-------------------- Bruce Wilson 2010 Oregon Region Champ 2010 Monte Shelton Driver of the Year 2010 25 Hours of Thunderhill E3 and Under 2 liter Overall Champion Oregon Region SM Class Advisor
Region: Detroit
Car #: 5
Year : 1991 Posts: 1029
Status: Offline
posted
Hi Keith,
I use one like this on my current car and used one on my previous ITB car. Plus we used the same type of gauge on the FC and FF cars that I used to work on as a mechanic.
They seem to work fine if you are happy with relative numbers and not absolutes. I've never checked to see if the graduations are calibrated or not though.
Region: 083
Car #: 13
Year : 93 Posts: 30
Status: Offline
posted
Or you could walk thru the impound with a plumb bob and meaure the guys that just beat you.. The tire cant tell if it was measured with a camber guage or a level. It either needs more or less, 1.5 in or 1.75 in. is near 2 degrees. Maybe measure all four wheels, because all tracks favor one way. You do go either right or left, 360 degrees more than the other.
-------------------- Mike Ogren,Protech Power, Sponser of Michael S.Ogren,SM # 13, ministock #13, ITB #17. Sponsered by http://www.mopedmadness.net
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
Thanks for the input everyone! I'm starting with the level and a toe stick and can go from there if I feel the need to get more sophisticated later.
For now at least it will help me determine if I'm fixing the bent stuff or if I just bought more spares and then when I get it sorted out I should be able to tell if I did damage the next time I go farming. I seem to keep exiting the track on left handers and my RHS suspension is kind of a mess. Cause or effect I'm not really sure.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Region: Philadelphia
Car #: SSM 4
Year : 90, 93 Posts: 67
Status: Offline
posted
I developed a quick and accurate camber gauge a couple of years ago. It is searchable but here it is again. Accuracy is around +/-0.5 degrees or less.
1. Buy a digital level from Sears (or some other supplier), about $40 unless on sale. 2. Cut a piece of 1" square aluminum tube at least 16" long. 3. In the middle of the tube, drill a 3/4 or 7/8" hole through one side and a 1/4" hole through the other side. 4. Measure your rims at the high point of the rim near the edge. Drill two holes, one at each end of the tube and match the distance of the high point diameter of the rims. My two holes fit #10 screws. (You can drill a larger hole opposite the small holes to give screwdriver clearance.) 5. Manufacture or buy spacers of the exact same length or buy these at $2.15 each: http://www.mcmaster.com/itm/find.ASP?tab=find&con...e&searchstring=91780A348. 6. Mount the level at the middle using a short 1/4-20 hex bolt and a washer. Mount the two spacers using appropriate hardware.
I fabed something similar to Charlies except that it's an upside down T with two points at the bottom & one point at the top. Assembled the two pieces of one inch square alum tube with a one eight inch thick piece of alum plate. Allen bolts as required. Goralla glued a stainless strip to the vertical leg of the alum tube for the magnet Sears digital level to attach to. When you have two of these you can leave them attached & measure toe with two tapes. Attach them each with two short bunge cords.
-------------------- Have Fun
David Dewhurst CenDiv Milwaukee Region Spec Miata #14
Region: Philadelphia
Car #: SSM 4
Year : 90, 93 Posts: 67
Status: Offline
posted
Lee, sorry I did not see your post till now. Caster is measured through a very complex equation that boils down to a close approximation to this:
Measure Camber on each wheel at 20 degrees steering turn to the right and then 20 degrees to the left. Make sure your camber measurements for a wheel are when that wheel is 20 degrees over. Subtract the left measurement from the right measurement for one wheel and then the other. The difference is very close to the actual caster angle. You can search this on the web. A major alignment rack manufacturer (I can't remember the company.) discusses the equation and the approximation.
For each wheel, caster = 1.4 x camber change for +/-20° steer
Steer left ~20 deg and measure camber. Steer right ~ 20 degrees and measure camber. Determine difference in camber between those two measurements, multiply by 1.4, and that's your caster.
Some will debate "1.4" vs. "1.5"...but that's a "stain vs. varnish on the Titanic deckchairs" debate.
Car won't track straight...will wander to one side or the other. Roundy-round guys fiddle with it a lot. Old-school mechanics will set street cars up with slight difference, to make cars track straighter on crowned roads.
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