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[artsoul_no1]

Hi Nick

I told you the car put up a fight

PM sent

Dave

[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 you sister's wheels supporting the car under the body or under the wishbones? If under the body, it sounds like how 'Wheels in Motion' Chesham do it, with suspension unloaded.

[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.

Are you sister's wheels supporting the car under the body or under the wishbones? If under the body, it sounds like how 'Wheels in Motion' Chesham do it, with suspension unloaded.

Terry, they are under the Omega's wheels, effectively replacing the ground - from post #12 the old wheels are placed under the car's wheels so that the full weight is on them. If I were supporting the body I would just use axle stands. This gives me enough room(they are about 4.5" wide high in this use) to crawl under the car with an 18mm socket and spanner and tighten the camber bolts, or adjust the tracking, with everything loaded at ride height.


With the use of a pit or 4post lift, such ghetto methods wouldn't be necessary. But I can't dig a pit, or install a lift in the street!

[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 you sister's wheels supporting the car under the body or under the wishbones? If under the body, it sounds like how 'Wheels in Motion' Chesham do it, with suspension unloaded.

Terry, they are under the Omega's wheels, effectively replacing the ground - from post #12 the old wheels are placed under the car's wheels so that the full weight is on them. If I were supporting the body I would just use axle stands. This gives me enough room(they are about 4.5" wide high in this use) to crawl under the car with an 18mm socket and spanner and tighten the camber bolts, or adjust the tracking, with everything loaded at ride height.


With the use of a pit or 4post lift, such ghetto methods wouldn't be necessary. But I can't dig a pit, or install a lift in the street!

I beg your pardon, missed that. I did not expect to be able to adjust camber with the wheels bearing weight, but clearly it can be done. And, indeed, be done by a man lying on his back using a short lever.

[Nick W]

I beg your pardon, missed that. I did not expect to be able to adjust camber with the wheels bearing weight, but clearly it can be done. And, indeed, be done by a man lying on his back using a short lever.

It is possible on your own. but you have to have the bolts nipped up enough for the camber to stay where you set it with the jackhandle in one of the wheel holes.


It's much easier with a second person holding it in place while you tighten the bolts. Crawling under the car is the longest bit of the job.

[05omegav6]

I beg your pardon, missed that. I did not expect to be able to adjust camber with the wheels bearing weight, but clearly it can be done. And, indeed, be done by a man lying on his back using a short lever.

It is possible on your own. but you have to have the bolts nipped up enough for the camber to stay where you set it with the jackhandle in one of the wheel holes.


It's much easier with a second person holding it in place while you tighten the bolts. Crawling under the car is the fiddlearsiestballache bit of the job.

You're not wrong...

[Mr Gav]

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 got then fitted now, were your old to mounts well worn compared to the new ones?

[artsoul_no1]

Hi Gav

They looked okay until you compare them to the new ones and you can see how compressed they were

[Diamond Black Geezer]

That fabricated magnetised tool is just beautiful and brilliant in equal measure. 


Where’s that jpeg of Fry from Futurama saying ‘take my money!’ when you need it? Haha.

These, and other things like it need to be in the OOF shop, for sure. Even if it came ‘direct from the manufaturer’ (eg: in this case Nick) and factored in the price was a small ‘commission’ to go to TB/OOF I can’t imagine anyone would argue with that. Aside from perhaps TB, who regularly and modestly refuses monetary contributions for the site.

Cracking post nick, enjoyed reading and learning 

[Mr Gav]

Hi Gav

They looked okay until you compare them to the new ones and you can see how compressed they were

I had the same with my Senator, old ones looked ok until I compared then to the new ones and then you can see how much they compress.

[Nick W]

That fabricated magnetised tool is just beautiful and brilliant in equal measure. 

If you like that, here's the upgrade:





The disc is a bit longer, and the red part is a cross-hair laser pointer. It's to be aimed at an upright perspex flag halfway along the car, marked with both camber and toe divisions. I'm hoping that the perspex will allow the same markings to display both front and rear camber and toe, and that there will be enough space to read to a few minutes of angle.


I've ordered the pointer(£4), but will need some more 90mm aluminium bar(£10)and a bigger magnet(£5). I've already got some perspex and stuff to make an adjustable stand(maybe another£5).

[Diamond Black Geezer]

I cancel my order for the Mk I. Where / when do I buy the Mk II?   

[Nick W]

I cancel my order for the Mk I. Where / when do I buy the Mk II?    

It's still in the that ought to work and be reasonably easy to make and setup stage.


Both are important, but the setup part is the harder part to manage. I'm currently thinking that two flags linked under the car will make setting the distance between the wheels and both square to and equally spaced from the centreline of the car easier.


Expect to see a rough and ready(probably glued MDF)  prototype soon.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I can see "Nick's Value Alignment Check" becoming a popular feature at future meets! 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Ditto!


Poor nick, he'll be keeping future inventions shtum, save him the aggro! It's like soon as anyone knows you have a welder, the world and him mate is round every evening after 'little' jobs here and there. I know, because I'm the little sod who keeps pestering my mate for said jobs!