bad alignment

bmwnazcacz · Dec 5, 2005

yeah...im an idiot...i recently hit a curb that cracked my right front rim. I ordered 03 cobra wheels and had them aligned, but the guys at sears cant get the right side's caster or camber to within ford's specs, but the left side is just fine. I was thinking about a set of caster/camber plates, but i think something might be bent or damaged and would rather fix that than just getting the c/c plates. is there any way i can figure out which part is bent without taking it to a shop?? I was also thinking about getting the tubular k member and A arms, but didnt want to spend that money and have my alignment still be off. I'm pretty certain the frame isnt bent, although it did dent my subframe connector a little. Any suggestions are welcome...thanks in advance.

BennyBlown2v · Dec 5, 2005

You could drive it up on some ramps and take a few messurements if you don't wanna take it to a shop.

Item Description
1 — 1390.65 mm (54.750 in)
2 — 1535.75 mm (61.43 in)
3 — 1123.25 mm (44.93 in)
4 — 1450.97 mm (57.125 in)
5 — 420.68 mm (16.5622 in)
6 — 1450.97 mm (57.125 in)
7 — 1065.28 mm (41.9400 in)
8 — 420.68 mm (16.5622 in)
9 — 1141.41 mm (44.9373 in)
10 — 857.00 mm (33.740 in)
11 — 751.84 mm (29.600 in)
12 — 1670.05 mm (62.750 in)
13 — 1352.55 mm (53.250 in)
14 — 1212.00 mm (47.716 in)
15 — 802.40 mm (31.5905 in)
16 — 802.40 mm (31.5905 in)
17 — 717.55 mm (28.250 in)
18 — 325.43 mm (12.8122 in)
19 — 520.70 mm (20.500 in)
20 — 792.16 mm (31.1873 in)
21 — 992.18 mm (39.0621 in)
22 — 863.60 mm (34.00 in)
23 — 522.28 mm (20.5622 in)
24 — 1219.20 mm (48.00 in)
25 — 1454.15 mm (57.250)
26 — 893.76 mm (35.1873 in)
27 — 1484.31 mm (58.4373 in)
28 — 792.16 mm (38.1873 in)
29 — 819.15 mm (32.250 in)
30 — 404.81 mm (15.9374 in)
31 — 684.21 mm (26.9374 in)
32 — 522.28 mm (20.5622 in)
33 — 1181.10 mm (46.500 in)
34 — 385.76 mm (15.1874 in)
35 — 385.76 mm (15.1874 in)
36 — 746.12 mm (29.375 in)
37 — 713.83 mm (28.1035 in)
38 — RH 758.82 mm RH (29.875 in)
38 — LH 755.65 mm LH (29.750 in)
39 — 114.30 mm (4.500 in)
40 — 127.00 mm (5.00 in)
41 — 152.40 mm (6.00 in)
42 — 96.93 mm (3.8122 in)
43 — 373.06 mm (14.6874 in)
44 — 369.88 mm (14.5622 in)

Underbody dimensions tolerances are ± 3.175 mm (0.125 in). Reference dimensions are not controlled dimensions. Reference points are ± 4.76 mm (0.1875 in). All underbody dimensions are detailed to the centerline of existing holes in the underbody assembly.
Inspect all unibody structural members for cracks, twists or bends. Check all welded connections for cracks. Inspect support brackets for looseness.

SaleenGT2001 · Dec 5, 2005

i'm an alignment tech for goodyear, we have stangs come in almost everyday that are stock height that cant be lined up b/c the factory plates have almost no adjustment, maybe .5 degree at the most! go ahead and get the plates. if you would like to you can send the alignment specs they gave you at sears to me and i can let you know how bad it is. it can be really confusing if you dont know what you are looking at. just PM me with your info.

ponysarepretty · Dec 5, 2005

Hmmm... maybe I should get mine aligned... how hard will it be to get it aligned without plates when the car is lowered about 2 inches?

SaleenGT2001 · Dec 5, 2005

pretty much impossible. mine is lowered 2 inches. i tried it w/o the plates at first and the camber was out over 2 degrees(doesnt sound like a lot but it is really very far out) look at the inside edge of your tires. i bet you will have bad inside edge wear problems. the toe will be able to be set to factory spec fine. but the camber and caster will be out. to be honest i set my car at different specs than factory. rather than having the tires cambered in -0.6, i set mine to -0.2. this helps the tire wear better. but my suggestio is to get some M/M camber plates. they are more expensive but are by far the best plate you can buy. i think the steeda plates are the worst plate you can get b/c of the way they adjust the caster. only let you move it + or - about 1 degree. the M/M plates let you adjust it much easier. my stang has eibach sportlines and the plates arent even adjusted half as far as they go.

trailblazr81 · Dec 6, 2005

With the Eibach Sportlines I was at 2.4 degrees negative camber. You can see the tire tilting in at the top. Get the Camber/Caster plates. Also try to find a better shop than Sears. I went there once, and they told me they couldnt align my truck because thy couldnt move any of the steering pieces. Next day I went to a dedicated alignment/tire shop n they had no problems aligning it. Also lok carefully, some plates just adjust camber and others will do camber and caster.

SaleenGT2001 · Dec 6, 2005

maximum motorsports plates are the ONLY way to go. saw them im MMAFF today for $189 shipped. get em!!!

bmwnazcacz · Dec 7, 2005

Thanks for all the replies. My car is lowered on the Eibach pro-kit with koni yellows. I have had it aligned many times before my incident with the curb and the alignment was never a problem. About how much should i expect to spend if i had my car sent out to figure out what is bent/broken? Thanks again for all the help.

SaleenGT2001 · Dec 7, 2005

i dont think anything is really bent or broken. it'd just your cars way of telling you that it wants new M/M plates

FORCED2DV8 · Dec 7, 2005

You would have to hit something really hard directly impacting the frame or K member to bend it, It sounds like the wheel took most of the impact, Which pushed the factory caster camber plates too far for them to be adjusted, go with the plates, thata should bring you within spec.

BennyBlown2v · Dec 7, 2005

FORCED2DV8 said:
You would have to hit something really hard directly impacting the frame or K member to bend it, It sounds like the wheel took most of the impact, Which pushed the factory caster camber plates too far for them to be adjusted, go with the plates, thata should bring you within spec.

He did say he bent a SFC...which is essentially part of the frame once its welded in. Take your car to a dedicated alignment shop (check the phone book), they should be able to do a more complete alignment and also tell you if your frame is out of spec. Shouldn't cost more than 60-75 for basic alignment, and maybe a bit extra to check things (my shop checked all my wheels, suspension components, rear end alignment, and found out my solid axle was bent pretty bad and both my ride side rims were bent, GO FIGURE!).

Oh, and yeah, go get some MM plates! Not only will it help getting your alignment correct, but they help with steering feel a bit too.

bmwnazcacz · Dec 7, 2005

Thanks again all for the input. I'm going to go ahead and order the c/c plates today.

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