Wheel alignment on a Ford Mustang in Shoreham.

Today on of my jobs was to carry out a laser wheel alignment on a 1967 Ford Mustang. The owner had shipped the car to the UK from the USA only 4 weeks ago, with the intention of doing it up as a project. When driving it on a straight road, he found that it wandered around and felt very unsettling. He also found that the power steering didn't work properly.

His first job had been to replace the power steering box, which helped greatly, but there were still handling issues. His next job was to have us check and adjust the wheel alignment.

My first job was to check and adjust the tyre to the correct pressures, this alone can cause problems as I found the pressures on one side were 40 psi and the other side were 34 psi. Turn plates are then placed under the front wheels. A steering lock is fitted to the steering wheel to stop it rotating when doing adjustments.

I then checked the car for alignment front to rear by putting the gauges on the rear wheels first, this showed that the rear axle was lined up correctly. The gauges are then moved to the front wheels and it is then possible to check the actual car readings and compare them against factory settings. This showed that the car was set up with toe out, yet this car is supposed to have toe in (+3.1 ~ +6.3).

I set about loosening off the trackrod retaining nuts (two on each trackrod) This then allows a central sleeve to rotate moving the track rods in or out. Using a mole grip on the sleeve adjustments are made using the laser lights to show me the readings on each side. Once correct, the locknuts are tightened back up. All of the equipment is removed and the car is given a test drive to ensure it drives in a straight line.

Once I am happy that every thing is ok, I then complete an invoice and tyre report, then take a payment from the customer.

Should you have a classic car that needs tyres or a wheel alignment, then give us a call at Hometyre. click here for contact details