I need to align the front end of the MGA myself as no shop around here will touch it.

I know I saw a couple of years ago some turntables used to do a front end alignment... but for the life of me I can't find them anywhere on the net.

I must be calling them the wrong thing or something.

Anybody remember these... I think even Harbor Freight had a cheap set at one time or another.

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/advcat.as...oryID=ALIGNMENT

Thanks Jon... .ooooooohhh... spendy

You know I think I could actually make my own... IIRC the crappy ones at HF were like $150... I'm sure I could make some for less than that.



AH-HA... slips plates... yes I was clalling them the wrong name

I've heard you can put 2 panels of sheet metal together with some grease in between for some make shift swivels. Never tried it, but seems it should work on a light weight car.

McMaster Carr orMSC sell some very heavy duty lazy susan roller bearing setups...just bolt on two pieces of plywood or aluminum and you are in business.

Rich

Either strings or toe/camber plates will work just fine for the front.

The strings work better as you get the toe relative to the center of the car for each side.
With the plates, you only get overall toe. Which isn't that big of a deal unless your front end is way out of alignment.
Andy

Naw... should not be way out of alignment... just changed some tie rod ends late in the year last year and never did anything about it.... I have transom gauge but without the slip plates it is a bitch of a job because you have to keep lowering the car back on it's wheels everytime you adjust.

I think like Rich said I can probably get some bearings and make myself a set.... have to be somewhat thin though as the ride level of the MGA will make even a slight bit difference ride like shit... Kinda like it does now

Huh? We do this all the time, with the car firmly on the ground ...
Andy

I don't know why but I just can't get it to work unless the wheels are slightly off the ground... maybe I suck at it.... I don't know I guess I always did it that way.

I was always taught that the car had to be under normal load (four wheels on the ground) to get a correct measurement... am I wrong?

You're not wrong, but the wheels don't have to come off the ground to be adjusted. And they don't really need to be on a turntable either. That's what Andy's saying. You can do the job with the wheels on the ground. It's even easier with the car on an epoxy coated or otherwise really smooth floor.

I have a question for you. Why is this thread in the sandbox?

Habit I guess... I rarely post in the garage anymore since I am 914-less.

I'll try it this weekend without raising the car and see if I can get it to move in line.

If you're raising and lowering the car, then bearing plates aren't the answer. When you lift the car, the suspension droops and the wheels get slightly closer together because they move in an opposing arc. When you drop the car down, you need to let the wheels slide outward (away from the centerline of the car) in order to get a true height measurement.

I've made my own slip plates using thick aluminum plates with grease sandwiched between. They worked ok and it was cheap, BUT they were messy during and after use. YMMV

I have a set from Harbor Freight that were pretty cheap and could be used in conjunction with other things to make a reliable system. I would gladly sell you mine as I dont need them any more. Cheap! But they are heavy so would need to ship GreyHound.

Put an old magazine under each of the front tires.

Andys

I've done it with 3-4 trash bags folded up to make more layers.
My shop now is too small to store everything that I want (like a dedicated alignment rack) so I usually just bounce and roll the car on the floor after every adjustment. One of the very most important parts is to get the car truly level.