You can do an awful lot of accurate checking on a sprite with a length of
string and two lengths of dowel.
1. Check chassis alignment.
Park up on level ground with steering as close to dead ahead as you can.
Tie one end of string to something at front of car close to the wheel centre
hight ( front bumper) and pull the string taught down the full length of the
car so that it just touches the outer side wall of the front tyre at two
points. ( like a diameter) without "bending" the string. The rear track is
narrower so the string should pass an equal distance from the front and rear
edges of the rear tyre sidewalls. Check the other side the same way. You may
need to adjust the steering wheel just a fraction to get both sides to
match. Tha actual measurements are not important, but you are looking for
the space between the string and rear wheel sidewalls to be the same both
sides of the car, and for the front and rear wheels to be parallel. (Hell,
that is harder to explain in words than it is to do !!!)
2, Check front wheel toe-in like Frank says, but I find this hard to do
with an ordinary bendy tape measure whilst lying under my car ( remember it
is not jacked up !)
My solution is to use an old carpenter's trick ( Frank should know this).
Hold two lengths of dowl together, length to length. Each one needs to be
roughly 2/3 to 3/4 the width of the car. Put the end of dowl one against the
rear inside edge of one front tyre wall (as near to axle height as the car
chassis will allow) and slide the second one until it touches the maching
point on the other front wheel. Make a pencil mark where the dowls overlap.
Repeat at the corresponding front points on the tyre. The distance between
the two pencil marks is the amount of toe- in. I set mine to 3/16" narrower
at the front measurement. Again, the total measurement between the wheels
dosn't matter. It is the difference that is important.
Hey, do I get a "clear English" prize ?? I thinknot !!
Guy
-- Original Message -----
From: Dave Vrba <Dave_Vrba@mail.sel.sony.com>
To: Frank Clarici <spritenut@Exit109.com>
Cc: Spridgets <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: 15 June 1999 14:02
Subject: Re[2]: Car feels light at highway speeds
> Frank,
>
> This sounds pretty easy. But don't you first have to determine if
you
> have a parallel set of wheels based on centerline of the car? Then
do
> your measurements.
>
> By the way, are the only adjustments the ball joints position on the
> steering rack? The reason I ask is because I had to replace both
ball
> joints earlier and now I wonder if I have anywhere close to a square
> aligned front end. She does want to veer to the right. I could have
> one wheel heading dead straight and another veering of to the right,
> correct? Wouldn't this have to be identified and corrected from
> centerline measurements?
>
> Now I'm all confused. Please help.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dave
> '62 Sprite MKII
> Dublin, CA
>
>
> Subject: Re: Car feels light at highway speeds
> Author: Frank Clarici <spritenut@Exit109.com> at SONYCOM
> Date: 6/14/99 10:40 PM
>
>
> Mark Endicott wrote:
> >
> > Hi Spridgeteers,
> >
> > I had the opportunity to take a little trip with some other LBC's this
> > weekend and they got a little ahead of me. In my attempt to catch up I
> > was driving the Midget at about 75+ a little. I noticed that it seems
> > to get real light at speeds over 70. By light I mean that it felt like
> > it had a mind of its own and didn't want to go straight down the road.
> > I haven't noticed this before, but I had a weekends worth of stuff in
> > the boot and my wife in the right seat. I must have had about 450 lbs
> > in the car, (of course my wife added very little of the total). It was
> > suggested that the toe may need to be set, can I just do this with a
> > ruler at the front and rear of the wheel? Any idea what spec. is for
> > measuring it this way? (Do I remember 1/4 inch wider in the back than
> > the front?) Shocks are good, upper bushings are new, wheels and tires
> > are new, 3/4 anti-sway bar, new wheel bearings and no play in the king
> > pin joints or any where else that I can find.
> >
> Mark
>
> You should fell them at 100 MPH!!! They feel airborn.
> You can check and adjust your toe-in with a tape measure at home on flat
> ground.
> Drive the car onto a flat surface, do NOT jack it up. Measure as close
> to the center of the wheel as possible and to the outermost tire tread
> from wheel to wheel.
> Remember this number, no repeat this across the beack of the front
> wheels, the number should be 1/8" less in the front then in the back.
> 1/16 to 1/8" toe in is correct.
> You should measure something like 50 7/8" in across the front and 50
> 3/4" across the back.
>
> Mind you this is not super accurate laser front end alignment but it is
> a reasonably close home alternative.
>
> It has worked for me for years, I never had a spridget to a front end
> shop and never had any tire wear due to out of whack toe.
> --
> Frank Clarici
> Toms River, NJ
> Bugeye Sprite
> 67 Sprite
> 59 A40
> http://www.exit109.com/~spritenut/
>
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