DIY camber gauge
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,220
Likes: 81
From: Florida
DIY camber gauge
So I saw this http://xwebforums.org/showthread.php?t=4185 and decided I would make one too.
The thing
Here was my alignment from Dec 20th 2011
As you can see there is -0.6 degrees of camber up front. I wanted more camber but the tech wasn't into doing what I wanted so I decided to build some tools to help me adjust it myself.
Here is the baseline reading...
Driver front (dead on)
Passanger front (0.1 off)
In the end, not bad for $50 next up are some toe plates and I'm off to the races. Since I bought a lifetime alignment from my local tire shop I'll probably go in every six months for a check up but for adjusting the night before autox it'll get the job done. Going with the squared tubing is ideal as it has zero flex compared to other DIY camber gauges I've seen. If I had something to weld with I'd have made the T design with 3 points instead of just the two.
The thing
Here was my alignment from Dec 20th 2011
As you can see there is -0.6 degrees of camber up front. I wanted more camber but the tech wasn't into doing what I wanted so I decided to build some tools to help me adjust it myself.
Here is the baseline reading...
Driver front (dead on)
Passanger front (0.1 off)
In the end, not bad for $50 next up are some toe plates and I'm off to the races. Since I bought a lifetime alignment from my local tire shop I'll probably go in every six months for a check up but for adjusting the night before autox it'll get the job done. Going with the squared tubing is ideal as it has zero flex compared to other DIY camber gauges I've seen. If I had something to weld with I'd have made the T design with 3 points instead of just the two.
Code:
Materials: 1) Digital level from sears - http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00948295000P + $35 2) One piece of aluminum tubing from lowes - http://www.lowes.com/pd_216100-37672-11386_0__ + $10 3) Two 1/4"x 1-1/2" bolts from lowes - http://www.lowes.com/pd_213949-37672-883332_0__ + $2 4) Four nuts from lowes - http://www.lowes.com/pd_135476-37672-880137_0__ + $1
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,162
Likes: 0
From: Hartselle, AL
That is really sweet!
As far as turn plates I've been thinking about a simple way to make them.
I'll share and get your input since you are interested in DIY alignment.
I was gonna get four 6x6 block of wood about 2 feet long. Get four good sized bearings from a auto store and drill a hole that fits them snug into each block of wood. Then get a dowel rod that fits in center of the bearing and cut it to a short length. find a thin piece of aluminum and drill in the center of it then attach the dowel. It should turn fine. To do caster you'll need to measure 15 degrees both ways and mark your block of wood. I'm hoping 6 inches is enough to slide under the car.
For safety I think only doing 2 plates then 2 regular blocks might be safer, but it might just be in my head. I also worry about the rear of the S being so weird to align since camber and toe directly change each other.
As far as turn plates I've been thinking about a simple way to make them.
I'll share and get your input since you are interested in DIY alignment.
I was gonna get four 6x6 block of wood about 2 feet long. Get four good sized bearings from a auto store and drill a hole that fits them snug into each block of wood. Then get a dowel rod that fits in center of the bearing and cut it to a short length. find a thin piece of aluminum and drill in the center of it then attach the dowel. It should turn fine. To do caster you'll need to measure 15 degrees both ways and mark your block of wood. I'm hoping 6 inches is enough to slide under the car.
For safety I think only doing 2 plates then 2 regular blocks might be safer, but it might just be in my head. I also worry about the rear of the S being so weird to align since camber and toe directly change each other.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 211
Likes: 1
Nice ideas guys! Don't worry too much about camber and toe adjustment, just always make sure you adjust toe last. You can adjust your camber to whatever you're looking for, then fine tune the toe settings. The camber will shift slightly, but not enough to have any great effect on the road. A small change of camber you can live with, but a small change in toe, positive or negative, can have a massive affect on safety and handling.
Of course after a while you'll work out how the two adjustments work together. Enjoy playing with the setups, it's a very useful skill to have once you learn, especially since you can adjust your alignment for stability during the winter, and then switch back to handling mode for the summer!
Of course after a while you'll work out how the two adjustments work together. Enjoy playing with the setups, it's a very useful skill to have once you learn, especially since you can adjust your alignment for stability during the winter, and then switch back to handling mode for the summer!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 750
Likes: 9
That is really sweet!
As far as turn plates I've been thinking about a simple way to make them.
I'll share and get your input since you are interested in DIY alignment.
I was gonna get four 6x6 block of wood about 2 feet long. Get four good sized bearings from a auto store and drill a hole that fits them snug into each block of wood. Then get a dowel rod that fits in center of the bearing and cut it to a short length. find a thin piece of aluminum and drill in the center of it then attach the dowel. It should turn fine. To do caster you'll need to measure 15 degrees both ways and mark your block of wood. I'm hoping 6 inches is enough to slide under the car.
For safety I think only doing 2 plates then 2 regular blocks might be safer, but it might just be in my head. I also worry about the rear of the S being so weird to align since camber and toe directly change each other.
As far as turn plates I've been thinking about a simple way to make them.
I'll share and get your input since you are interested in DIY alignment.
I was gonna get four 6x6 block of wood about 2 feet long. Get four good sized bearings from a auto store and drill a hole that fits them snug into each block of wood. Then get a dowel rod that fits in center of the bearing and cut it to a short length. find a thin piece of aluminum and drill in the center of it then attach the dowel. It should turn fine. To do caster you'll need to measure 15 degrees both ways and mark your block of wood. I'm hoping 6 inches is enough to slide under the car.
For safety I think only doing 2 plates then 2 regular blocks might be safer, but it might just be in my head. I also worry about the rear of the S being so weird to align since camber and toe directly change each other.
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