FWIW DIY Alignment
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Teching In
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 39
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FWIW DIY Alignment Hard to believe but as easy as my 1997 Firebird is to adjust alignment on nobody around here wants to do it.
I had a TENHULVEN camber gage sitting here so I thought I would remind myself how to do this and see what I get.
The garage floor was dead level side to side and I found 0.2 deg of positive camber both sides (within spec)
Cross camber = 0 degrees
Caster (using the 15 degree double sweep and math method was 4.8 degrees on one side and 5.0 on the other (I'll edit this when I look at the paper showing which side was which). Anyway, caster and cross caster within spec
I was very careful and used the race car string method to check toe. It helps that you can (hopefully) safely assume the rear toe is zero.
I found left front at 1/32 toe out, and right front at 1/16 toe in for a total toe in of 1/32 (equals 0.11 degrees so within spec)
It seems likely that this low mile unmodified car has never had the factory alignment disturbed.
I had a TENHULVEN camber gage sitting here so I thought I would remind myself how to do this and see what I get.
The garage floor was dead level side to side and I found 0.2 deg of positive camber both sides (within spec)
Cross camber = 0 degrees
Caster (using the 15 degree double sweep and math method was 4.8 degrees on one side and 5.0 on the other (I'll edit this when I look at the paper showing which side was which). Anyway, caster and cross caster within spec
I was very careful and used the race car string method to check toe. It helps that you can (hopefully) safely assume the rear toe is zero.
I found left front at 1/32 toe out, and right front at 1/16 toe in for a total toe in of 1/32 (equals 0.11 degrees so within spec)
It seems likely that this low mile unmodified car has never had the factory alignment disturbed.
Last edited by rkjjeep; Aug 1, 2025 at 06:09 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 61
Likes: 7
From: United States
Nice work. Your DIY alignment checks out caster, camber, and toe are all within spec. Looks like the factory settings were spot-on and never messed with. Good call using the string method for toe. If it drives straight with no pull, you’re golden. No need to pay a shop when you’ve got it dialed in yourself.
