into it. This could then be driven with an air ratchet or impact wrench set soft with a deep socket. (I know it seems nuts to talk about scrimping like this ... air ratchet, etc. But I have those already).

The toe-in tool is made. Have to point one side yet, but it'll work! Again a situation in which a mill and a lathe were used to make a tool ... seems comical, but I have them already.
 
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Mike, I've installed a lot of riv nuts with the nut/bolt method.

the nut can be just a nut that fits the bolt but drilled so the bolt will just slip through. The nut is used to hold the insert from spinning. You can even file some edges in the face of the nut that touches the insert to give it some grip.

basically you just put the bolt through the nut till it bottoms then thread the bolt into the insert finger tight. Then put the insert in your drilled hole and hold the nut with a wrench and tighten the bolt.

You have to get a feel for when the insert has completely squashed and stop before you strip the threads. This might be a problem with an air racket, but might work if you have an air regulator.

Another tip put some wd40 on the install bolt but try to not get it on the face or body of the insert. You want the threads to not bind and you want the insert to grip the nut and drilled hole.

with only 24 to do a 60.00 tool is just going to be a dust collector, unless you plan to keep building. Some of the larger sizes too like 5/16" inserts can't be done with the 60.00 tool anyway, but can effectively be done with the nut/bolt method.

shoot off a couple practice ones because if you mess up you have to drill out the insert and then it falls inside.
 
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