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+--- Thread: Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs (/showthread.php?tid=6470)
Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs - Mach 1 Club - 03-08-2016
Frontend alignment is one of the most basic adjustments we can make to our classic Mustangs, but it’s also one of the most necessary and rewarding things to get right for driving enjoyment. Sure, having proper alignment positively affects tire wear, but it also affects how the car feels while you’re driving it. That’s because the three basic adjustment specs—camber, caster, and toe—combine to create the frontend geometry that will define how the tire reacts to the road in both straight lines and through curves. The adjustments to each are relatively small, but the resulting change can be very noticeable.
To understand why, it’s important to know how each adjustment affects how the car steers. Caster is the easiest to picture using the concept of trail. Picture a shopping cart's front wheel; the steering axis is located ahead of the wheel, so when the cart is pushed forward the wheel will follow directly behind the steering axis, creating a self-straitening effect that will keep the wheel stable and easy to control while driving. If the steering axis were placed vertically above the wheels, there would be zero caster effect and the wheels would tend to wander. Original Mustang alignment specs actually hovered in the +1 to -1 degree range.
Static Camber is the amount in degrees that the top of the tire is tilted from vertical; either away from the car for positive, or toward the car for negative. Essentially this slight tilt changes how the tire tread interacts with the road, particularly when cornering and the weight of the car rolls toward the outside tires. Most modern vehicles are set with a slight amount of negative camber, which aids in cornering grip.
Static Toe is the number in fractions of an inch that the tire deviates from parallel to the centerline of the car. For rear-wheel-drive street-driven cars this measurement will pretty much always be a slight amount of toe-in to promote straight line stability. The only real exceptions are cars that are autocrossed or road raced regularly; some drivers actually prefer zero toe, or a slight amount of toe-out to promote quick turn-in and rotation. We can’t recommend that for the street, though, since it’ll result in skittish handling in general.
With that in mind, the really annoying thing is that most modern alignment shops don’t know how to handle classic Mustangs. Most shops have moved to exclusively using laser alignment systems that, while accurate, typically do not have databases that go back far enough to include ’64½-’73 Mustangs. Not that it would help much if they did since the factory alignment specs are not something we’d ever recommend using on any street-driven car; especially with radial tires. That’s because Ford’s original specs were mandated for super skinny bias-ply tires with a relatively narrow tread width, rather than the wider and taller radial tires that most Mustang drivers use now. Even with a totally stock suspension, modern tires and driving conditions mandate different settings.
If you have a knowledgeable Mustang or vintage Ford shop in your area, they’ll likely know how to alter the specs, but the good news is that you can also do it yourself with a few of the proper tools. We dropped in at Mustangs Etc. in Van Nuys, California to have expert technician Steve Miko show us how he would recommend setting the alignment on ’67-’73 Mustangs with a minimum amount of special tools.
VIEW SOURCE
http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1503-how-to-set-the-alignment-on-1967-1973-ford-mustangs/
RE: Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs - Steven Harris - 03-09-2016
Another great do it yourself article to have on hand.
I need to locate me some of those old alignment tools.
RE: Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs - Mach 1 Club - 03-09-2016
(03-09-2016, 01:58 AM)Steven Harris Wrote: Another great do it yourself article to have on hand.
I need to locate me some of those old alignment tools.
Im back now, just trying to get used to working from home. Riding my Harley is to easy over work :)
Should have the smiles fixed this week.
RE: Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs - Steven Harris - 03-09-2016
(03-09-2016, 12:21 PM)Mach 1 Club Wrote: Riding my Harley is to easy over work :)
I have my eye on a bike - but ..
Probably too much going on right now. Reason enough to just buy it and take a ride!
RE: Set the Alignment on 1967-1973 Ford Mustangs - JTS71 Mach1 - 03-10-2016
(03-09-2016, 01:23 PM)Steven Harris Wrote:(03-09-2016, 12:21 PM)Mach 1 Club Wrote: Riding my Harley is to easy over work :)
I have my eye on a bike - but ..
Probably too much going on right now. Reason enough to just buy it and take a ride!
Amen on needing to take a ride! Spring Break can't get here fast enough! It's the 21st through the 25th. Then as "Genie" from Aladdin said I"M OUTTA HERE!!! JTS 71 Mach1