Alignment Tool

Quote from JKgray10

Looking for a tool to make doing a driveway alignment easier. I was reading a forum and someone mentioned that Harbor Frieght sells a laser guided alignment tool so that your measurement for toe in is right on. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? I did my alignment last time using a tape measure and my wife as the holder and got the job done.... but I'd rather use a easier approch. I don't mind spending the money because it will save me in the long run.

Use something straight like a couple 4' levels or some angle iron and bungee them to the outside of the tires.

Take your measurements from there.

Matt. Did you follow project JK's writeup because I will be attempting to do mine this weekend as well as inspecting all components in the front end due to experiencing DW last night.

Quote from JKgray10

Yup, thats the one I went by. The alignment was really to do but I had a lot of problems re-centering the steering wheel. I would offer to give you a hand but I'll be at RC this weekend putting my jeep out of alignment.

Ok good deal. Thats what I was planning on going by. How was the re-centering hard to do because that is what I feel I need done the most. How did you go about doing it because I have not found a writeup for that yet.

Yea I wish I could be going up this weekend but family function Saturday. But propably a good thing though because I need to fix some thing on the Jeep before I head back to rebrake them.

The fact that the wheel is off center probably means you bent something.

Quote from Keith_C

The fact that the wheel is off center probably means you bent something.

Agreed If it was strait before you hit something, and now it is not strait after you hit something. something is bent. It does not take much of a bend to make a degree or so difference in toe.

A friend of mine has an old alignment tool (about 60 years old). It's made out of 2 lengths of thin wall tubing. One length slides into the other and is spring loaded. There's a ruler graduation on the smaller tube. You simply put the tool between the backside of the front tires and take the measurement. Then you put the tool in on the front side of the front tires and adjust the tie rod length to be ¼" shorter. It seems pretty basic in theory.

Matt, I finally got the time to do an alignment this week and when I loosend the bolt from the clamp on the tierod to turn the adjuster I could not turn that sucker for the life of me. What did you use to turn the adjuster because I tried everything that I could think of and it was not budging.

I am planning on attempting this again when I get home tonight from work because I have again experienced DW after I thought I resolved that problem. So I need to get the jeep aligned then replace the tierod with the rock krawler tierod that just came in and well as replace my trackbar and check the bolt holes to make sure they are not again wallowed out, which I hope they are not.

PB Blaster and a pipe wrench.

Impact pipe wrench... (hard to find)

Quote from quadna

PB Blaster and a pipe wrench.

x2 and a little heat never hurt.

This might help.
http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60130

and here are some tools
http://www.toolfetch.com/alignment-tools.shtml

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors…torsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

Good luck

Well finally got some time to give it another try again last night. Went out and used the PB Blaster and let it soak then tried to turn the adjuster and again it would not budge. So, then I went on spraying more PB Blaster and letting it soak for a few min then trying again and again and again. Well after like 2 hours of this and using a full can of PB Blaster, vice grips, pipe wrench still nothing.

So, apparently I need some help because I can not get this thing to turn at all. I am hoping that someone might be available to help me out because I am trying to avoid taking it in to get this done. But will as a last resort.

Would anyone be available to lend me a hand with setting my toe-in.

have u tried some heat and a really large pipe wrench?

For what it's worth, I take my jeep to Curt at Hansen's Safety Service on Governor Printz Blvd in North Wilmington. He's right behind where Holly Oak 4x4 used to be. He charges $65.

Good guy that does great work.

Mike