Does anyone have any tips for doing a rough alignment in the driveway? I am almost done converting the front brakes to disc. I set the car on its wheels today and both tires point outward. I need the alignment closer than that so I can limp it over to the alignment shop. Maybe screw the tie rods out a bit?

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'71 Dart Swinger

That will do it. You can use a tape measure to get the distance between the front of the two tires and the back of the two tires equal!

I did a "rough alignment" on my duster about 4 yrs. ago, been driving it ever since.

UH, is there any way I can change the spelling on that last post? Also I don't drive that far to work& back.

Actually... you can't use the rear track as a reference to the front track because the front track is actually wider.

Your best bet is to rough in the front by first checking your UCA placements and then rolling your tie-rod/sleeve assys to about where they were-- look at the old ones for a rought est. and match the two up. Crank your t-bars so that you're level and go to town.
Just drive slow... really really slow...

-JYH
SoCal

When I get a chance to do the brake swap(have all the necessary parts, now I'm just collecting optional bushings) and get it done, I'm not going to worry too much about driving to the alignment shop too much. Right now my car's so out of lighn that on the outer edges of my tire it's starting to have a mountain type effect on wear. But, spending money to get the thing alligned before I do all the brake work would be fairly dumb. Look forward to see the easy of staying in a straight line after getting the alignment done though...

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

If you're doing the disk brake boogie it may behoove you to beef up your K a little bit while you're in there. I mean... what's a few more hours at that point, right? Also, if you haven't or are merely considering it a new box with a freshly rebuilt suspension is heaven-- it's like more jelly than toast.

Good luck on the R&R and shoot with the questions when you get stuck!

-JYH

ShivaDart, I wasn't going to worry about it either, but when I sat the car back on its wheels both of them were pointed outward. Not just a little either, they were pointed WAY OUTWARD!

I adjusted the tie rods and it looks drivable now. It was very easy to do. However, the car now looks like it sits higher on one side. Will the professional alignment fix this, or do I need to adjust the t-bars?

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'71 Dart Swinger

What do you mean by professional? I've seen some pretty poor alignments come from "pro" shops, done by glorified grease jockeys .
A true professional will correct the ride height, even accounting for driver's weight, align the car, drive it, then recheck everything because a new front end will settle (esp. torsion bar adjustment).
Make sure you've found a shop that knows old Mopars, and is willing to work with you for the elusive "right" stance and proper alignment.

You can do a rough alignment as follows:

Adjust the UCA so the back bushing is tight against the back of the mount and the front bushing is tight against the front of the mount.

Adjust the inner tie rods by equalizing the distant from the bolt to the frame, a regular tape mesaure works fine, optionally center your steering wheel as you do the adjustment.

Adjust the outer tie rods using a 4' carpenters level. Hold the level against a flat spot on the tire. Measure from the level to the lower rocker panel. Equalize the distant then make it 1/8" farther out on each side.

I adjust the T-bars on my Dart so the front bolts on the k-member is 11" from a flat surface. This gives me a nice rake.

Make sure you tighten all fasteners to spec. This will be good enough to get to the alignment shop.

Kesteb, thanks for the detailed instructions. I still have to put the proportioning valve in, so I'll adjust alignment more before I take it to the shop.

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'71 Dart Swinger

I'm sorry, unsure of some of the terms your talking about. I though the K was the part the egine mounted on(or, what the engine mounts are mounted on. How'd I beef this up(if I'm thinking of the right parts). When you say box are you talking about the steering unit thing? Might be interested, just need a little clarification(as long as I can do it for free, with alignment I'm guessing all said and done I'll hit around $430+, but all the components will be nice and shiny ). After this upgrade I do eventually plan on getting good shocks and sway bars after I replenish funds a little, maybe within the next three years I wont be flying towards the doors if I take at 20 .

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

Shiva, the K is the part that the motor mounts to. Think grand scheme...
Beefing it up is actually on the level of LESS than beer budget. If you or a friend had access to a welder... box the steering mount, weld in some washers and add some seam welds and you're solid.
Box= steering box. Yeah, a WHOLE buncha bux on the front end, but 15K down the line when you hafta replace it anyway... think about it. It's all out and apart now... what's a few more greenbacks...
However it looks like you're on the dedicated cheapskate pricing schedule.... SO, here's what you do. Roll into the parts store and ask for a 84 Dippy cop box (w/ 360 pursuit pkg) and they'll give you a better (firmer) box... add the "good" pitman arm and you're rock n' roll.
Getcher self some QA1's or KYB's and some bars... suddenly, your car will come alive! Trust me...

-JYH

Why would replacing the steering box at a dissassemble point be any easier than at any other point in time. For steering aren't the tie rods the only thing connected to the knuckle, I'll have to disconnect them but they take mere minutes to dissassemble. Might work on steering when I eventually replace those but for now I'm leaving them since they are so easy to uninstall and if done right shouldn't screw up alignment(I'll have to be careful to not destroy the seal... though I think they're already fairly dead anyway). I also have a scheme planned out for the steering, I'm going to look at some cars and take some measurements before I actually pursue it but for right now I'm keeping the steering stock. Its mainly a case of where it seems like playing with the steering would actually be simpler with everything installed, I can roll the car up on blocks to give myself some room to work and if I'm carefully I could avoid having to get another alignment. As for the welding... sounds like a good idea but I have certian oil leaking issues that sort of protect most of my k frame from rust(err... that's how I look at it). Either it'd be too much cleaning or a nice show of fire if I welded under their...

Thanks for the suggestions though, it's always good to hear the possibilities.

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

Hi all,

JYH, is that 84 dippy steering box manual? If so, I need to start looking!

Thanks,
Greg