[CALWATERBOY]

Labor day. OK....been working on DIY precision alignment for my 3....difficult w/o a lift!

Level your ride....no problem. Used DIY water level; took within 1/8" with linoleum tiles like the YouTube said. Works!

Then, measure toe w/toe plates.

• Problem: Distance measure, not angle. Must calc angle - working on accuracy.
  .
• Problem: Not yet ready to apply my laser string for square to centerline adj. Need to fab apparatus.

I soldier on.

Measure camber w/iPhone after calibrating w/carpenter's level. Works well but, must go back 'n' forth toe/camber/toe/camber/toe.... until both within tolerance. Car goes up and down each time....two jack stands to place....floor jack....you get the idea. PITA!

Much creativity brought to bear, devoted mostly to newly invented curses. Wife calls. Dinner chillin'. Reasonably well adj'd, I head home.

Viola! She drives sweet, powerful, smooth; very modulatable brakes coming to a stop, a major objective. Better than any vendor alignment ever done I come to Epiphany:

NOBODY cares as much about my ride as yours truly.

You betcha - true fer you, too.

S-l-o-w-l-y fabbing what's needed for comprehensive DIY alignment - detailed post w/mucho pics when satisfied.

Teaser: So far, my methods proving good....very good!

[asus389]

Definitely post a DIY tutorial when you are done.

[turo]

Ooo, I'm VERY interested in reading/trying this DIY once you're done!

[TroyDeJ]

why not just bring it to get aligned? it will be a lot more precise and faster to do

[ajm8127]

I used to do this with my Maxima because I had built some custom front suspension components and needed to adjust the settings more often than I wanted to pay for it.

After each adjustment to toe, make sure you roll the car back then forward a distance equal to roughly the circumference of your tires.

As long as you take your time and are patient, the DIY alignment can be uber precise.

Did you use the "fishing line" method to set toe?

[Shahdog]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

Labor day. OK....been working on DIY precision alignment for my 3....difficult w/o a lift!

Level your ride....no problem. Used DIY water level; took within 1/8" with linoleum tiles like the YouTube said. Works!

Then, measure toe w/toe plates.

• Problem: Distance measure, not angle. Must calc angle - working on accuracy.
  .
• Problem: Not yet ready to apply my laser string for square to centerline adj. Need to fab apparatus.

I soldier on.

Measure camber w/iPhone after calibrating w/carpenter's level. Works well but, must go back 'n' forth toe/camber/toe/camber/toe.... until both within tolerance. Car goes up and down each time....two jack stands to place....floor jack....you get the idea. PITA!

Much creativity brought to bear, devoted mostly to newly invented curses. Wife calls. Dinner chillin'. Reasonably well adj'd, I head home.

Viola! She drives sweet, powerful, smooth; very modulatable brakes coming to a stop, a major objective. Better than any vendor alignment ever done I come to Epiphany:

NOBODY cares as much about my ride as yours truly.

You betcha - true fer you, too.

S-l-o-w-l-y fabbing what's needed for comprehensive DIY alignment - detailed post w/mucho pics when satisfied.

Teaser: So far, my methods proving good....very good!

Attachment 745373

Wow. Bravo

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by ajm8127

I used to do this with my Maxima because I had built some custom front suspension components and needed to adjust the settings more often than I wanted to pay for it.

After each adjustment to toe, make sure you roll the car back then forward a distance equal to roughly the circumference of your tires.

As long as you take your time and are patient, the DIY alignment can be uber precise.

Did you use the "fishing line" method to set toe?

Have but wasn't satisfied w/accuracy. Toe plates this time.

[ajm8127]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

Have but wasn't satisfied w/accuracy. Toe plates this time.

It can be a pain to get the fishing line aligned correctly. I always thought about taking a couple pieces of square AL tubing, bolting them to the car and stringing the fishing line between the ends of the tube, on each side of the car. That way when you roll it around after toe adjustment, the fishing line is always aligned properly as long as you do it right the first time.

I imagine using toe plates is a much less time consuming method.

Either way, things like DIY alignments are what separate the men from the boys.