Front end allignment on an 86 (Page 2/2)
Nextel dude JUL 09, 10:27 PM
Just an FYI, Firestone stores offer a lifetime alignment for $200. I got one about 3-4 years ago when I knew I was going to replace front suspension parts over time. Have had my car back there several times since. It has been a great deal for me saving me a lot of money.
cvxjet JUL 09, 11:29 PM
A couple of things to keep in mind- Some tires will cause all kinds of problems with wander or following the road grooves...especially the "Chinese special" tires that you can get cheap.

Also, if you lose the gas pressure from one of your rear struts, the car will do a very odd thing- it will pull to one side when accelerating, and to the other when cutting the throttle...I was trying to figure out what was causing this and noticed fluid dripping from one of my "Coil-over" modified struts...replaced it and the problem went away.
stevep914 JUL 12, 08:39 PM
Well, I am a bit disappointed! After two afternoons doing a string allignment quite meticulously, checking all bushings etc, my test ride was frightening, to say the least! Accelerating causes the car to "torque steer" in one direction, and backing off seems to make it go the other way. And the car is extremely twitchy, with constant correction at the steering wheel to keep it straight. Just for reference, this is an F40 replica on an 86 chassis. The tires are 245/40 R16 front, and 315/40 16 on the rear. I am going to do another attempt at the allignment, as I have all summer off to play with it anyway. The front springs were, I believe cut to lower the car, before I bought it. They have almost O movement to prevent the tires from contacting the body. ( rides harsh on our concreted, segmented roads here) The rears are softer, with a fair bit of travel . Bear in mind this car ran and drove perfectly for the last five years- the twitchy mess is a new development. I see no evidence of leaking struts or shocks.
stevep914 JUL 12, 08:41 PM
Well, I am a bit disappointed! After two afternoons doing a string allignment quite meticulously, checking all bushings etc, my test ride was frightening, to say the least! Accelerating causes the car to "torque steer" in one direction, and backing off seems to make it go the other way. And the car is extremely twitchy, with constant correction at the steering wheel to keep it straight. Just for reference, this is an F40 replica on an 86 chassis. The tires are 245/40 R16 front, and 315/40 16 on the rear. I am going to do another attempt at the allignment, as I have all summer off to play with it anyway. The front springs were, I believe cut to lower the car, before I bought it. They have almost O movement to prevent the tires from contacting the body. ( rides harsh on our concreted, segmented roads here) The rears are softer, with a fair bit of travel . Bear in mind this car ran and drove perfectly for the last five years- the twitchy mess is a new development. I see no evidence of leaking struts or shocks.
wftb JUL 14, 08:48 AM
The big bolts that hold the strut/spring to the rear knuckle need to be torqued to 140lbs. This has been missed a lot by people that think just tightening by hand is good enough.
stevep914 JUL 16, 12:54 PM
A final note on this... I did another string allignment as suggested on this forum; paying extreme attention to my setup measurements. Took about two hours to get things right. I found out my previous procedure, where I did not pay meticulous attention had not produced the proper settings, especially on the rear wheels. This time around, after significant correction, the car handles perfect!! Now that I know how, and have made a few basic tools to do this, I would never bother with an alignment shop again ( even if they had a good one here. ) Thankyou to everyone that offered suggestions, including the original poster that suggested how to do this. Also interesting all the other small things that I found while doing this! These are old cars, and stuff is always needing attention or checking! Cheers, Steve
stevep914 JUL 16, 02:57 PM
A final note on this... I did another string allignment as suggested on this forum; paying extreme attention to my setup measurements. Took about two hours to get things right. I found out my previous procedure, where I did not pay meticulous attention had not produced the proper settings, especially on the rear wheels. This time around, after significant correction, the car handles perfect!! Now that I know how, and have made a few basic tools to do this, I would never bother with an alignment shop again ( even if they had a good one here. ) Thankyou to everyone that offered suggestions, including the original poster that suggested how to do this. Also interesting all the other small things that I found while doing this! These are old cars, and stuff is always needing attention or checking! Cheers, Steve