Recommendations on Alignment shops in N. Calif.

[dave harris]

I live in the North San Francisco bay area (by Santa Rosa) and need to find a good alignment shop that can handle the initial set-up / alignment of the GT40's suspension.

I would prefer NOT to go to Sears Point Raceway simply because the race shops all think everyone's made of solid gold!!!

Does anyone in the north bay know of someone they would recommend? 60 - 75 mile radius from home is fine - further is ok too if that's what it takes!

Thanks everyone.

Dave

 

[Frank Catt]

Dave, why not do it yourself, its not rocket science and if you take it a step at a time its pretty easy. The most difficult bit, which the alignment shop will ask you for, are the parameters you want the suspension to be set to, we all have different ideas on that subject, and its very much up to you as to how its set up anyway,

 

[Ron Earp]

100% agree with Frank. I used to not do my own alignments because I thought it would be "hard" or require special tools. Now I routinely do my own alignments and it takes hardly any time at all.

While you don't need special tools at all, I'd suggest a set of $60 toe plates from Longacre as well as their $140 bubble camber gauge. With these two items, a flat surface (a level road will be fine), and a piece of string you can do all that is needed for not much investment. Then you have the tools to repeat as needed, you know, teach a man to fish and all that.

 

[40 Bud]

If you prefer not to do it yourself, try Roger Krause in Castro Valley. 2896 Grove Way 94546 or phone 510 582 5031.

 

[Howard Jones]

The Danville, the one downtown, Big O has a zero clearance pit type alinement rack. I have had my car on it a few time's to get a reading off of his machine. He will charge you the standard alinement cost to give you a all around print out and set toe up front. $50 or so. As it turns out you can get very close yourself with a minium amount of tools. It's really just a matter of some basic trig and staight lines. The only exception will be caster, but once you have it you won't be changing it much anyway.

Start out with 1/2 degree neg all around on camber, 4 degrees of caster up front and maybe a 1/8" total of toe in the front and straight ahead in the rear (insure NO toe out in the rear). Ride height will be on the order of 4 1/2" F and 5" R. After that it's gonna be test and tune yourself anyway. This will get you "good enough for the road " settings.