Alignment Made Easy

From Moss Motoring 1983

Most British sports cars have no provision in their front suspension for adjustment of caster and camber. Only toe-in can be altered, by adjusting the length of the tie rods. So long as the chassis is straight and undamaged, the lower control arm pivots and shock absorbers securely mounted, and all bushings and wheel bearings in good condition, your alignment will be correct if the toe-in is set properly.

A simple toe-in gauge can be made with a length of 1″ x 2″ wood, two carpenters’ squares, and four C-clamps (see illustration). Since you cannot measure between the rear of the wheels with a tape measure (the engine rather impedes the straight line approach!), this gauge enables you to get around the obstructions.

With the car on a smooth, flat surface, place the gauge between the front wheels so that the inside edges of the front tires touch the upright arms of the squares at points ‘A’. Tighten the C-clamps, after making sure the lower sides of the squares are flush with the bottom edge of the wood bar. Measure the distance ‘B’.

Now carefully reposition the gauge at the back of the front wheels. Loosen one pair of clamps and slide the square until both points ‘A’ contact the tires in the same place as they did at the front, again making sure the bottom edge is still flush. Measure the distance ‘B’. It should be larger than the front ‘B’ measurement by the amount of toe-in that is called for in the shop manual. If it is not, adjust the tie rods until the desired toe-in is obtained.

If your steering wheel is not perfectly centered, you can correct it without too much effort. First, you need to make sure all your tire pressures are set correctly, then find a wide, flat, traffic-free area (such as a deserted parking lot). When you drive “hands-off”, the front wheels will assume their most centered position because of the caster that is built into the steering. On a cambered road there will be a slight pull from the road’s camber, so you need a flat road for best results.

When you have determined the exact position of the steering wheel with the car going straight ahead, you can begin the centering procedure. If it is more than an inch or so off at the rim, start by checking whether your wheel is mounted on splines or a taper with keyway. If it has splines, try getting it closer to center by moving it on the splines. If it is the keyway type, check whether any of the other connections in the steering column can be repositioned to center the wheel better.

Final centering can now be done by adjusting the lengths of the tie rods. If the wheel is off to the right, you can move it counterclockwise by shortening the left tie rod and lengthening the right one. If it is off to the left, shorten the right tie rod and lengthen the left one? Count the number of turns so that you move each tie rod the same amount, to preserve your toe-in setting. Small increments move the steering wheel rim a surprising amount, so make your adjustments little by little. Drive the car after each adjustment to see where the wheel now centers itself. When it is dead-center, make sure you remember to tighten the lock nuts on the tie-rods.

If your toe-in is correct before you start the centering procedure, you can save having to readjust it by placing two pieces of tape on the front tire treads and measuring the distance across them before you start loosening the tie rods. As you do your centering adjustments, make sure the distance between the tapes remains exactly the same. If this is too complicated, you can go to an expert such as an alignment service. *NOTE: If your steering rack is mounted behind the front wheels centerline, reverse this step.