Best alignment specs?
- Thread starter Irishspring46
- Start date
I should have put this in my first post. If your shim stack doesn't look like this, your alignment is deficient.
I'd tread lightly on "telling" the tech what you want outta their service when it comes to the big box automotive chains.the majority of them have only been sent (if at all)to the alignment system's school for a crash course in how to hang the sensor paddles and make sure the screen up front reads green and doesn't flash.the rest is on the job trained.I'm not saying all wouldn't be receptive to being told what to do but most of these drive through style places won't let you on the floor or speak to the tech due to large insurance regulations complied on top of the fact that they have a company algorithm and they don't want the customer's involvement or input as they know better compared them..
Since we’re sharing pics of our uca shim stack. Lol. It’s been over 15 yrs ago I had my car on the rack but I think mine is 0 camber, 3 on the drivers side and 3.5 pass. 1/16 in on toe. I have b-body spindles though.
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And of course I have the aftermarket arms, but they're supposed to be stock length. I had like 3 degrees positive camber with near zero shims.
A few months ago I installed speedway uca’s on a 86 elcamino and aligned it. Took considerable amount of shims. My olds uca’s I shortened them for header clearance and tall spindles. Just happened the amount shortened them got me almost dead even on the specs I was trying to achieve.
I'm a retired ASE certified master technician that has done alignments for 42 years. The number of shims in each location will be different from car to car. I've see stacks like yours and I've seen them without any shims and the alignments were correct although no shims usually means something is worn or out of specs. No two cars are the same. Ride height, wheel size and offset, and just frames and suspension parts vary from cat to car. I know that everybody wants 5+ degrees of caster, but more times than not, it isn't possible on these old cars. I usually will try to get as much positive caster with 1/4-1/2 degree more on the right to offset the crown of the road, but correct camber readings are more important because camber will wear tires, caster won't.
Where are all the drag racers setting up their front ends with the nose of the car raised 2-3". That's how we setup cars to go fast in a straight line. Want to make sure that the toe doesn't go crazy as the car as accelerating. What is all this crazy talk of wanting cars to turn and handle!!!! 
Inevitably you'll face this obstacle.
Do you want to take it like Grandma or like a man?
Do you want to take it like Grandma or like a man?
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