[107485]

i want to make one for cheap so first i thought 2x2 or 2x4 wood with holes drilled and i wont bore you with the rest of the idea.

but i dont have enough tools to do it how i thought i was going to do it. and then it would be a big heavy thing as well. so do you all have any homemade ones or ideas that you could share with me, pics too if you have them. thanks

ps it would be nice to have something to keep the wheels in place too, as to keep them centered to the centerlink..i guess i could use some bricks!

 

[Freddie]

You can jack the car up spin the wheels and put a chaulk line on them then use a tape messure from line to line in front and back of tires. I use this to check my drag cars.

 

[bmcd66250]

I've seen guys fasten pieces of rectangular tubing to the tire sidewalls with bungee cords, then use a tape measure to compare the front width to the rear width. The above mentioned chalk stripe down the center of the tread is more accurate. You should also take some careful measurements to find the centerline of your chassis and make sure the wheels are toed the same distance from the centerline. Your toe measurement may be correct from wheel to wheel but the wheels could both be pointed too far left or right. I have my centerline scribed on the front crossmember. With the car leveled I drop a plumb bob from there and mark the floor. Then I measure from each tire to the floor mark to make sure they're equal.

 

[Motorhead]

Why not just measure from common tread elements? Might not be exact, but then again neither is the tire sidewall so anything you use rested against that wouldn't be any more accurate. I think the most precise way to do it would be to remove the tire and make something that mounts to the wheel studs flush against the spindle.

 

[F15Falcon]

I use a Trammel bar that I made a long time ago. It is basically a piece of 1" tubing that is bent into a large "C" shape. It looks like a very large caliper. One end has a slider end that can be adjusted in or out. One person holds the bar against the backside of the sidewall (in back of the center line of the wheels) and the other person on the opposite side of the car slides the slider in until it just touches the sidewall, there is a locking bolt on the bar and the slider is locked in place. A measurement is then taken between the two places that touch the tires and recorded. The same process is then used on the front side of the tires. A second measurement is taken and compared to the 1st measurement. A larger measurement from the backside of the sidewalls would indicate toe-in, and vice-versa. The other methods described also work, but the method I use is the one that I have found to be the most accurate. You also need to measure from a place on the sidewall that is free from any raised letters as this can throm the accuracy off.

 

[Sonny]

I made mine like the above, a rod that slides inside another with arms and pointers at each end.You have a screw in adjuster to lock it.I have seen them made to measure the inside of the rims,I turned my pointers around so I measure the out side distance front and back MIDWAY up the rim.Tires can be out by to muchn to use them.Do roll the car back and forth after adjusting it (adjust both sides at a time) and park the front wheels on plastic shopping bags as the wheels turn easier that way.