Control Arm Spacer for cut coils!

[67chevemall]

I cut my coils about 4 years ago!
Now the tires have wore out on the outside 1 "

Has any one ever put the spacers to staighten this problem out?

I want new tires but want them to wear properly!

Is there a home made alignment checker any one uses, as I don't take my truck to other garages?

??

[gr8scott51]

They make shims to put between the upper A arm and the frame, but I've never done it myself. I had Les Schwab do it as part of an alignment.

[sactoC10]

If the wear is on the outside, then wouldn't that mean you need to remove some spacers from the upper arm to bring the top inward? When I cut some coils, I had to remove sevaral of thsoe spacers. Tires rubbed a bit until I did so. To get it done right, you'll need an alignment job. Shouldn't need more spacers though.

[Vince M]

It seems to me that if the outside of the tires are wearing that you would want to remove shims on the upper A arm, not install. I've also heard about corrected lower A arms but that means buying the whole thing new for both sides.
As far as the homemade checker I was going to ask this in a seperate post but since you've brought it up here goes.
I got a catalog free in the mail from a racers parts warehouse and in it there was a camber and caster gauge for setting up race cars for just over $100 and I was wondering if anyone had ever used such an item. If I remember it was digital.To me I'd rather invest my money in tools than take it to a shop. I'll dig it up and post more info if anyone is interested.

Anyone....?

[gr8scott51]

My bad, you are of course correct, the shims would be removed from the upper and added to the lower.

I like tools, but an alignment doesn't cost as much as a set of tires (not even as much as 1).

[cdowns]

i think wearing on the outside edges can also be an indication of improper toe-in

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by gr8scott51

My bad, you are of course correct, the shims would be removed from the upper and added to the lower.

I like tools, but an alignment doesn't cost as much as a set of tires (not even as much as 1).

There are no shims on the lower, just upper.

I have done this my way before, and it works very well.

To set camber, air the tires way up to remove the bulge from the bottoms. Then, remove or install shims to make the tire set verticle when viewed from the front. Use a big carpenter's framing square put up next to the tire/wheel for reference. After each change in shims, be sure and roll the vehicle forward and back and bounce the hell out of the suspension to settle it back down. Always remove or add shims in equal thickness in both front and rear bolts to keep from affecting the caster setting.

Some folks will scoff, but I did alignments for years on a very expensive machine, and this way will get you pretty close. Most of the hack alignment guys now days never recalibrate their machines anyway, and they turn out bad alignments because of it.

You can set toe in very easily using a tape measure, measuring from the center of each front tire tread. Measure in front and rear of the tires and the difference is the toe setting.

It's dirty, but works fairly good.

[sactoC10]

Tx,

The big carpenter's square is a good idea. Thanks... and I agree with you that the alignment can be done "pretty close" in one's own garage with enough eyeballing, thought and tweaking here and there. I've got to mess with mine a little bit more and had not considered the idea of increasing the air pressure in the tires.

67,

You can do it, but if you have the extra cash...then by all means, have someone else do it (who will do it right).

[67chevemall]

Vince let it rip! Home made alignment!

[adamls]

Id like to see it too Vince

[67chevemall]

To me I'd rather invest my money in tools than take it to a shop. I'll dig it up and post more info if anyone is interested.


AMEN!

[Vince M]

Of course you can never find something when you are looking for it. I'll keep digging.