How to Align a Classic Car - 1969 Mustang Alignment

Рет қаралды 21,568

2 жыл бұрын

Today we take on aligning my 1969 Mustang. These classic cars are easy to align yourself with the right tools. The alignment tools I used are Quick Turn Adjustment Plates and a Longacre caster and camber gauge. For your own vehicle, look up torque requirements for eccentric washer/bolt and clamp on tie rods.
I enjoy doing the alignment myself because it gives me the freedom to constantly adjust it and see how the performance changes with changes. (Must be the engineer inside of me)
The specs I am using for a power steering car are:
0 to -0.5 Degrees Camber
+2.5 to +4.5 Caster RH and LH within 0.5*
1/8" Toe In
... but it changes every year as I adjust it to my liking.
After you are done, make sure everything is torqued correctly (Eccentric Washer/Bolt/Nut and Tie Rod Clamps)
LongAcre Caster / Camber Gauge: amzn.to/3juDOxi
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All videos are for entertainment purposes only. Attempt these projects at your own risk! If you do, make sure you follow all manufacturers instructions!

Пікірлер: 35

@user-mp8er1ds9x 10 ай бұрын

Nice video. Your almost there. Run a straightedge from turn table to turn table and square them up to each other so your 20/20 is car centered and accurate. Use the steel spare wheel/tire in the trunk so you can go straight to the car disc hub with the magnet mount to avoid wheel imperfections. Toe measurements with the tape/string method will be a little fuzzy because of tire imperfections/deviations, so we got to do a little better. For the toe. Make a pair of "perfectly square" 3x7 foot right angles from perfectly straight metal of choice. Graduate the 3-foot legs in 32 seconds of an inch starting from "exactly" the centering dimple on the hub spindle. Run a tapered centering bolt through each 3-foot leg into each spindle dimple for that. Attach one 3-foot leg to each hub, this will require a spacer and attachment method that you deem 100% square/accurate. You will need to use 2 steel wheels so you can go straight to the hub. Read the individual toe for each tire where the 7-foot legs cross over the graduated 3-foot legs in front of the tires. Dead nuts accurate every time.

@SmackeysGarage 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing. These are a lot of great tips on how to improve on the process. Maybe this winter I will go ahead and redo the alignment with these tips and see what the delta is. Your comment is a great way to improve on the process of my "within the range" and change it to dead nuts accurate to a target.

@user-mp8er1ds9x 10 ай бұрын

My pleasure. I was sitting here, having had many Mustangs, and imagining driving your car down the interstate at 70 with it running perfectly straight with no reaction to wind or road crown. And the tires and driveshaft balanced like a gyroscope. And the carb and ignition working like new money. And how nice to drive some of the old cars really are. And being happy for you that you have that car. And thinking about how the devil is in the details. I hate that detail part, I don't got time for details, I got to get out and drive some of my old cars down the interstate today. @@SmackeysGarage

@kennethabrazee3540 Жыл бұрын

Great job. The diagram lines really are what made me subscribe. They help a lot for sight learners such as I. Thank you

@SmackeysGarage Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the sub! Glad to hear that the lines helped. It was a lot more effort but I am more visual so I prefer it too! Welcome Kenneth!

@franksway3658 6 ай бұрын

Great video

@SmackeysGarage 6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@mooosestang 2 ай бұрын

dude! Everything effects the toe for me. i'm trying to rough in the alignment on a 63 thunderbird. The PO changed the steering box or had it done rather and they never did an alignment. it was pulling to the left and right front had toe in and left front had toe out. I don't have two nuts like you do, just one big nut and there wasn't even a cotter pin in it. thanks for the video. I understand the suspension a lot better, but i may get a pro to finish this up. I'm afraid i'll put something in a bind.

@SmackeysGarage 2 ай бұрын

Glad I could provide some guidance and awesome you have a 63 thunderbird! There is no shame in getting a pro to do the alignment. They have better and more accurate systems than anything that is available consumer grade.

@kw686 Жыл бұрын

Good video

@SmackeysGarage Жыл бұрын

Thanks K W

@noneed4me2n7 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another how to. I’m keeping stock suspension but just replacing with modern parts. Polyurethane I heard gives a bit stiffer a ride over the traditional rubber, but I’ll take the longevity over comfort in this aspect. We’re already doing the final assembly and the last needed items are trickling in. Loved to compare cars at a show together someday.

@SmackeysGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds good! Are you on the east coast or west coast?

@noneed4me2n7 2 жыл бұрын

@@SmackeysGarage west coast but once it’s done, gonna snag the wife for a few road trips. Got peeps in Florida I’d like to see and maybe go to Disneyworld before the apocalypse. My stepdad retired from Disney in SoCal after 35 years. I was there for the strike back in the day and we had Disney stock my mom sold off in the divorce for a quick few thousand. This despite his best efforts to leave it for us boys. I don’t fret over it but man can you imagine the share value now?

@SmackeysGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Nice. If you swing by Massachusetts or somewhere a bit south of it let me know! Lots of great shows around here. Disney is great, I'm sure you will have a great time.

@taylormach1699 2 ай бұрын

Nice car.

@SmackeysGarage 2 ай бұрын

Thanks! Looking at your username I assume you have one too?

@chrishams4577 Жыл бұрын

try checking the caster by leaving the guage on the wheel when you go from 20 deg back to 20 deg forward

@SmackeysGarage Жыл бұрын

I would have but unfortunately the wheel isn’t steel. I also tried taking off the center cap and still no luck.

@CCAutoWorks 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing we definitely need to do this to are 69

@SmackeysGarage 2 жыл бұрын

It wasn't too bad to do. You'll definitely spend time going back and forth between measuring and adjusting. Then going back again to measuring and adjusting. I'd recommend buying quality tools for taking the measurements.

@PAPET 2 жыл бұрын

Biiig Like 💙 I enjoyed watching your channel.. I Full support you always🔔💫🔔 Have a nice weekend here 💕

@SmackeysGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@AndyKruseChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Do you think those same settings would be a good starting point for my '66?

@SmackeysGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I do. They originated from Open Tracker Racing. You can always adjust to your liking after driving it for a while. opentrackerracing.com/technical/

@alicenfred 7 ай бұрын

What does shimming the upper A-Arm do? Isnt that part of an alignment?

@SmackeysGarage 7 ай бұрын

It is part of the alignment. It shifts the upper A-Arm out if necessary. I was able to use the bottom control arm concentric bolt to shift camber. If you didn't have enough adjustment for some reason you could use shims to adjust it "some." I'd be checking to see if the shock towers have shifted inwards over time though if you don't have enough adjustment at the lower control arm.

@danlabonty9720 Жыл бұрын

Doesn't mean the car will track straight. If right was toe out .5 inches and the left was toe in 1.0 inches the way you measure the car would have negative .5 inches of toe but the car would still track right. You would still need to pull a string from front to rear to make sure car is tracking straight then toe in each tire the same on each side.

@SmackeysGarage Жыл бұрын

That's a great point Dan. Having the string front to rear makes sure everything is square.