Alignment
 

Hi Everyone

So, I replaced all the bushings and mounts on the front suspension and I can feel a tendency, not bad, but there, for the car to pull right. This doesn't surprise me because I haven't had the car aligned before. But I don't know anything about getting an alignment done on this car.

What is the best way to get the alignment sorted? I don't have any equipment or skills to do it myself. Something tells me I cannot just take it to the local alignment shop. Is this right?

Call your local alignment shop and see if they have your car in their computer file (model and year specific). If they do, they should be able to do the front end correctly, don't let them near your rear-end. They will tell you it's good to do 4 wheel alignment for $20 extra. If they have not done a jaguar rear alignment before, they will never get it finished.

My 1984 XJ6 S3 is not in the computer, but I found a later model Jaguar (mid 90s) that has the same specs. I signed a release and they did it. You get a computer print out before and after adjustment ($89). Pulling to one side, is the easiest fix of the possible miss-alignments.

Rgds
David

Many shops won't touch an older Jag because, strictly speaking, suspension height setting links are required....and virtually nobody has them. The true necessity of these links has long been debated. I never had an alignment done with 'em, however, and have always been happy with the results.

The actual process is dead simple. If a shop can align a Ford, they can align an old Jag. But, as mentioned, the rear alignment poses a problem. There is only one adjustment (camber) and it's rather labor intensive so hopefully you're in spec as-is.

There is an early-late specification change for front alignment corresponding to a change in upper control arms...which was sometime in 1983 as I recall.

Cheers
DD

Caster is Easy. There are 3 shims on each side of the car, you move then fore and aft of the upper ball joint until you get the correct setting. The correct tool can be had from Jegs.

Camber is a little harder because the shims Must be the full width of the upper fulcrum shaft. I was fully prepared to fabricate some if needed as none are available, but fortunately none were needed.

For toe adjustment however, unless you have the proper tools, just let the tire shop do it. There's nothing mysterious about screwing tie rods in or out as needed.
(';')

The alignment shop had the 1995 Jaguar Alignment specs in computer, I just requested tighter specs.
If its where you buy tires, you will get more cooperation

As LnrB said: "Caster is Easy. There are 3 shims on each side of the car, you move then fore and aft of the upper ball joint until you get the correct setting."
Make sure they know not to just remove one shim.


Jaguar (4.0L) Sedan Alignment Specifications.................................... ..................... (1984 XJ6 S3)
.................................................. .................................................. .......................(From Maintenance manual)
1995 & 1996 from Vin 720001 .................................................. ......................Customer requested settings

Caster Angle +2.0 to +7.0 .................................................. ....................................+3.15 to +3.45 ....R & L

Camber +0.04 to -1.0 .................................................. .......................................... -0.30 to -0.80 .....R & L

Toe (Total) -0.08 to +0.25 .................................................. ......................................0.00 to +0.25 .....Total (0" to .125")
.................................................. .................................................. ...................................R & L = 1/2 total)
Notes: Tire pressure 35 PSI F & R
..........Full fuel tanks

I needed to get the front and rear wheels of my Series III aligned and I initially had a hard time getting my rear wheels done here in the Seattle area. Initially, I took it to Les Schwab, a chain tire store in the Pacific Northwest. They said they could do the front but not the rear and if I didn’t do the rear, I was wasting my time doing the front because once I did do the rear then I’d have to do the front again. I appreciated their honesty. Goodyear wouldn’t touch it. So then I took it to a British car mechanic. He said he’d do both but first tried selling me $2,000 worth of suspension/rear shocks and transmission mount work before he could do it. No, I don’t think so! Then I called the Jag dealer because they aligned my XJS a few years back. They said they don’t work on Jags older than 2004. Ugh. So then I got a recommendation on a performance tire place and called them and they said they could do the front and rear. They did it for a fair price. I’m glad I found them. I think specialty tire stores are more apt to do the work rather than chain tire stores. I would try some in your area.

True.

In my neck o'the woods there's a tire shop that caters to the hobby/specialty crowd. Hot rods, lifted/lowered trucks, race cars, you name it. Bringing my Jag there didn't seem to faze them a bit.

Many of the chain/franchise tire shops are more interested in volume production so oddball cars (or perceived oddballs) are viewed as something that'll simply bollix up their flow.

Cheers
DD

I had to learn the DIY techique of using string. I have no-one here willing to do an alignment on the Jaguars. No-one has the shims and even when I brought them the managers are disinterested becasue the the time involved. . Most shops have a 25k "laser alignment" machines ideal for modern cars with eccentrics. These machines are designed to get modern cars in and out quickly while providing satisfactory results in most cases. Most importantly to the shop they keep the money flowing. Cost and end results are unimportant these days, everything is cash flow.

As auto enthuiasts, we all can and should all learn the string method. This is one job almost anyone can do and great results can be had at home on just about any reasonably level surface.

This is the technique I use.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp...ignment-guide/

I up'd my home alignment game a few years ago with a game with a digital camber / caster gage.
I up'd my home aligment game recently with 4 Ikea cutting boards (8$) which act as slip plates like this ....
(not me BTW)

The results are great. I home align all my cars even the modern daily drivers. For me... Its just far quicker to do it my self at home in 40 minutes instead of trekking to the garage, leaving the car or waiting for 2 hours and then hoping all will feel right in the end. Usually it doesn't and the technician says well its with-in spec so it must be your tires.

Alignment as a DIY project allows you to learn the car and can dial in the desired feel. For example...OE spec for the tires I run doesnt feel right. I needed significantly more (double) castor to get the feel I wanted. I re-did my red coupe and added much more castor after learning the DB7 GT used 6 degrees. I could only get to 4 but it's better than the 2 degrees I started with.

Ive been doing string for years but then recently I was I was watching a video on the 1.3 million dollar SCG003 hyper car. It was being prepped for a race, Nuremberg I think... They were doing the aliment with string! You can only imagine how great this made me feel. There was no rush, it was being done in a fully equipped race garage well prior to the race. If a 25k laser alignment machine was better they would have had one.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...-street-legal/https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=...b1JmU&disp=emb

Great post. I am always nervous to drop off my car where they have kids working that just do what they are told to do. No thinking and no finesse. The most caring person to ever work on my cars is me.

Jeff

Thanks this is a great idea. It has intrigued me now. Question. Toe in would be controlled by the adjusting nut next to the tie rod end. I have never been able to figure out how you could adjust that once it is on the car. You obviously break the nut loose, but then you can't turn the end attached to the wheel, so obviously you have to turn the shaft going into the tie rod end. Does that shaft even rotate? Which direction (clockwise, counterclockwise), does what?

Loosen the boot to allow it to turn - simply "unscrew" (so clockwise, I guess, if you are looking at it from the outside - counterclockwise if you're up under the car and are looking at the back of the wheel) to lengthen and screw in to shorten.