How 2 Check Camber @ Home?

[farey34]

Does anyone know how to check camber at home? By my eye it's off but I have no clue how much? Having the JIC FlT A2's installed next week and am running 225/40/18! I will have the back and front top of the tires just flush with the top of the wheel well and am sure the camber is going to be off. How low that will be in inchesl I don't know but is there any way I could check if the camber is going to be way off? I dont want to take it in, align it them tell me its 2 degrees, fix it then spend another $70 aligning it again! Can you use a level or a right angle to the level ground to check? A little negative camber is good but i dont want to mess with it if i dont have to but I do want to take care of it before I take it in to the algnment shop! More worried about the reaar than anything!

Any info would be awesom thanks!

 

[wret]

Here’s how to make a crude camber testing device.

Get a square piece of rigid material such as thin plywood. Cardboard will work if you don’t have anything better. Material should be at around 18 inches long and at least six inches wide. It should have square sides or at least one perfectly flat side.

Draw lines in the shape of a capital “I” starting near the top of the board. The vertical line must be parallel to the flat side. Make the “I” 12” tall, (meaning the top and bottom are 12 inches apart).

Make a pendulum by suspending a heavy washer with string or chain from the center top of the “I” so that it lines up exactly with the bottom. The washer must be able to swing freely. For a more accurate device, use a metal strip with a hole at the bottom in the right place for your pendulum.

Now you can place the device against your wheel, making sure the vehicle is parked on a level. If your pitch is zero, the washer will hang over the center line. If the washer hangs away from the line, measure the distance from the line and figure about a degree for every 5mm. Sorry about the mixed measurements but 16ths, 32nds, 64ths are a drag.

 

[farey34]

Originally posted by wret
Here’s how to make a crude camber testing device.

Get a square piece of rigid material such as thin plywood. Cardboard will work if you don’t have anything better. Material should be at around 18 inches long and at least six inches wide. It should have square sides or at least one perfectly flat side.

Draw lines in the shape of a capital “I” starting near the top of the board. The vertical line must be parallel to the flat side. Make the “I” 12” tall, (meaning the top and bottom are 12 inches apart).

Make a pendulum by suspending a heavy washer with string or chain from the center top of the “I” so that it lines up exactly with the bottom. The washer must be able to swing freely. For a more accurate device, use a metal strip with a hole at the bottom in the right place for your pendulum.

Now you can place the device against your wheel, making sure the vehicle is parked on a level. If your pitch is zero, the washer will hang over the center line. If the washer hangs away from the line, measure the distance from the line and figure about a degree for every 5mm. Sorry about the mixed measurements but 16ths, 32nds, 64ths are a drag.

Thanks alot I will give that a shot!!! Should have the JIC's installed sometime by the end of the week! That should give me atleast an idea before i take it to the shop. Going to use the DIY rear camber kit and wanted it done before i took it to get aligned.

Thanks again!

 

[farey34]

wret

You should post this as a tech articel!!

It would be to alot of dsm'ers!

 

[DeezNutsForYou]

farey 34, I would suggest getting a lifetime alignment. I got mine in Corvallis at Firestone for $130, and I have gotten it aligned about 6 times now. It is a good investment for expensive tires. Because your always going to hit a little bump or something, and have it throw off your sh*t. I run 225/40/18s and those f*ckers are expensive, even for the cheap ass khumos I have.
By the way, nice car, I've seen it a few timies at les Shwab in Albany.

 

[farey34]

Originally posted by DeezNutsForYou
farey 34, I would suggest getting a lifetime alignment. I got mine in Corvallis at Firestone for $130, and I have gotten it aligned about 6 times now. It is a good investment for expensive tires. Because your always going to hit a little bump or something, and have it throw off your sh*t. I run 225/40/18s and those f*ckers are expensive, even for the cheap ass khumos I have.
By the way, nice car, I've seen it a few timies at les Shwab in Albany.

tires.com they are cheap! And you can have any local shop put the rubber on for you for a price!

My Ntto Gen II's will be here Wednesday! 225/40/18 $123.00 a piece Z rated! Schwab can never beat that!

Thanks for the advice! Next Time I am in Corn Valley I'll check it out! Is that for both front and rear alignment?

 

[DeezNutsForYou]

yep, all the way around. And if you ever get coilovers or something adjustable like that, you can have it stock one day, and slam it the next and they'll do your alignment every time without saying a thing. (but they might give you a dirty look)
see ya around

 

[Defiant]

Make sure this measures against the wheel and not the tire- radials bulge at the bottom, which would make this gauge worthless.

Otherwise, it's really not far from what an alignment shop uses (well, used in the stone age when I was in one, before the lasers showed up)- just a triangle with studs that mount in the inner rim of the wheel, and a graduated bubble-level (like on the headlights) sticking straight out from the axle.

Good one, Wret.

 

[dave99gst]

WRET nice artwork !

uhm.. cant ya just use a square blade and a bubble ?
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00939567000

 

[farey34]

Originally posted by dave99gst
WRET nice artwork !

uhm.. cant ya just use a square blade and a bubble ?
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00939567000

I assume you could but you couldnt tell how far in degrees it is off like you could with the above! I guess if you were going for 0 degrees and you were on a perfectly level shop floor meassuring it would work perfect!

 

[jtmcinder]

As much as I love the Home Depot approach, Harbor Freight sells a magnetic camber gauge for $10 ... item #42496-0ADA.

Again, don't get me wrong -- I do my toe using four jackstands and a ball of string -- but when the actual tool is cheap, I buy it.

- Jtoby

 

[farey34]

Originally posted by jtmcinder
As much as I love the Home Depot approach, Harbor Freight sells a magnetic camber gauge for $10 ... item #42496-0ADA.

Again, don't get me wrong -- I do my toe using four jackstands and a ball of string -- but when the actual tool is cheap, I buy it.

- Jtoby

Awesome! I am on my way to Harbor Freight tomarrow to pick one up! Damn $10 can't pass that up! Even tells the degrees your off, nice!

Thanks jtoby!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?function=Search

 

[wret]

Strut Alignment Level from Harbor Freight $9.99

Homemade camber checker from scrap material $0

High strength bolts and spacers needed to correct 3° of negative camber: $15.00

Remembering enough from high school geometry class (20+ years later) to make an angle finder: Priceless

 

[wret]

camber checker

 

[farey34]

Originally posted by wret
camber checker

Mine looked a little Hoky but the same Idea! I measured about 12mm neg. about 2 degrees by your calculations! Just got it back from the alignment shop and was told the back was out 2 degrees! Nice Work

By the way the local shop did my camber adjustment in the rear for me!!!

Cheap and it works! I would recomend anyone who wants to check thier camber @ home to use this method!

1 inch = 25.4 millimeters if your ruler dosn't read mm!!!!!!

 

[jim97gst]

Again, don't get me wrong -- I do my toe using four jackstands and a ball of string

Can you share this with us? You could submit it as a tech article! Any any idea how close your adjustments are to what a computer/laser alignment rack would read?

 

[FASTFWD]

this may or may not help you guys/gals out, but here's the link..

http://www.negative-camber.org/jam149/alignment.html