924Board.org

[Neil924]

Hi there, so on a77 924 NA, what's the deal? Drop my car off, say "line it up" and leave?

1. Does there have to be any weight in the car?

2. Full tank of gas?

3. Any special tools?

4. Any special places to adjust?

5. Should I bring the Haynes manual?

6. Is there a type of alignment machine that I should stay away from or specifically use?

[ideola]

First, make sure you go somewhere that knows how to do a four wheel alignment, not just a front (don't assume...alignment means different thing to different shops).

Second, make sure the shop has the proper eccentric tool to do the rear adjustment.

Third, get a firm price quoted up front before you commit to having the work done.

Fourth, make sure it's a shop that has done Porsches before.

I had a heckuva time finding a shop that was willing to touch my car. None of the run-of-the-mill tire shops would give me a quote because the car was over 20 years old, they would only quote an hourly rate. They cited the likelihood of having to replace old parts (nevermind the fact that I had just replaced all of the dampers, strut inserts, bushings, tie rod ends, etc. on my own). Also, none of them had the right eccentric tool, so I ended up buying my own just in case.

In the end, I took it to the Porsche dealer. They quoted me $199. Then I went to pick it up and they were crying and moaning because it took them 6 hours to get it right. Then they took the car thru their carwash and promptly snapped off my brand new replacement antenna mast because they didn't bother turning the radio off. So they had to buy a replacement for that.

Since then, I have found a local frame shop that will do 4 wheel alignments for $60. But I had to learn the hard way. Hopefully, you'll find someone knowledgeable in your area who knows what they're doing and won't rip you off or break your car in the process
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Neil924]

[ideola]

Yeah, repairing the roads would actually be a welcome outcome, here in Southeast MI

FYI, here is an eccentric tool similar to the one I bought...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180156735440
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Smoothie]

If you have the earlier design of rear suspension (and you should, unless it was changed), there is no rear camber adjustment, and the toe adjustment eccentric tool that's used on the later '78-up suspension won't work on your car. -But since the early suspension was derived from VW, a shop that deals with older VWs would be your best bet for having the tools and know-how.
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"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."


'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

[RC]

As Ideola suggests, make sure your suspension is in good condition first. No point having it done on faulty ball joints or strut mounts only to have to do it again after.

When ringing around ask them questions like how do you adjust the front camber? or do you need any special tools? If you dont get the correct answer try elsewhere.

This is how it should be done, with all wheels aligned together.



Roger

[Neil924]

Thanks all, I will re-read this thread a few time to make sure I have everything in order.

Also I think when I had the Bimmer done last they had it on a hoise but the wheels wheels supported the car. Sort of like the naughty picture Roger posted.

[PORSCHEV]

The car doesn't need a 4 wheel alignment anyway

You only go get an alignment if your car is pulling to one side or another. 99% of the time that is because the toe is out of alignment.

No need to spend money if you don't need to.
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1976 924
5 lug conversion, 17'C2 wheels,custom body work,327 vette engine.

1978-#53 "D" track racer.

[Neil924]

[Tigger937]

[!tom]