Hi Rod,
It would be easiest if you had measured the appox. length of the tie
rods from the center of the pivot on the rack to the center of ball
joint on the steering link and set the new ones to that distance. Note
that the length of the two sides might be different but should be close.
If you didn't measure them then just guesstimate the length before
installing the rack.
After installing the rack you can do a pretty good job of alignment by
using two strings, some jackstands and a tape measure.
The car needs to be on the ground, lug nuts torqued and the steering wheel
pointing straight ahead.
Tie an end of each string to one of the jackstands at roughly the same
height as the center of the car's axels. The strings should be long enough
such that when stretched tight the stands would be one or two feet beyond
each end of the car. Position the stands so the strings run close to the sides
of the car (a couple of inches away) and are parallel to each other AND
parallel to the centerline of the vechicle. Just measure between the ends of
the strings to see if they are parallel. A resonable way to check for
parallelism to the centerline of the car is to make sure that the distance
between the end of the front axel and the strings is the same on both sides and
that the distance between the end of the rear axels and the strings is
also the same on both sides. It's not important that the distance from
the front axel to the string is the same as the distance between the
rear axel and the string, just that each end is the same on both sides.
Remember to keep the strings parallel when doing this. It's not really
that hard.
Once everything is parallel, ensure that the steering wheel is still pointing
straight ahead and easure between the front of left side front wheel
and the string and then measure between the rear of the wheel and the string.
The difference between these two measurements is the amount of toe
on that side of the car. If the distance at the front is greater than
the distance at the rear then the wheel is towed "in". If it's smaller
then the wheel is toed "out". You probably want 0 - 1/16th of an inch
toe in. Do the same thing for the right side wheel.
You should be able to get the alignment real close this way.
Drew
On May 1, 12:16pm, Rodney Orr wrote:
> Subject: TR6 Steering rack re-installation
>
> Does anyone have suggestions on how best to reinstall my steering rack?
> I'm wondering about setting the length of the tie rods - do I do this
> before or after getting the rack back onto the car? At least, I want to be
> able to drive it to the shop for an alignment.
> Thanks,
> Rod. '70 TR6 CC55899L
>-- End of excerpt from Rodney Orr
--
Drew Rogge
drew@pixar.com
|