DIY toe alignment - TTB (sooner the help the better)

[Captain Ledd]

DIY toe alignment - TTB (almost solved?)

So I'm desperately trying to get my '84 out of the garage this weekend. I cannot get the Toe anywhere close to being roadworthy. it's got a fresh set of 33" ProComp MT's on it with a good flashing line down the center, which is where I'm basing my measurements off of, also measured from the floor to get the same height.

I jacked the truck up using a jack that had rollers on it, figuring it would make the suspension to level out. I used the bolts on the radius arms as a jack point to keep the suspension loaded.

it was 4.5" farther apart in the rear when I started

Set it down and now it's just over an inch apart in the front, I did have it even before I set it down.

I've rolled it back and forth several feet, no change.

I'm at a loss on how you set the toe on these things, it seemed alot easier to do from what I had read.

I did search the forum but all that came up was modded suspension alignment questions (SAS's) or where to do it or on newer models.

 

[metalmacguyver]

There is a big difference between jacking under the radius arm bolts and from the Wheel mounting surface. The jack with rollers wont do shit cause they dont roll nearly as well when half the truck is sitting on them.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Actually the jack did help, I think my problem was (I didn't realize it the first 2 times I did it) that the leverage on the springs would have changed and the arms "droop" down just a bit. I watched them after I realized this and in fact they did. Which makes sense now, but it didn't then.

Having done it 4 more times since my posting I actually have them within 1/8" while their on the ground, even after rolling it back and forth several feet. I'd have preferred not to do the trial and error method and I didn't expect to be able to get it as close as I did. I think I can get them almost exact now with 1 or 2 more tries.

I know I'm not really supposed to do it but I pushed up and down on the grill support several times and watched the jack move back and forth a tad to make sure it was rolling good and moved over all the way where it needed to be. It actually did roll pretty well because when me and my dad jacked it up again we got almost the same measurements as we had before we set it back down. This helped us calculate how far things needed to move, but there was some contravercy on exactly how much (1/2, 2x, 1x, etc).

I think we may actually have it now. The first 2 times I did it and that it came out blatantly wrong really threw me for a loop.

 

[4x4junkie]

I use a steel plate and some ½" round metal dowels placed under one front tire (and a similar-thickness block of wood under the other). This fully eliminates any bind between the tires that would affect the suspension's height like that.
Then measure away.

BTW, a better point to measure toe from is a chalk line drawn on the tire's tread (jack the tire up, and draw a circumferential line on it as you spin it). Tires are not always true, 1/8" of wobble is common, and some even as much as 3/8-1/2" (such as Interco and MT/Rs)

 

[CopyKat]

Do what junkie said and make a tool.

A tape works but it's a PITA to measure the back side because of the radius arm's getting in the way.