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[Nick W]

I fitted new shocks, springs, topmounts, bearings, droplinks, trackrods and poly bushes to another Omega on Wednesday.
Knowing this job was coming up, I wasn't keen on using these spring compressors that I've had for about 25 years:





They work OK on old, parallel springs(like on Capris) but are pretty scary on newer ones.


At the kit-car show on Sunday, Rallydesign had their new range of tools on show and as usual, their prices are better than anyone elses. I ended up buying this set(SWE 166) for £65:





This is a properly robust, secure, safe and quick to use tool, like this:





Removing the compressor then using it on the new spring was just as quick and easy, not the scary job that the old ones were. Money well spent I think, and I can thoroughly recommend them.


I also had a chance to examine their camber setting tools: the Gunson bubble type is cheap, but you would struggle to read it to within 1/2degree, and although the digital gauges read to 0.1degree I would still need some way of fixing them to the wheel. I already have a Wixey magnetic digital angle-gauge that reads to 0.1 degree(that I've previously used stuck to a length of angle iron cable-tied across the wheel), so at upwards of £70 I couldn't justify buying anything new. Some thought and scratching around in my stash of useful stuff, and I made this out of a 90mmx25mm thick aluminium blank, a sheet steel disc and a neodymium magnet all epoxied together:





and the other side





The 64.8x12.7mm boss fits into the centre hole of the wheel, and the magnet holds it against the hub. Zero the angle-gauge on a straight edge across the strut tops, and once stuck to the steel disc it will display the camber:





Works really well if you don't lose the bloody thing between finishing it on Tuesday evening and wanting it Wednesday    


So those pics are of a second one I made this afternoon. Hopefully the first one will now reappear.

And I know making it of steel would save sticking on the steel disc, but I already had these blanks and only small magnets which probably wouldn't be strong enough.

[amba]

Looks apretty decent bit of kit you have bought there ,Nick.Should come in very usefull...when you fancy doing my front struts 

Camber tool is up to your usual ingenuity so hats off to you  ..you must have a warehouse of fabricated tools

[ronnyd]

!0 out of 10 for ingenuity . 0 out of 10 for memory Nice to be handy with a centre lathe.

[flyer 0712]

I have just done the same job on mine.....but used the dreaded take your head off spring compressors ...old fashioned type as you have shown on your first pic...did it perfectly.....i can honestly say that over about 50 years of doing coil springs have never ever had one fly off 

[Nick W]

I have just done the same job on mine.....but used the dreaded take your head off spring compressors ...old fashioned type as you have shown on your first pic...did it perfectly.....i can honestly say that over about 50 years of doing coil springs have never ever had one fly off 

I've had them slip while tightening them up, fortunately while the topnut was still in place. The hooks are too short, so they end up at odd angles and catch on the shock. They're slow and fiddly to use. And I know three people, all competent and experienced, who have badly hurt themselves with them.

Put that together, and an upgrade was justified.

[terry paget]

I depict below my front suspension tools, which allow accurate setting of toe-in and camber. I do not understand Opel front wishbone design, one bush vertical and the other horizontal, so use unmodified ATEC wishbones.

[Nick W]

That's basically the same idea, but the block and axlestand under the wishbone worries me. I keep the wheels on the the car, and lower it onto the four spare steel wheels from my sister's Morris. You have a pit, so could leave the car on the ground. Slacken the camber bolts enough to move the alignment with a prybar(I like the jack handle), and crawl under the car to tighten them. Another pair of hands makes this even easier/quicker.

I don't have the patience to adjust the front and rear toe settings with minimal equipment, especially as large adjustments affect everything else. Getting the camber correct with the front wheels parallel by eye means that any idiot with the 4-wheel alignment gear can get the rest of it right in minutes. That's easily worth the £50 to me. It's not as if it needs doing often.

[flyer 0712]

Wouldnt argue with that nick  lol....heart in mouth and a twitchy bum when they do slip,awful hearing that bang..however  i always lay the legs on the deck and pointing away from me and once the top mounting becomes a bit slack then take that off...I do like the spring kit you have bought,,a lot safer....where did you get the angle gauge from please as that is a handy piece of kit..

[Nick W]

Wouldnt argue with that nick  lol....heart in mouth and a twitchy bum when they do slip,awful hearing that bang..however  i always lay the legs on the deck and pointing away from me and once the top mounting becomes a bit slack then take that off...I do like the spring kit you have bought,,a lot safer....where did you get the angle gauge from please as that is a handy piece of kit..

Mine is this one: http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/wixey-digital-angle-gauge-with-magnetic-base.html  although you can get them a bit cheaper off Ebay. They're meant for adjusting saw-blades or workpieces in milling machines, but have all sorts of other uses.

I've been thinking about this today, and it wouldn't be too hard to mount four cheap cross-hair laser pointers on the wheels to simultaneously display both camber and toe on a flag mounted halfway along the car. Should be doable for about £30.

[flyer 0712]

Thanks Nick..i found that and will order one....

[terry paget]

That's basically the same idea, but the block and axlestand under the wishbone worries me. I keep the wheels on the the car, and lower it onto the four spare steel wheels from my sister's Morris. You have a pit, so could leave the car on the ground. Slacken the camber bolts enough to move the alignment with a prybar(I like the jack handle), and crawl under the car to tighten them. Another pair of hands makes this even easier/quicker.

I don't have the patience to adjust the front and rear toe settings with minimal equipment, especially as large adjustments affect everything else. Getting the camber correct with the front wheels parallel by eye means that any idiot with the 4-wheel alignment gear can get the rest of it right in minutes. That's easily worth the £50 to me. It's not as if it needs doing often.

Are your Morris wheels supporting the wheels or the chassis? The point of my supporting the ends of the wishbones is that the wheels are free to turn but the suspension is normally loaded. The wheels are on for the toe-in setting, but supported just off the ground. I had found that with the wheels on the ground turning a track rod a quarter of a turn did not move the wheel, it just loaded the track rod end and put the tyre under tension. With wheels off the ground the setting is very sensitive.
My tyre shop does it with the front wheels on greased discs which is better, but not as free to move as my method.

[Nick W]

Terry,
I the old wheels are placed under the car's wheels so that the full weight is on them. My concern with your photo is that the axlestand should be directly under where you have the timber which in turn really ought to be under balljoint, not offset. Personally, I would dispense with the timber and just use the axlestand. We used to slide cars with damaged or missing wheels along lengths of timber to prevent further damage(to both the car and truck bed) as it is slippery.


I've always adjusted toe with the weight of the car on the wheels with no problems. You could easily replicate your tyreshop's turntables with two glossy magazines under each wheel.

[terry paget]

Thanks for your observations, Nick. Of course you are right, the support ought to be immediatley beneath the ball joint, where I have it part of the vehicle load is not borne by the ball joint. I devised this method some while ago and found it work so well I have not improved it. What I need is an axle stand top shaped to go directly beneath the ball joint. Your suggestion of 2 glossy magazines sounds simple and safer; I shall try it next time.
I have to reset tracking every time I change a wishbone or a track rod, and running six cars that is pretty often. My method requires both track rods to be adjustable to allow for centring of the steering wheel on straight ahead. I always do my own alignments.

[artsoul_no1]

Nick W did a fantastic job on my car even though the car fought back at every turn. Car now been 4 wheel aligned as well.

Thanks Nick 

[Nick W]

Nick W did a fantastic job on my car even though the car fought back at every turn. Car now been 4 wheel aligned as well.

Thanks Nick 

You're welcome. I'm now sporting a really colourful black eye.

Out of interest, how far out was it?