things to do before getting an alignment

[ryanOC]

hey everyone

i just installed new brembo rotors on the front, pads, wheel bearings, and an ignition wire set on tuesday

i just got all new tie rods and i think i'll put those on this afternoon

i haven't replaced subframe / control arm bushings yet, and i want to know if i can do that stuff after getting my alignment, cause i don't want to have to get another one after i replace that stuff

thanks

[TobyB]

yeah, if you're going to do bushings, hold on the alignment.

In fact, set the toe yourself (maybe 1/8" in or so)

and skip the alignment altoghether- there's nothing on our

cars that can be adjusted by anyone without a frame rack!

Honestly, even though I've made most of the car adjustable, I've found that

I can do it myself: it's just not that hard!

t

[SteveJ]

Yes, save the $40 for the alignment until everything is done.

Once you have both the front and rear all fresh, then it is nice to have the printout for the alignment.

[ryanOC]

do you guys have tips on getting it aligned myself?

i recall something about a string method, but cant remember much

i basically wore the hell out of my front tires because the alignment was off

basically i'm not sure where to start when i put the new tie rods on cause the threading on the car right now has to be wrong to begin with

oh, and can you guys tell me all of which bushings in the front subframe / control arms that i'll have to replace

i want to look up the costs on them

[TobyB]

setting toe is pretty easy-

it takes some chalk (or a paint pen) and a tape measure.

Scribe a line around each tire on the tread- it doesn't matter where, as long as it's exactly the same all the way around.

Drop the car, measure the distance between the lines in front of the car and in back. Then, making sure the steering wheel stays centered, adjust each tie rod end so that the front measurement is about 1/16" or so smaller than the rear measurement. Lock the tie rods, and you're done.

As to bushings, there are 2 in the subframe at the front of the car, and 2 in each lower suspension arm.

While you're there, check the ball joints, inner and outer tie rods, and the links on the center rod- frankly, those wear out a lot more often than the bushings fail. It's amazing how ratty the bushings can look on the outside- and when you press 'em out, the rubber on the inside (that does most of the work) looks new...

t