JP Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 I want to fiddle with my suspension/tracking set up myself. Does anyone know of a source for accurate DIY camber/toe etc measuring equipment without it costing the earth? (I suspect those two conditions are mutually exclusive.) James. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyedwardc Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Two long straight bits of wood, a spirit level and a ruler... Oh and some string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 He wants to do the tracking, not build a Westf1eld!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted December 21, 2001 Author Share Posted December 21, 2001 Thanks Chris!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Westf1elds are plastic not woodtongue.gif. He's thinking of Morgans, or a C******m boot floortongue.gif JP. You need 4 axle stands, 4 elastic bands, two bits of string, a metal "engineers" ruler, and a good head for maths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 22, 2001 Share Posted December 22, 2001 Ay Lad, but 'e were thinkin' of upmarket Westf1eld! None o' this plastic tripe for 'im. Anywat, t's nowt wrong wit' Caterham boot floor, Though I'd admit it ain't as executive as the W'fields built in smimming pool eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMO Posted December 22, 2001 Share Posted December 22, 2001 So someone tell us all about this string, rubber band, spirit level, axle stand business. I'm curious. AMMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old captain slow Posted December 22, 2001 Share Posted December 22, 2001 And some pictures for the challenged! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanB Posted December 22, 2001 Share Posted December 22, 2001 or, if you want to be poncy, two bits of wood, a pen, a piece of paper, a head for maths, a small mirror and a laser pointer keyring... Dan Furrybird Q660 KKL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMO Posted December 23, 2001 Share Posted December 23, 2001 Got the string and rubber bands. Now what? Is there a treatise somewhere which would elucidate me? AMMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 23, 2001 Share Posted December 23, 2001 AMMO If you're serious, mail me off line. Send me your phone number, and I'll explain all. It'll be easier to explain than type....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMMO Posted December 23, 2001 Share Posted December 23, 2001 Blatman I have emailed you. AMMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted December 23, 2001 Author Share Posted December 23, 2001 Look, I started this thread - will someone please tell ME how to use all this plastic, wood etc to actually measure camber/toe etc!!! James. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 23, 2001 Share Posted December 23, 2001 JP If you're serious, mail me off line. Send me your phone number, and I'll explain all. It'll be easier to explain than type....... Same applies to you dear boy............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 Its actually very easy, but as I have had a few as its xmas and an exact answer from me would be suspect. You simply build a perfect wood and string square around the car. long bits of wood across the front of the chassis and also across the rear,resting it on the spare wheel rack. You then run fine string down either side of the car. The trick is to get the wood and string square perfect, so much measuring is needed and to make sure the car is square withing that square if you see what I mean.It takes a while the first time but I find I can do it in about half an hour now. You then measure the distance from the string to the wheel rims leading and trailing edge and the difference is the amount of mm of toe in or out you have. There is a little more to it than this but Blatman no doubt covers that in his em. For a cheap camber guage see item 7 page 274 of the latest tweeks catalogue. I simply made my own equivalent from plywood with a plumb line on it and an exact measured scale and it cost me less than a pound ! Edited by - Graham Perry on 24 Dec 2001 07:55:20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 My way is the same as yours Graham, except I don't use any wood. If the car has a twist in it, or it isn't on level ground, you can get slight flexes in the chassis which would be magnified when you take the measurements. Attach the string to elastic bands, which you slip over the axle stands. Make sure that the string extends beyond the front and rear of the car so that you can be sure it's square without having to run the car in and out all the time.........I use the stub axles as my reference point for the corners, and once you are happy that the car is square inside your square string "box", you can begin the measuring and the maths....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 Yep fundamentally the same, as I use the stub axles as well or the wheel centres whichever is convenient. Hadn't thought of the chassis twist bit but I also measure mine so that the string is the same height all the way around, so it should nullify some of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westfield Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 If anyone is interested I have a drawing of a home made camber gauge along the lines of the one Dunlop produce. It can be made reasonably easily out of metal or even wood. It is self calibrating and can measure down to a quarter of a degree or less. Mail me for a copy of the drawing which is in Excel 95. I tried the string method for setting up my car many years ago along the lines suggested on this tread. Last year I purchased a second hand set of Dunlop tracking gauges (50 pound from a wanted advert in the local paper) and made up a camber gauge. With the car on a level garage floor I spent some time getting the front and rear camber set up to the factory settings (the car is a W*******d SEI) I then set the front and rear track. The difference in the car was amazing and made me realise just how far out it must have been. The string method may be ok for a first set up but I am not convinced that you can get it that accurate with this method. Still it is probably more accurate than letting your average tyre fitter loose on the car……… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 For tracking adjustment (needed any time you fiddle with the camber) 4 of us clubbed together and bought a Gunson Drive over one ~£70inc VAT.. This has performed very well. For camber rotation of the top link is all that can be achieved. The thread is not so fine so it's vertical (good for slicks), one turn or two turns for radials. We put 3 turns on Jason B's car but that is too much. He wants one less now. The ball joint is easier to split on early cars and the later ones. Jason's 1996 car is very difficult with the splitter I have. I bought mine in Sweden for £3. Halfords do the same for a rip off Britain ~£15... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted December 25, 2001 Share Posted December 25, 2001 I have previously unbolted the brake caliper and released the bottom nut on the upright. This is simpler than splitting the taper joint. I then rotated the whole upright to change the camber. Easier than you might think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 Peter, Great lateral thinking, I would never have thought of that, or if I had I would have attempted to rotate the whole car around the upright !(well its xmas).what about the steering rack arms, did you break those joints or do you have a cunning plan for those as well ? I guess it wouldn't be so easy on flared wing cars or any with side indicators on the mudguard, but I do like your idea. Edited by - Graham Perry on 26 Dec 2001 08:57:40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyedwardc Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 You don't need to break the steering arm joints to adjust tracking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 The other end of things was an interesting idea Peter. The only time I have removed the top link at the bushes I had a major hassle getting it to bolt together again. That was on the prev car so may have been a freak. Oh yeah the prev. owner had the modern top links added on by Arch so that may have had something to do with it... I will try it the other way on the new car some day / next camber change. As pointed out all this ball splitting is not needed for the tracking alone... Edited by - stevefoster on 26 Dec 2001 15:10:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashaughnessy Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 If you know a race licence holder, the latest edition of the MSA news letter ("Motorsports now!") very co-incidentally has a short article comparing different ways of doing this sort of thing, from the very cheap (bits of string) to the expensive (laser gauges of varying sorts). Doesn't go into huge detail though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted December 29, 2001 Author Share Posted December 29, 2001 A thought... With the string square technique, won't negative camber and a castor angle combine to produce a false tracking reading (unless the string square is 90 degrees to the castor setting)? If the castor angle is zero please tell me and I'll shut up! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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