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tucsonjwt · 11-09-2014, 08:14 PM

I am not sure where you went, but I have gotten good advice from PAB (Precision Alignment and Brake).

I have a friend who did not get a good result with aligning his Ford F250 at
PAB, but I guess those have unique alignment issues - he went to the Ford dealer and got a good result.

PAB diagnosed a vibration as a driveshaft issue in my C20 so I took it to Simmons and they rebalanced the driveshaft, so that was a correct diagnosis. (My truck had a gear vendor installed by the previous owner and they never rebalanced the driveshaft after it was shortened, and they did not clearance the crossmember enough to allow for the increased size of the gear vendor.)

You could call in to Jerry Simmons' shop talk radio show on Saturday morning and ask your questions. He gives good advice, but I don't think they are alignment specialists, so he will likely refer you to someone else.

Another good source for info is Jeff Morgan on 19th just off Park. Jeff is one of the nicest guys in the auto repair business and he has an old square to haul his bracket car to the dragstrip. He does the basic repairs on my old vehicles. He referred me to D&D alignment on south Park near his shop and I took the old Cavalier there. D&D is a good size shop but not much to look at - I think the owner does all of the work. I don't know if he does accident repairs.

For my two cents, I have had plenty of old beaters and a few with frame issues, and I think it would take a visibly bad frame to get what you have. I would put a straight edge alongside the steering shaft just to see how it looks. Also, I wonder if the rag joint has issues. All of this would be apparent to a good alignment/frame shop.

Just a word to the wise - even good mechanics make mistakes. I have paid big $$$ in this town and not received big service. So, it pays to do just what you are doing and learn as much as you can before going to somebody who is just guessing like we are.

A last resort is one of our two Chevy dealers. Just talking to the service manager will give you an idea of how much a diagnosis will cost. That information will help you evaluate the estimates you get from independent shops. If you can get someone to test drive it in the parking lot and observe the moving parts, I think that would yield the best diagnosis.

11-09-2014, 08:14 PM	#12
tucsonjwt Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,198	Re: 1978 chevy bent frame NEED HELP. I am not sure where you went, but I have gotten good advice from PAB (Precision Alignment and Brake). I have a friend who did not get a good result with aligning his Ford F250 at PAB, but I guess those have unique alignment issues - he went to the Ford dealer and got a good result. PAB diagnosed a vibration as a driveshaft issue in my C20 so I took it to Simmons and they rebalanced the driveshaft, so that was a correct diagnosis. (My truck had a gear vendor installed by the previous owner and they never rebalanced the driveshaft after it was shortened, and they did not clearance the crossmember enough to allow for the increased size of the gear vendor.) You could call in to Jerry Simmons' shop talk radio show on Saturday morning and ask your questions. He gives good advice, but I don't think they are alignment specialists, so he will likely refer you to someone else. Another good source for info is Jeff Morgan on 19th just off Park. Jeff is one of the nicest guys in the auto repair business and he has an old square to haul his bracket car to the dragstrip. He does the basic repairs on my old vehicles. He referred me to D&D alignment on south Park near his shop and I took the old Cavalier there. D&D is a good size shop but not much to look at - I think the owner does all of the work. I don't know if he does accident repairs. For my two cents, I have had plenty of old beaters and a few with frame issues, and I think it would take a visibly bad frame to get what you have. I would put a straight edge alongside the steering shaft just to see how it looks. Also, I wonder if the rag joint has issues. All of this would be apparent to a good alignment/frame shop. Just a word to the wise - even good mechanics make mistakes. I have paid big $$$ in this town and not received big service. So, it pays to do just what you are doing and learn as much as you can before going to somebody who is just guessing like we are. A last resort is one of our two Chevy dealers. Just talking to the service manager will give you an idea of how much a diagnosis will cost. That information will help you evaluate the estimates you get from independent shops. If you can get someone to test drive it in the parking lot and observe the moving parts, I think that would yield the best diagnosis.