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If the tin cans don't work I could try duct tape or blue tack? lol
Opinions on this trolley jack?
- Thread starter AnthonyH
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Opinions on this trolley jack?
Joking apart I did think of mig wire.
When at a Moskvich Dealership there was a sliding wheel alignment tool that you used over a pit and engaged it on the back of the wheel rim with little chains hanging down then pushed the vehicle backward so the chains were the same distance from the ground and measured from a scale on the tool, simple but was fairly accurate by Russian standards of the day.
So if a length of wire was cut to exactly the distance from wheel rim to wheel rim and the position marked on the wheels , then the vehicle pushed so the wheel turned half a revolution then the difference may be measured. It would take a bit of practice though and as @vexorg mentions the proper kit is expensive for a reason, providing you have faith in the operator.
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I'm just playing with ideas at the moment, so this is a good one.
I'm also thinking that Fiat in some ways have designed their cars to be very forgiving. It may be that I don't need the alignment to be super accurate. I suppose i'll see what transpires.
Are you sure it's not just that skinny tyres are cheaper to replace
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I'm collecting wheels from all my crappy cars, so I've got a few tyres I can afford to shred lolAre you sure it's not just that skinny tyres are cheaper to replace
Ideally make sure you know what side they came from as direction of rotation change can affect tyre life.
Oh god they nail them together, there is nothing refined or super accurate about them, there is no adjustment in the rear at all and up front the track rod ends, some Wiggle room in the strut bolts and there really isn’t very much you can adjust.
That being said, I’d still get the tracking done properly, there are jobs that you just don’t need to bother with yourself and kit you don’t need to have, costing you money and being unused in the garage.
If you do get a more complex car like the other cars in my drive with complex multi like rear suspension and need 4 wheel alignment your kit will almost certainly not be up to the task of an amateur at home and you’ll still have to pay someone else to do it.
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I was thinking this was the case with the GP and EVO but wasn't sure.
I've probably been driving these cars around for thousands of miles with sub-optimal tracking. The tyres haven't noticeably worn out prematurely unless I've bought really cheap tyres. But what is prematurely? I can't remember when I bought the new tyres.
Yeah, £45 is less than the cost of a single tyre.
There are some advantages to GPs, comfort not being one of them
lol
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So anyway I've decided to leave it be and be watchful.
The wheels are plainly straight ahead to the naked eye. I measured the manufacturing tolerance of the new subframe and it was within 3mm of the old one, I put the new tie rod ends back the same (after my first adjustment). The new tie rods are quality GSF and were identical to the old ones, so there's no new error introduced there.
So at most the alignment is off by 3mm from its former state. With 2mm leeway according to manufacturers spec there's a good chance the wheels don't need aligning.
I'll keep an eye out for wear caused by toe-in or toe-out and if so adjust. 1 turn on both sides is 3mm total toe because the pitch of the inner tie rod thread is 1.5mm. So its going to be possible to align this, although it'll need a few iterations and i'll lose some tyre tread. A machine or tool would be quicker, but i'll be using my own labour, and it just doesn't need to be perfect.
The car had two hours of motorway driving earlier today, and its all good.
Thanks to everyone who helped in this thread!!!!!
The wheels are plainly straight ahead to the naked eye. I measured the manufacturing tolerance of the new subframe and it was within 3mm of the old one, I put the new tie rod ends back the same (after my first adjustment). The new tie rods are quality GSF and were identical to the old ones, so there's no new error introduced there.
So at most the alignment is off by 3mm from its former state. With 2mm leeway according to manufacturers spec there's a good chance the wheels don't need aligning.
I'll keep an eye out for wear caused by toe-in or toe-out and if so adjust. 1 turn on both sides is 3mm total toe because the pitch of the inner tie rod thread is 1.5mm. So its going to be possible to align this, although it'll need a few iterations and i'll lose some tyre tread. A machine or tool would be quicker, but i'll be using my own labour, and it just doesn't need to be perfect.
The car had two hours of motorway driving earlier today, and its all good.
Thanks to everyone who helped in this thread!!!!!
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You won't know how close to spec it is without having it checked out. However, if it's driving well - so not pulling to one side or doing anything "strange" it may not be far out.
A professional will want to check out most of the bits you've been working on before doing the alignment which would be a useful second opinion and safety check. Keep a close eye on tyre wear for the next few thousand miles as nothing will show up in terms of tread wear abnormality for some time unless it's a long way out - which it doesn't sound as if it is.
Well done on your endeavors. For someone with limited previous experience you've done very well and are an example to others thinking of "grasping the bull by the horns!
A professional will want to check out most of the bits you've been working on before doing the alignment which would be a useful second opinion and safety check. Keep a close eye on tyre wear for the next few thousand miles as nothing will show up in terms of tread wear abnormality for some time unless it's a long way out - which it doesn't sound as if it is.
Well done on your endeavors. For someone with limited previous experience you've done very well and are an example to others thinking of "grasping the bull by the horns!
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Why thanks, you were a great help
Come an awful long way from an inquiry about a jack, hasn't it!Why thanks, you were a great help
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Its a great jack, so thanks for the recommend. The extra height made life under the car so much easier. And without two jacks I was going to struggle lifting the subframe back in place. Part of the impetous to do this subframe was the thought that I could buy a new shiny jack and I got a great one!
The other car has developed a metallic rattle that I should probably track down, the bushes on its rear axle need changing, and the sump has a tiny tiny leak, nothing urgent or dangerous but these old Puntos need a lot of maintenance...and i'm still keen to buy another...
Glad you like the jack. I did spend quite a lot of time researching them before I bought the one I have and came to the conclusion that, of it's type, it's one of the best.
When you're getting into the more serious tasks like you have here, height is everything and a lot of the more modestly priced offerings just don't go high enough.
When you're getting into the more serious tasks like you have here, height is everything and a lot of the more modestly priced offerings just don't go high enough.
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I've used the old Halfords one a little in the last few days, it now feels quite underpowered, but i won't be getting rid of it.
I gave up trying to find a rubber pad that fits the new Sealey jack, and have been using a small square block of wood.
I gave up trying to find a rubber pad that fits the new Sealey jack, and have been using a small square block of wood.
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If I take the car to be aligned I imagine it'll be returned to me like this one I saw today
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Ha, ha, probably corners well but tyre bill for wear due to excessive camber must be steep
Aye Mike. Wonder how often he gets a "tug" from the boys in blue? I know you're only joking and I don't want to sound like a "know it all" bore, but having spent some 6 years advising race teams - Auto Delta (Alfa Romeo) and Filipinetti (FIAT) being just two - on how to adjust their chassis settings to take maximum advantage of our tyres, that car probably handles like an absolute pig! Just for starters, can you imagine how poorly it will brake in an emergency?Ha, ha, probably corners well but tyre bill for wear due to excessive camber must be steep
Although I have my two "big" jacks there are times when one of the smaller ones I have just does the job grand - and so much easier to toss in the boot if you need to take it somewhere. I never get rid of anything like this because you never know when a situation you never imagined will arise!
Undoubtedly a slotted rubber pad is useful on modern cars which pretty much all seem to jack up on reinforced sills now. However I've been using wooden blocks for years when jacking on the likes of chassis box sections and subframes and that works just grand for me.
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When she saw it my wifes exact words were "What the f**k is that?!"Ha, ha, probably corners well but tyre bill for wear due to excessive camber must be steep
I wonder why Fiat haven't introduced it into one of their cool new designs
