Hit-Man
About 14 years ago, which was before my stroke, yet after we moved out here to West Bloomfield, I purchased a “Hit-Man” automotive alignment system.
I purchased it because A) I had already aligned my 1983 GTI myself with plumbs, strings, tape-measures and protractors, and B) I had had the Honda-store where we bought the faithful Hunda align it and they seemed to mess it up.
Alignment is relative to three axis; caster, camber, and toe (in or out).
In many cases caster and camber can’t be adjusted. They are set in the chassis-design.
Camber could be adjusted in our Volkswagens, however. The top of the MacPherson struts were in large lateral slots, so the strut could be aligned left-or-right before tightening.
Honda didn’t do that. Your only adjustment was toe, the degree to which the wheels point at each other.
I could set the camber in the GTI; so I did with a plumb and a protractor. It was already where it was supposed to be — I didn’t change anything.
Car-designers often design a little positive camber (tops-of-wheels out) into a car-suspension — seems to make the car track better. Racecars often have negative camber (top of wheel is closer in than the bottom), so that as the car rolls into a turn, the outside-front tire comes to 90° to the pavement, putting more contact-patch onto the road.
Often you see negative-camber designed into the the rear of IRS cars. —You can’t do that with a solid axle; although Mark Donohue tried on his Trans-Am Javelin.
“Hit-Man” was a solution by a local guy that couldn’t get a proper alignment on his classic ‘66 Olds Toronado. He marketed “Hit-Man” nationwide, but was based in Rochester.
Flat surfaces (plastic discs) attached flush to the wheel-sides, and then rifle-scopes were mounted to the discs.
Targets were set up 50 feet out the same distance apart as the rifle-scopes, and then you sighted the targets to align your car.
All this really aligns is toe; but often that’s all you can align, and in most cases that’s what goes wonky.
“Hit-Man” allowed a four-wheel alignment on the faithful Hunda, so I did the rear-wheels first.
The wheel-hubs were on trailing-arms that could be moved back-or-forth in slots.
My changes were only about half a degree.
The front toe was off. Changes were almost two degrees.
It tracked much better after I aligned it myself.
The toe-adjustment was that one tie-rod end was threaded outside (the other tie-rod end had a threaded-inside receiver), and something threaded revolved. Lock-nuts held the final adjustment.
The alignment was thrown off horribly after the motorcycle T-boned Linda, and I was all set to do it again.
But the threading was so corroded I farmed alignment out to Ontario Honda in Canandaigua, not where I’d bought it, but closer. (The CR-V came from Ontario Honda.)
They did an excellent job, especially considering how pranged it was.
I was all set to align the so-called soccer-mom minivan, but it too was corroded beyond use.
GM threads the ends of its tie-rod forgings, and provides a threaded adjustment-sleeve. All were frozen solid. I didn't do it.
I purchased it because A) I had already aligned my 1983 GTI myself with plumbs, strings, tape-measures and protractors, and B) I had had the Honda-store where we bought the faithful Hunda align it and they seemed to mess it up.
Alignment is relative to three axis; caster, camber, and toe (in or out).
In many cases caster and camber can’t be adjusted. They are set in the chassis-design.
Camber could be adjusted in our Volkswagens, however. The top of the MacPherson struts were in large lateral slots, so the strut could be aligned left-or-right before tightening.
Honda didn’t do that. Your only adjustment was toe, the degree to which the wheels point at each other.
I could set the camber in the GTI; so I did with a plumb and a protractor. It was already where it was supposed to be — I didn’t change anything.
Car-designers often design a little positive camber (tops-of-wheels out) into a car-suspension — seems to make the car track better. Racecars often have negative camber (top of wheel is closer in than the bottom), so that as the car rolls into a turn, the outside-front tire comes to 90° to the pavement, putting more contact-patch onto the road.
Often you see negative-camber designed into the the rear of IRS cars. —You can’t do that with a solid axle; although Mark Donohue tried on his Trans-Am Javelin.
“Hit-Man” was a solution by a local guy that couldn’t get a proper alignment on his classic ‘66 Olds Toronado. He marketed “Hit-Man” nationwide, but was based in Rochester.
Flat surfaces (plastic discs) attached flush to the wheel-sides, and then rifle-scopes were mounted to the discs.
Targets were set up 50 feet out the same distance apart as the rifle-scopes, and then you sighted the targets to align your car.
All this really aligns is toe; but often that’s all you can align, and in most cases that’s what goes wonky.
“Hit-Man” allowed a four-wheel alignment on the faithful Hunda, so I did the rear-wheels first.
The wheel-hubs were on trailing-arms that could be moved back-or-forth in slots.
My changes were only about half a degree.
The front toe was off. Changes were almost two degrees.
It tracked much better after I aligned it myself.
The toe-adjustment was that one tie-rod end was threaded outside (the other tie-rod end had a threaded-inside receiver), and something threaded revolved. Lock-nuts held the final adjustment.
The alignment was thrown off horribly after the motorcycle T-boned Linda, and I was all set to do it again.
But the threading was so corroded I farmed alignment out to Ontario Honda in Canandaigua, not where I’d bought it, but closer. (The CR-V came from Ontario Honda.)
They did an excellent job, especially considering how pranged it was.
I was all set to align the so-called soccer-mom minivan, but it too was corroded beyond use.
GM threads the ends of its tie-rod forgings, and provides a threaded adjustment-sleeve. All were frozen solid. I didn't do it.
posted by BobbaLew at 9:18 AM
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