4 replies to this topic

[Maccmike8]

Hi.

 

Has anybody got a known good drivers side arm to sell me or even lend?

 

I think mine is bent so want to stick another on to confirm.

 

Can be as scabby as an old dog so long the bearings are useable so it sits correct on the car. I wont be driving with it - purely as a diagnostic tool.

 

Obviously I dont want to buy a reconditioned one if mine isnt good enough to recon as that wouldnt be fair on the reconditioner.

 

Thanks advance Mike.

[ThermalEvent]

Can you not set up a string line with 4 axle stands or similar to check the alignment?

I've set the front and rear tracking on mine with string lines and it's worked better than expected, I'm not even sure it's worth getting alignment done by a garage it's worked so well.

[Maccmike8]

Can you not set up a string line with 4 axle stands or similar to check the alignment?

I've set the front and rear tracking on mine with string lines and it's worked better than expected, I'm not even sure it's worth getting alignment done by a garage it's worked so well.

 

Thats a very fair suggestion. The wheel has quite clear positive camber (top of wheel leans out more than bottom). The wheel also sits further in the body, which I know isnt uncommon so Im pretty certain its the arm but Id rather pay for a known good one that if needed I could then use as a recon part exchange.

Edited by Maccmike8, 11 August 2021 - 06:19 PM.

[Spider]

I too would suggest checking it by measurement rather than another Arm, for if the other Arm is bent or off, you could miss it completely or if they are different, which one is right ?

 

Another suggestion / option to the string method is to obtain two 1000 - 1200 mm length of say 35 x 85 timber, it needs to be flat and straight and 4 metal shelf brackets that are about 250 mm on at least one side, carefully screw 2 them to the timber starting at one end, 370 mm apart and such that the parts of them are flat and accurately aligned with one edge of the timber. Make another a mirror of the first.  Offer these up to the rear wheel with the timber flat on the floor and the brackets  touching the sidewall of the tyres and with them poking out backwards from the car. Pop a weight on each one, then using a measuring tape take a measurement from one timber to the other, close to the car and the other at the ends of the timbers, this latter measurement should be bigger than the first. I have the maths for this on 13" wheels but not 10's or 12's I'm sorry, but this will show if there's an issue.

Also, before checking by what ever method, jack up and spin each of your rear wheels to check for any wobble. If there is any (and you'll usually gt some with steel wheels) position the wheel so that it's an average when landed of the wobble.

The String Method as suggest by ThermalEvent I used to use long long ago and agree with him that you can easily get results that equal that from a shop, however I went from that to the timber & bracket method as I found it faster to set up and then remove out of the way to make adjustments and place back again. Maybe it was the way I had the strings set up, but I found I needed to move them each time I made adjustments and then I was forever checking the alignment of the strings themselves. I've progressed from the Timber and Bracket method a while back to a Lazer set up that works on a similar principal.

 

If you wish to get keen to do your own complete alignments using the timber method, you can lay down a 3rd timber that's the length of the car and protrudes out by about a metre. You then place this under the centre of the car (take measurements from the subframe mounting holes) and weight it down there. Then make your measurements and adjustments to that timber with a final check to each side.

[Maccmike8]

I have done the string method in the past and found it very frustrating for the same reasons you say. Although I did get there eventually. The bracket method sound good. Leave it with me...