Emery, Tell me more about measuring toe-in with a tape. I had mine done
at local alignment shop but have no idea what they set it at. Figured
that was their business and they should know. I've thought about
checking mine before but thought you would need to get halfway up the
tire, front and rear to take measurement. Too much stuff
in the way for this. How far up the side do you go to measure? Thanks
Bill
>
>
> bending the arms unless it is a last resort. >>
>
> Hi Arch --
>
> I can understand that you are a little apprehensive about bending
> the arms.
>
> Actually if the alignment is off it is probably from the arms being
> bent,
> usually in a little bit, from hitting a curb or pothole. I was also
>
> considering shims because I thought that it would be easier. But, I
> when I
> was at Jim Bounds when he bent my arms back into line. It took him
> only
> minutes to do all four. Because of the length of the arms they are
> really
> only bent out a very small fraction on an inch to get the wheels
> back into
> alignment. If you were to need, for example, a 1/16" shim behind
> the arm
> mount, that equivalent bending of the arm would take place along the
> whole
> length of the arm so each small portion of the arm is hardly moved.
> Just be
> sure not to use heat on it.
>
> I have talked to many who have had arms bent (somehow seems better
> to call
> it re-arcing rather than bending) and find that they all seem to
> agree that
> the re-arcing of them is no different from the normal forces that
> can occur
> on the arms when side pressure is put against the side of the wheels
> and
> tires when hitting a curb.
>
> I had a lot of metallurgy courses in college and can assure you that
> you are
> not bending a kink into the arms, you are just slightly realigning
> the
> crystalline structure (or molecules) a minuscule amount along the
> whole
> length of the arm and not enough to cause any problems.
>
> If you should, however, choose to use shims, be sure to use full
> length ones
> along the full bearing surface of the mount, not just small ones
> just behind
> the bolts. Small ones behind the bolts will take so much pressure
> that they
> will just compress and distort and you'll end up with the same
> alignment
> problem in the near future.
>
> Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM
at local alignment shop but have no idea what they set it at. Figured
that was their business and they should know. I've thought about
checking mine before but thought you would need to get halfway up the
tire, front and rear to take measurement. Too much stuff
in the way for this. How far up the side do you go to measure? Thanks
Bill
>
>
> bending the arms unless it is a last resort. >>
>
> Hi Arch --
>
> I can understand that you are a little apprehensive about bending
> the arms.
>
> Actually if the alignment is off it is probably from the arms being
> bent,
> usually in a little bit, from hitting a curb or pothole. I was also
>
> considering shims because I thought that it would be easier. But, I
> when I
> was at Jim Bounds when he bent my arms back into line. It took him
> only
> minutes to do all four. Because of the length of the arms they are
> really
> only bent out a very small fraction on an inch to get the wheels
> back into
> alignment. If you were to need, for example, a 1/16" shim behind
> the arm
> mount, that equivalent bending of the arm would take place along the
> whole
> length of the arm so each small portion of the arm is hardly moved.
> Just be
> sure not to use heat on it.
>
> I have talked to many who have had arms bent (somehow seems better
> to call
> it re-arcing rather than bending) and find that they all seem to
> agree that
> the re-arcing of them is no different from the normal forces that
> can occur
> on the arms when side pressure is put against the side of the wheels
> and
> tires when hitting a curb.
>
> I had a lot of metallurgy courses in college and can assure you that
> you are
> not bending a kink into the arms, you are just slightly realigning
> the
> crystalline structure (or molecules) a minuscule amount along the
> whole
> length of the arm and not enough to cause any problems.
>
> If you should, however, choose to use shims, be sure to use full
> length ones
> along the full bearing surface of the mount, not just small ones
> just behind
> the bolts. Small ones behind the bolts will take so much pressure
> that they
> will just compress and distort and you'll end up with the same
> alignment
> problem in the near future.
>
> Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM
)
