tracking gauge

why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
between the wheel rims) except in america?

every bugger wants to sell laser ones for about 500 notes, or optical ones
for about 3-400 notes.

I did find the gunsons trackright but that's not really what I'm looking
for.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
In Touch: Get in touch with yourself by touching yourself.
If somebody is watching, stop touching yourself.
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.

"Austin Shackles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
> gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
> between the wheel rims) except in america?

Piece of wood with a coat hanger wire fastened to one end?

Julian.

Julian wrote:
> "Austin Shackles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
>>gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
>>between the wheel rims) except in america?
>
>
> Piece of wood with a coat hanger wire fastened to one end?
>
> Julian.

I used an old (very stiff) telescoping car aerial for years until they
put the anti-roll bar on the RRC. At that point I had to make my own
device with some kinks in the ends. As Julian suggests, nothing
hi-tech is needed with a Land-Rover.

In message <[email protected]>
Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
> gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
> between the wheel rims) except in america?
>
> every bugger wants to sell laser ones for about 500 notes, or optical ones
> for about 3-400 notes.
>
> I did find the gunsons trackright but that's not really what I'm looking
> for.

Tape measure? A bit of a faff, but works fine for LR's!

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
RISC-OS - Where have all the good guys gone?
Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

I totally messed up the tracking on my car after taking the rack and
ball joints off and not marking stuff first.

I made one out of a length of straight wood with 2 right angled shelf
brackets fixed on at the end, each with a bolt through at the top end
(to provide fine adjustment by changing the length of the bolt)

get the car level first, and then the wood sat flat on the floor,
then the shelf brackets stuck up at the ends and the bolt was adjusted
till it touched the inner rim/edge of my wheel.

I think i went for a tiny bit of toe in on my car so i had it so my
bar fitted in at the front and had a bit of slack at the back.

Takes a while but seems to work roughly. later checked with a gunsons
trackright and thet thinks i have equal toe in on either side.

Ive not got round to taking it to a proper garage to have it chcked
yet but hope to in the next week or two.

Austin Shackles wrote:
> why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
> gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
> between the wheel rims) except in america?
>
> every bugger wants to sell laser ones for about 500 notes, or optical ones
> for about 3-400 notes.
>
> I did find the gunsons trackright but that's not really what I'm looking
> for.

I used to use two unused gas welding rods side by side, taped together
with masking tape (put on sticky side out) so they'd slip a bit if
forced, but stayed in place most of the time. When getting them into
place you can bend them a little within their spring ability. Then I got
the Dunlop optical gauge I've been using this last 25 years or so.

Karen

--
"Sometimes I think I have a Guardian Idiot - a little invisible spirit
just behind my shoulder, looking out for me ... only he's an imbecile" -
Jake Stonebender

On 2006-07-08, Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:

> why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
> gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
> between the wheel rims) except in america?

A few bricks, a couple of bits of straight metal the length of the
vehicle, and a metal ruler is what I used to do the four-wheel
tracking on the plastic rocket.

Prop them up level with the wheel centres, measure from centre of
wheel to rod and get each axle the same both sides (track width can
vary front to rear so don't expect front measure and rear to be the
same), check that the two rods are the same distance apart at both
ends. Now you've got the vehicle in the middle of two parallel bars,
and can just measure the distance between front edge of each wheel and
rear edge.

You will of course have to bugger about to get the front wheels dead
straight on the steering, but you have to do that with pretty much any
system.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 08:58:43 +0100, Austin Shackles
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
>gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
>between the wheel rims) except in america?
>
>every bugger wants to sell laser ones for about 500 notes, or optical ones
>for about 3-400 notes.
>
>I did find the gunsons trackright but that's not really what I'm looking
>for.

I've got a very old optical one which belonged to my grandfather
originally. IIRC it measures the toe-in/out in 1/64th inch. I can't
see how it can cost so much to make one, but this one on ebay is
(nearly) the same design

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEALEY-Optical-Wheel-Alignment-Gauge_W0QQitemZ150004697064

And a snip at £600!

However i've never used it on my series vehicles, I just use a tape
measure.

Alex

On or around Sat, 08 Jul 2006 11:58:13 +0100, beamendsltd
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>In message <[email protected]>
> Austin Shackles <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> why TF can't I find anyone prepared to sell a simple mechanical tracking
>> gauge (the kind that sits under the vehicle and measures the distance
>> between the wheel rims) except in america?
>>
>> every bugger wants to sell laser ones for about 500 notes, or optical ones
>> for about 3-400 notes.
>>
>> I did find the gunsons trackright but that's not really what I'm looking
>> for.
>
>Tape measure? A bit of a faff, but works fine for LR's!

yeah, I tend to do other things as well. I can use a pair of steel rules on
the landy - one 1m and one 2ft, and a small clamp to hold 'em together.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"Festina Lente" (Hasten slowly) Suetonius (c.70-c.140) Augustus, 25