# 1965 Chevy Impala Alignment Question



## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

I recently changed the ball joints on my 65 impala, and now changing the tie rods. after i change them, how do i align my front tires. its not lifted yet so im not worried about the butterflying, just that they are both going the same direction. Ive heard stories about doing it with chalk and string and rulers, but i dont know how? i know how to adjust them, but just dont know how to measure it to where theyre both even and aligned. Any help guys?


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## BIG DIRTY (Jan 31, 2002)

take it too a alighment shop, and spend the $49.00


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## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

thats all it costs?


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## topless65 (Oct 26, 2004)

yes..

and fyi you do the adjustment by turning the slevee between your inner and outer tierods


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## BIG DIRTY (Jan 31, 2002)

> _Originally posted by topless65_@Dec 29 2006, 11:35 PM~6859107
> *yes..
> 
> and fyi you do the adjustment by turning the slevee between your inner and outer tierods
> *


YEAH, THAT IS ABOUT IT, BUT YOU GOTTA HAVE THE ALIGNMENT GEAR TO GET IT RIGHT


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## LAC_MASTA (Mar 8, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ROLLERZDIRTY_@Dec 30 2006, 08:15 AM~6861596
> *YEAH, THAT IS ABOUT IT, BUT YOU GOTTA HAVE THE ALIGNMENT GEAR TO GET IT RIGHT
> *


??? i did it in my drive way with string.


-but yeah... most places is like 50 bucks for lifetime alignment


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## EazyE10286 (Sep 11, 2003)

the way i do it is get the steering wheel straight,the car is jacked up of course.Use a line or string and have someone else hold it on the part of the rear tire where the white wall would be, on the part of the tire facing the rear of the car.have the string stretched the distance of the car.while the other person is still holding it,your at the front of the car holding the string,move it until the string is just touching both faces of the rear tire,make sure to hold it tight.when the string touches both faces of the rear tires it should be touching both faces of the front tire.if its not touching both in the front, you can tell which way it needs to go.after this is done it should be fairly close.thats what we do on my brothers 65 ragtop,but his is juiced


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## topless65 (Oct 26, 2004)

> _Originally posted by EazyE10286_@Dec 30 2006, 02:45 PM~6862701
> *the way i do it is get the steering wheel straight,the car is jacked up of course.Use a line or string and have someone else hold it on the part of the rear tire where the white wall would be, on the part of the tire facing the rear of the car.have the string stretched the distance of the car.while the other person is still holding it,your at the front of the car holding the string,move it until the string is just touching both faces of the rear tire,make sure to hold it tight.when the string touches both faces of the rear tires it should be touching both faces of the front tire.if its not touching both in the front, you can tell which way it needs to go.after this is done it should be fairly close.thats what we do on my brothers 65 ragtop,but his is juiced
> *


you mean hold the string across the middle of the wheel face (as if your cutting it in half)?


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## 64_EC_STYLE (Feb 21, 2005)

i would spend the 50 bucks and save the headache


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## slo (Jan 12, 2004)

I understand the concept but I would assume you do not tighten the string with both hands too to bottom. More like let the string hang and with a weight at the end let you know how off your camber is. 

Right?

When I changed tie rods in my 64 and my Chevy and numerous other cars I just counted the number of threads left before and after I changed parts. Seems like you already did so this is useless to you. But it worked fine for me.


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## EazyE10286 (Sep 11, 2003)

its hard to explain...ill make a diagram.


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## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

could you please


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## excalibur (Mar 8, 2006)

dude, as an alignment guy, I seriously urge you to take it to a shop and have it done. you just cant dial it in as accuratly with strings, rulers, chalk, and all the other stuff Ive heard of. and chances are that someone with a nice alignement rack will get it so good that tire wear will be the least of your worries, not to mention steering wheel position. theres a reason alignment equiptment costs up to $40,000


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## SICK CITY C.C (Sep 8, 2006)

A alignment WOULD ONLY RUN U ABOUT 35 TO 40 BUCKS


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## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

Yeah, but alot of us here are old school ghetto fabulous so i would still like to know how its done. if i can get a diagram that would be great. back in the 60s it was done this way and it was fine, and my car IS a 65, so what was fine then is fine now, old school ways


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## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

Eazy, thanks for the explenation, i really appreciated it. got it done today, and then had my friend at his shop check the alignment. ALMOST PERFECT ALIGNMENT done with string, he said it doesnt even need algnment its so close. saved me $60 and only costed me $3 for the string
















again, thanks for the help Eazy, and the rest of you guys.


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## BlueDemon (Dec 11, 2006)

:twak:


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## GALLO 59 (Jan 1, 2006)

heres another way








Raise the tubing on each side so the tubes are above the tire bulge -- about 4" above the slip plates is good -- and measure front and rear ends of the tubes so they are approximately level. These tubes are your toe plates, a cheap version of a fancy alignment device. 

The tubes will follow wheel movements as you adjust the suspension, and the crisp edge of the square tubing makes a good measuring point. 
Next, run two tape measures under the car and across the tubing pieces both in front of and behind the tires. The tapes should be right up against the tire and not hung up on the bungee cords. Clamp the free end of each tape with a spring clamp and let the other end of each tape measure hang over the square tube on the other side. 

Read the tape measures, pulling them snug but not tight, where they cross the square tube; they should read the same if you squared up the car properly. If not, make some more adjustments until the car is square and the two tapes give the same measurement. 

You are done at this point if you want your car to have 0 toe. Toe is another performance setting that can be very personal. Some autocrossers like a little toe-out because it helps the car turn in quicker. But on the street, it can cause a lot of tire wear and make the car feel twitchy. 

Zero toe may be a good compromise, but a smidge of toe-in is probably best for a street car. So, if you want a little toe-in, adjust the tie-rod sleeves equally, and in very small amounts, on each side of the car until you see a little toe-in, both on the tape measures and on your measurements of the box. 

For a total toe-in measurement of 1/16", you want 1/32" on each side, which probably isn't even shown on your tape measure, so pay close attention to where the tape measures fall on the tubing and take precise readings against the box. It helps to write down each measurement at this stage to get it just right, and it may take a couple tries. When you've got it where you want, tighten up the tie-rod sleeves carefully so you don't change their position, torque the A-arm bolts and go enjoy a test drive.


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## AdmgtX (Jan 15, 2007)

I dont know..... but I have seen it done be4 so maybe


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## Jonas (Jan 29, 2007)

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## Ermardeslo (Jan 30, 2007)

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## DuezPaid (Jul 11, 2005)

You guys are old school with your string. I tied $5 laser levels from harbor freight to my rims and set the toe in. I just measured the laser lines in front of the wheels and again 10 ft away until they matched.


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