do it yourself alignment.....help....
do it yourself alignment.....help.... so a few weeks ago, my caliper bolts broke on my wayt to work, the caliper came flying out and tore my tie rod end, caliper, caliper bracker and rim....i just put it all back together, but now my alignment is off on the right side, which is the side it broke on.....
i replaced both side calipers, tie rod ends, upgraded to steel brake lines, bought all new 10.9 grade bolts (18 bucks a bolt). thing is, tie rods are after market, but i thought that if i marked the inner tie rod end, and put the new ones in, it should be aligned, right?????wrong...the right side tire is pointing inward significantly, where the left one is pretty much straight as far as i can see.... i could see if both sides where off, then that would mean diff. specs on the tie rod.....
anyways, how do i get the alignment close enought to straight, so i can drive it to the alignment shop 40-45 miles???????? i just got new tires, so id hate to mess em up.....
any help is appreciated.....
i replaced both side calipers, tie rod ends, upgraded to steel brake lines, bought all new 10.9 grade bolts (18 bucks a bolt). thing is, tie rods are after market, but i thought that if i marked the inner tie rod end, and put the new ones in, it should be aligned, right?????wrong...the right side tire is pointing inward significantly, where the left one is pretty much straight as far as i can see.... i could see if both sides where off, then that would mean diff. specs on the tie rod.....
anyways, how do i get the alignment close enought to straight, so i can drive it to the alignment shop 40-45 miles???????? i just got new tires, so id hate to mess em up.....
any help is appreciated.....
this is a ruff way to do it but it will get you there. first put your steering wheel straight, then use tape measure and a friend. then measure the front tires by the sidewalls. Front to front and back to back of the tires and adjust the tow as needed pretty crude way but atleast it will get to to the shop. hope this helps
a couple of more links:
http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/artic...ticle_id=60130
http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm
http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/artic...ticle_id=60130
http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm
oh and I had that stupid caliper bolt come out on me too. Lucky thing for me was that my neighbor saw it one morning when going to work and came and knocked on my door. He said "I just happen to glance over at your wheels and thought that something didn't look right about that caliper" 
I had bounced of the inside of the wheel a little bit, must have happened on the way home. Anyway, be sure to use blue loctite on the caliper mounting bolts. I never had a problem since.
I had bounced of the inside of the wheel a little bit, must have happened on the way home. Anyway, be sure to use blue loctite on the caliper mounting bolts. I never had a problem since.
ill have to take it appart again and do the loctite, cause ill tell u....i dont wanna go thru that again.... 
70mph then all of a sudden u hear a hard clunk.....everything starts shaking, then u realize u have no steering and no brakes.....just hold on for the ride 
anyways, im glad i had not hit the canyon part of my daily drive or i'd be toast.....
for sure from now on, them bolts will get changed every 5 yrs.....even if they are hardened 10.9 grade at 18.00 a pop....
70mph then all of a sudden u hear a hard clunk.....everything starts shaking, then u realize u have no steering and no brakes.....just hold on for the ride anyways, im glad i had not hit the canyon part of my daily drive or i'd be toast.....
for sure from now on, them bolts will get changed every 5 yrs.....even if they are hardened 10.9 grade at 18.00 a pop....
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Verdad Gallardo yup, the lower bolt that go to the caliper slider pin broke, causing the caliper to slite out of the rotor, hit my rim, rolled it over on its axis tore the brake hose line right off, and all the way over to the front, hitting/broke my tie rod end off the inner tie rod. the momentum broke one of the huge bolts that hold the caliper bracket to the hub....my wheel has a whole on the inner part of the wheel hub, where the caliper pushed thru the rim wall into the inner part of the wheel. was crazy man....it took a while for me to realize i coulda been killed.
