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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ alignments

Posted by: sk8kat1 Feb 10 2006, 09:55 PM

who can you trust to give a proper alignment to a 914 and not fuck your car up by using what ever shims seem to work or just guessing

Posted by: Dave_Darling Feb 11 2006, 01:47 AM

A shop with 914 experience would be the best thing. Where to find one near Belvedere IL, I don't know. (I don't even know where Belvedere is, and I grew up in Urbana...)

Have you considered doing the alignment yourself? A Google search on DIY suspension alignment will turn up a bunch of articles...

--DD

Posted by: McMark Feb 11 2006, 03:05 AM

Is a DIY alignment really that effective? The only techniques I've heard of sound much like long multi-step processes where each step is prone to marginal errors, which when compounded by the process become significant. I have no real experience with DIY alignment, so people with experience, please chime in.

Posted by: KenH Feb 11 2006, 11:16 AM

You can absolutly do your own alignment. It will take some time and an investment in a few tools but you can do as good a job, if not better, as any shop. Because you care.

Look thru the manuals at this site as a starting point.

http://www.smartracingproducts.com/

Note: you can build an accurate repeatable "914 specific" string set up very inexpesivly, less than $10.

And for a few hundred $ more you can do your own corner balance.

If you are going to be changing suspensions, experimenting with "the best toe" setting, etc. it will pay you to DIY.

Ken

Posted by: J P Stein Feb 11 2006, 12:36 PM

I do my own camber...just for the hell of it...with a broke off tape measure & a hand level. Usually checks out to be within .1 deg or better.

I take the car to the guy up the street, tell them what I want for settings, stand there and watch them dial it in on their machine, then give them money. Building that kind of
realtionship with an alignment guy is a good idea, me thinks.

Posted by: toon1 Feb 11 2006, 12:54 PM

it seems like it would be possible to use a lazer instead of a srting.