hey proud owner of a v6 auto and need assistance on allignment.
apparently im too poor to have a shop do it for now but have enough tools that
i probobly could do it myself but never ever heard how.
do i need to take it to a shop or will there be a way to do it myself.
by the way it is my fault because i removed the suspension bolts by accident
any tips?
or should i cough up a payment for a shop that steals my "tollway money pocket"

Do it yourself. Do you have a flat paved area (like inside a garage), string, stands, a carpenters square, a level & a measuring device plus a couple of hours? Do a search on alignment

You can try my writeup..

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/088043.html

You can do it yourself as per above. Once you buy new tires, get a shop to do it...

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3.4L S/C 87 GT www.fierosound.com
2002/2003/2004 World of Wheels Winner &
Multiple IASCA Stereo Award Winner

You beat me to the line , i was gonna send him yours.
BTW i did it on my car . looks alright so far .
I used deck block with 2x4 and at each end i added a piece of 8 inches long and 2 1/2 thick to get right at the center of the hub .




They are very stable and you can give a lot of tension on the string too without moving them
And for the adjustment you just slide the 2x4 in the slot
Ho and before i forget thanks for rating me good Dodgerunner

[This message has been edited by Robert 2 (edited 05-27-2008).]

I like those block! I usually slip the board though a hole in a block to add some weight so I can pull the string tight.

quote Originally posted by Dodgerunner: I like those block! I usually slip the board though a hole in a block to add some weight so I can pull the string tight.

Pardon my ignorance
???

[This message has been edited by Robert 2 (edited 05-27-2008).]

thanks for the links and tips i love pics
how do i literally move the tires permanently

for the guy above: what is meant is that he likes the cement blocks because they
allow for added tension on the string when you slip the 2x4 in.

[This message has been edited by BlackGT Codde (edited 05-28-2008).]

quote Originally posted by BlackGT Codde: hey proud owner of a v6 auto and need assistance on allignment. apparently im too poor to have a shop do it for now but have enough tools that i probobly could do it myself but never ever heard how. do i need to take it to a shop or will there be a way to do it myself. by the way it is my fault because i removed the suspension bolts by accident any tips? or should i cough up a payment for a shop that steals my "tollway money pocket"

Simple....the best way..take it to an alignment shop.

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fierogt28

88 GT, loaded, 5-speed

OK now i understand he should had said " slot " instead of " hole " cause there is a hole in the block too
This is what i'm saying in my answer up there .
It's the hole that got me confused
I was wondering how can you pass a 2x4 in a 1 1/2 dia hole
sorry

[This message has been edited by Robert 2 (edited 05-29-2008).]

quote fierogt28:Simple....the best way..take it to an alignment shop.

Actually, that is only the most expensive way. Just because it's an alignment shop doesn't always guarantee a good alignment, it just guarantees that you will receive a bill.

The best way is to do it yourself. That way you force yourself to learn more about the Fiero's suspension, it's settings and adjustments.

The thing you learn at an alignment shop is how to spend money. Most of us already know how to do that!

Best thing to do is find an alignment shop you trust. Alignments aren't expensive

Figure out the alignment specs that you want and tell the shop to align it exactly as you told them. Tell them you are going to want a spec sheet to see that they did it right.

Had someone I trust do it for 70 bucks and he set it up exactly how I wanted it. Max neg camber on the front, 0 camber on the rear. 0 toe on the front. .5 deg toe in on the rear. front caster set back as far as can be while still being within recommended spec

got the spec sheet to make sure it was exactly how I wanted.

I swapped out the entire suspension on my Fiero in one day with a fellow member on here. I think I know enough about it and don't feel like spending all that time for something that normally costs less than 150 bucks.

quote Originally posted by 30+mpg: Actually, that is only the most expensive way. Just because it's an alignment shop doesn't always guarantee a good alignment, it just guarantees that you will receive a bill. The best way is to do it yourself. That way you force yourself to learn more about the Fiero's suspension, it's settings and adjustments. The thing you learn at an alignment shop is how to spend money. Most of us already know how to do that!

Yeah...I totally agree. I was just being smart...lol

Even most of the time most mechanics don't care to do a perfect job, especially a fiero. My impression when I go to any shop for service in the past for my fiero, the mechanics rather sweep the floor than help a client out. Some auto-techs (the older guys with 25-30 years experiance) don't mind performing work on them because they know how too.

Comming back to alignments, your best bet also is to learn yourself or someone that has done them before many times.

Also, doing work yourself can save big money. If you take 1 hour or more to complete the job, at least you know that it was done, and done well. I have the feeling some mechanics just want our cars outta their bloody shop.

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fierogt28

88 GT, loaded, 5-speed

quote Originally posted by BlackGT Codde: thanks for the links and tips i love pics how do i literally move the tires permanently

You are only using this to set the toe setting of the front and if need be the back wheels.

Drive the car to a level surface where you are going to check it and as to come to a stop be sure you hold the steering wheel at it's centered position as you come to a slow stop.
Don't move the steering from this point that is your reference point.

You then setup your strings and take your measurements.
To adjust toe you take the jam nut on the tie rod end loose and then turn the tie rod into or out as needed to adjust the toe. (Don't move the steering wheel. Hopefully when centered it will be at a steering lock position so it can't move.
Since the rack on a Fiero is in front of the axle you screw the rod into the rod end to increase the toe and out to reduce toe.

You have to think a liitle while doing it so you move things the right way. If one wheel is toed in and the other is toed out then it might be the steering wheel was moved or not put one right if pulled once.
Usually you will find just one wheel and only have to adjust one.
I usually take my reading, make an adjustment and drive the car to work then check again to see if more is needed.
You have to get a feel for how much you have to turn the tie rod. Often only a 1/2 turn or so is needed.
If I remember correctly one turn will usually change the toe about 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch on your reading. But remember when you adjust the side of the wheel will move in and the other out so your change difference is almost doubled so don't get carried away.

The fiero is one of the more difficult cars to align..close observation of tire wear will guide you in your ajustment ..This is what i would do first just get the tires pointed in the correct direction,,very little ajustment is normally needed unless you hit something hard
You can use the concrete floor as your aligment tool..Many tires have a center grove this works to your advantage
I collect card board boxes and break them down to place under the car OR drive the car on the cardboard layed out in the garage ,carport ect, and the cardboard is taped to the floor in place,, and I check the tires with this and a level square that measures in degrees..If you are not certain what to do you can make some small ajustment to bring you close to specification,do not ajust what does not need it make the bad just like the good ,, work slow the first time small ajustments,working alone the string can taped pin push you can mark string center after secure and then pull I tie it to a pole
When you have the specs check the measure tools you have against the tire so you understand the specs your car has before you start.. check the rim not the tire,eyeball from a distance .often if one wheel is wearing and the other is not you can actually see this.. make the bad wheel like the good wheel,, check and double check before you loosen a nut or turn a shaft

I have a LONG paint roller extender that works for toe ajustment..observing what the wheels positions are will ease your way !!

The president walks into a burger king and says "Give me 2 whoppers" " O.K." says thestudent clerk "" you are an intellectual and the best president ever""

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 05-29-2008).]

quote Originally posted by fierogt28: Also, doing work yourself can save big money. If you take 1 hour or more to complete the job, at least you know that it was done, and done well.

Somehow I don't believe you'll be as accurate using 2x4's, cardboard and strings as a COMPETENT mechanic in a shop with a laser alignment machine. You'll likely be back with "how come my car handles this way" questions. A proper alignment is MUCH CHEAPER than replacing 4 tires that have had their tread scrubbed off due to a bad D-I-Y alignment. It becomes a matter of "pay me now, or pay me later" at which time you may be paying for an alignment PLUS 4 tires.

quote Originally posted by fierosound: Somehow I don't believe you'll be as accurate using 2x4's, cardboard and strings as a COMPETENT mechanic in a shop with a laser alignment machine. You'll likely be back with "how come my car handles this way" questions. A proper alignment is MUCH CHEAPER than replacing 4 tires that have had their tread scrubbed off due to a bad D-I-Y alignment. It becomes a matter of "pay me now, or pay me later" at which time you may be paying for an alignment PLUS 4 tires.

Have you ever taken your fiero to a mechanic?

All I can say is my 94 Intrepid has never been aligned by a shop since the day I bought it from the dealer new.
My last set of Yokahama Avid touring lasted just short of 70K miles with my adjustments....

quote Originally posted by arte444: Have you ever taken your fiero to a mechanic?

Yes. Are you saying guys in your area can't be trusted to even do an oil change on a car, never mind something as complex as an alignment? Either they don't know what they're doing or don't give a crap about what they're doing. I can say I've never had a bad alignment - been using the same shop for my Fiero since 1992 - and they update their equipment regularly and even had different guys do it. Only had to take it back once after the steering went off-center from a pot-hole - they redid it free (was about a month later).

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 05-30-2008).]

If you know of a mechanic thats great. I don't trust very many people around my car. =)

quote Originally posted by arte444: If you know of a mechanic thats great. I don't trust very many people around my car. =)

Alignments are the only thing I take my car in for. I do everything else myself. I still wouldn't think I could do an accurate alignment using the procedures above no matter how carefully I did it. Why risk $600 worth of tires over a $100 alignment?

I usually wait for the work to be done, look at the printout and verify that the specs are correct and match what the book says they should be, then ask the guy questions if something doesn't look right.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 06-06-2008).]