Finding an alignment shop

[idahovette]

(Keith starts planning a trip to Weiser, Idaho....)

K

C'mon up Keith......just let me know when, I'll throw open the front gate so you can get in.......NOT hard to find...Oh and I will work for BEER.....after the job is done!!....lol

 

[TotalyHucked]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, unfortunately all of the old guy shops are even giving up around here, presumably because they have so much more business from newer vehicles and it's easier.

I'm going to reach out to a few shops about 30 miles south in Waxahachie but I hate driving my poor truck that far round trip.

If anyone has any links to manually doing it I would really appreciate it, it's bad enough that I bet I could eyeball it and see an improvment

Shoot, I drove my '85 from Atlanta to Glendale, AZ and back with a bad alignment and the tires weren't great when we left


Google "how to string your vehicle" or "string alignment" and there will be some good run downs of how to do it at home. One thing you will need is a way to have the full weight on the truck but still allow the front wheels to move. "Slider plates" or "Alignment Plates" are needed.

 

[Ricko1966]

Post 15 link covers it all. Slip plates,string alignment,caster,camber,everything you need to know.

 

[SirRobyn0]

.

 

[89Suburban]

Some discussion and pics using the angle gauge in this thread. I know it is a different gen of truck but still may be helpful.

DIY Alignment 07 Tahoe 4WD

Moving all my R&D into this thread for my reference so its not skewed all over the GMT900 thread and anyone else that wants to follow along including the peanut gallery. I have been having issues getting the local shops to do an alignment on my truck because it is "modified" from stock which is...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Here is my home made toe alignment tool I made. Works pretty good. I do want to get a set of alignment plates so I can adjust on the ground. Here I have the front wheels an inch off the floor.

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[Bennyt]

Depending on where you are in DFW...

Try Hamm's Tires in Watauga. They aligned my K5. I've seen lots of older vehicles done there.

 

[89Suburban]

Here's another fella with some good tricks:

self made Wheel Alignment Tool

I nearly finished my self made wheel alignment tool for my Escalade to measure caster, camber and toe. Will do my first alignment with that, next week and look foreward that it works like it should...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[Ricko1966]

Homemade toe plates, been doing it this way for 30 years,used to set the angle on cans before I learned the bungee trick. I also now use 3ft angle the longer the angle the more accurate your measurement.

 

[Ricko1966]

Some discussion and pics using the angle gauge in this thread. I know it is a different gen of truck but still may be helpful.

DIY Alignment 07 Tahoe 4WD

Moving all my R&D into this thread for my reference so its not skewed all over the GMT900 thread and anyone else that wants to follow along including the peanut gallery. I have been having issues getting the local shops to do an alignment on my truck because it is "modified" from stock which is...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Here is my home made toe alignment tool I made. Works pretty good. I do want to get a set of alignment plates so I can adjust on the ground. Here I have the front wheels an inch off the floor.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

If you use 4 jugs instead of 2 you won't need the tool you made, 2 jugs ahead of the car 2 jugs behind the car, make sure your strings are the same distance apart front and rear, and the same distance from the hubs side to side. You can also make spacers out of conduit to keep your strings parallel. Anyway imaginary numbers cause I'm not going outside at 1.30 am to measure my truck 4 jugs,2 strings both strings are 72" apart front and rear. right rear string is 3"from the hub. Left rear strings g is 3" from the hub. Right front is 4" from the hub,left front is 4 inches from the hub. Now your car is centered in the strings center your steering wheel and adjust toe. By alignment plates I think you're referring to slip plates. Lots of home brew options,linoleum floor tiles 2 on each side stacked with grease between them. Park on some contractor trash bags,I think I'm going to try pizza pans with grease or BBs in between stacks of 2. The floor tiles work good but I think pizza pans may work better.Last but not least in our scenario above if you used 2 sticks of conduit with holes drilled in them or slits cut in them at 72" then you could run your strings through the holes or slits,now you know your strings front and rear are 72" apart. Set the conduit on cinder blocks or jack stands behind and in front of the car.
Pic,of conduit and string hung off the car,just set it on jack stands or cinder blocks. But in case you didn't understand my description

 

[badbob3353]

My $175/ea Cooper Cobra's are done after 1.5 years and like 5k miles. Wore down to the belt on one side with probably 90% tread on the other side fo the tire.

When I bought them I was referred to a shop to get an alignment but I couldn't find one in town to do it. I've been asking around again because I'm at the point I may just go buy the cheapest walmart tire and expect it to last a year instead of finding a shop to do alignments, which seems impossible.

No one wants to work on an '87 trucks alignment. Any suggestions? Anyone in the DFW area have any recommendations?

 

[badbob3353]

You may try Wilson Auto in Garland. They specialize in classics. I have talked with them regarding a couple of issues on my 82 but they always have a two + week window.

Wilson Auto Repair | Classic Car Repairs & Restorations

Wilson Auto Repair located near Dallas, TX offers classic car repair and restoration services as well as toolkit recommendations. Contact us at (972) 271-3579.

wilsonauto.com