alignment tech/ help thread

just installed some Fox coilovers and Total Chaos UCAs on my 07 tacoma lifted it about 2.5 inches untill i can get an AAL, and took it to big brand tires to get it aligned. The manager called me out and told me they couldnt align it because the Lower Control arm mounts were bent or something like that and so they couldnt align it anymore and the front passengerside tie rod was bad, But i dont understand how they cant align it when before i installed the front lift it drove perfectly and the lower control arm mounts were exactly the same as they are now? Iv heard of people having the same problem and it might be the Lower control arm bushings wore out and caused the lower control arm to move laterally but i dont know what it is im taking it to a body shop next week to have em look at it anybody know what i could do or try my truck is so bad right now my front passenger side tire squeals when i turn . I am desperate for help! the tire shop gave me a print out of my camber, caster, and toe heres the specs:
Left side: camber -0.1.....caster 3.3.....toe -2.44

Right side: camber 0.6......caster 6.1.........toe -1.50

 

he probably ment that the tabs on the side of the bolt to the UCA's are bent flat which if they are, u wont be able to adjust the bolts. the 2nd gen has very weak tabs and a few people have to had them replaced and total chaos makes a better tab to replace them with

 

i just had my truck aligned yesterday, specs are:

left side right side
camber 0.6 camber 0.9
caster ? caster ?
toe .02 toe .02

I have fox COs set at 3" and camburg ucas, truck drives very straight but the wheels have very noticable positive camber!! It was like this before i went in and i said something to them about the camber. When they were done he said they fixed everything, i asked about the camber and he said there was no way to adjust the camber on my truck! WTF!!! so i just left! How can i adjust the camber myself?

 

i was told this same thing. i wouldnt touch it without a machine. but the big bolt that goes through the lca is what adjusts it. and you are supposed to have some pos camber supposedly. need to go to a rreal alignment shop is what i have learned

 

it supposed to have a little pos or neg camber. i dont know which one.

 

yeah thats bullshit! Dude told me that camber wasnt adjustable and i didnt even feel like arguing cause if he said that then obviously they dont know how to align it! I guess ill just go to an alignment shop instead of a tire shop. I dont know why u would want pos camber though, especially on the street! If anything it just looks like shit

 

after installing after market coilovers and UCAs on my truck i took it in to get aligned and the tire shop said they couldnt alighn it because of some bs reason that i know isnt the case. I took a look under it and noticed the alignment brackets that hold the lower control arm straight were both bent on the front passenger side so the alignment washer doesnt have that edge to keep it in place due to one side being bent. Does anybody have any advice on what i can do to fix this or where i can take it or if this is even the problem at all?

 

ha i posted this same thing almost word for word. haha dumbasses ya just go to a shop that specializes alignment.

 

maybe some of these or make something like it. http://www.polyperformance.com/shop...ower-Control-Arm-Cam-Tab-Gussets-p-24951.html

 

aight so i took my truck to an actual alignment shop today and they told me that they had started on the left side, everything adjusted fine but they could only adjust the camber to +.03 before the tab maxed and then the right side would only adjust to +.08 before being maxed out. He said he wasnt sure why this was, maybe an a arm is tweaked some or maybe because of my tires.

what do yall think? I dont have a diff drop on my truck, yall think that might be it!? He told me if i did anything that i think would help within 60 days they would re-adjust everything for free

 

a diff drop will not affect your alignment, it will just lower your cv angle.

 

Im just tryin to think of anything. Has anyone ever had this problem

 

With full LT and my alignment is still in spec

 

Sub'd

 

So no one can give me a suggestion on a solution? I have my coilovers set on 3”, would lowering them help??

 

this is on my to do list.

 

Do you have stock or aftermarket UCA's? If you have stock UCA's, lowering the coils will help, if you have aftermarket UCA's like Light Racing, they have a camber adjustment on them.

 

i have camburg 1" ucas! I thought about lowering the coils a little bit to see if that helped, u think it still would? They are set on 3"s so pretty they are pretty high

 

ya im pretty sure that will solve your problem.

 

I just added a lot more tubing to strengthen that whole area too