i have an 84 extra cab an sad to say but i had to crank up my torsions and put smaller 3 inch blocks in the rear cuz my mom an me are trading rides for awile cuz i have a baby on the way an my truck wont work... so i lifted alitttle bit cuz the 5in static drop is too much for her an now my alignment is off well its always been off but got worst ...is there anyway or order to get it straight or is it a shop job? cost about 145 to align at the shop but if its a do it yourselfer im all about it...if there is a way please let me know or n e ideas... thanks everybody

 

$145! Should cost you closer to about 80-85 bucks.

 

$60 round here

 

i guess i checkin all da wrong places an plus oahu more cheap

 

$30 for one time

or somewhere around like $145 at Firestone LIFETIME alignments....

good luck

 

use tape as a guide and adjust tie rods till both tires look straight...thats one way you can do it...........might not be as accurate but you can get it straight enough



that taco in my signature was adjusted but never used tape i eyeballed it for the time being than when my firend got money he got it aligned at a shop...

 

shoots..only one way for find out is try..if not den shop i guess.. thanks ah

 

My home alignments always consist of eyeballing the camber and removing or adding shims as necessary, and then getting a friend to hold the other end of the tape measure and finding a groove in the front tires and making sure the measurement is the same (or about 1/4" toed in up front) front and rear of the front tires. This method always gets it close enough for them to get a real alignment if they choose.

 

I'd just do it yourself in the driveway, lol. Ive been doing my own for over 25 years and I mine work perfect. I had to learn to do them myself early in life, because the cars I was building, had more adjustments than the shops knew what to do with, lol. I do all mine with a tape measure, 2 pieces of 6" x 1/8" x 2' steal plate (you can also just use a couple of basic 2"x 6" boards) and a bubble level. It's easy and takes about 20 min. (helps if you have a buddy to help hold the tape, lol).

First make sure your ride is on level ground.

To set your toe:
1) Break loose the tie rod end lock nuts.
2) Place the plates (steel or wood) so that they flat against the outside of each tire/wheel, and are long ways on the ground. (you want to 2' way front to back and the 6" way up and down)
3) Take your tape measure, and measure the distance between the plates, in front of the wheel and them behind the wheel, and compare the two. What you're looking for is 1/8"-1/4" toed in. (so the number in the front will be smaller, by 1/8"-1/4").
4) To adjust it, just turn the tie rods in or out (try to keep them equal), then tighten the lock nuts again.
5) Drive it around the block and check it again. (and adjust again if necessary till it's right)


Ha Ha Ha, Beefed, you beat me to it.

 

thanks beefed an creepy..thats the kinda help i was looking for i jus kept throwing shims in but maybe now i can put both together an get it close to perfect..maybe..thanks

 

I wonder if i should do this to mine. Would this help out with the camber too?

 

to adjust camber you need to add or eliminate shims
what ever is needed

like what beefed taco said

 

Well how the eff do i figure if the BJs are bad. Everyone says the wiggle the wheel. Ive done it and no movement. Thats and plus the truck always pulled hard to the left. Parked or in motion, the truck always pulled the the left.

What could it be??

 

i dont get it. the truck pulls while ur parked?? inspect your front tire wear. assuming its dropped by cranked torsions your probably looking at camber and camber allignment will always pull to tthe more positive side. caster can also cause pulling but caster pulls to the more negative side. there should be more negative caster on the left hand driver side to compensate for road crowning. toe in and out will turn in order to compensate itself with the other side. or one of your brake calipers are seized and one side is always holding.

 

Wrong wording. lol. If its parked and i let go of the wheel it turns a bit to the left. Not alot but still does it. When i was able to drive it i had to push against the steering wheel to go straight. Not a hard push but enough for a slight workout.

Its not dropped or anything, and it does have neg camber on the driver side. Passenger side is damn near straight

 

so im guessing it pulls to the right then?

 

Nope to the drivers side (left)

 

but when u wanna go straight what direction is the wheel pointing?

 

Wiggle the wheel forward and back for bjs also up and down but be careful not to confuse it with worn wheel bearings, side to side for tie rods and idler, camber can be checked with a large level, a little negative is ok, toe is checked with a tape front and back of the tires, caster can be checked from the center of the front hub to the rear hub and are adjusted by the strut rods at the front of the truck, thats pretty much it.

 

where are the shims added and removed at?