Toe-In Lesson Learned

[Bob Bidonde]

My local Model "A" club recently had a wheel alignment clinic. Of the several Model "A's" participating, some were new restorations, some were "A's" with recently overhauled front ends and some were experienced cars built for touring. Every one of the cars that had its toe-in adjusted via the OEM way using string, sticks and or chains failed to have the correct toe-in when checked with a toe-in machine. One car recently adjusted with the OEM method had 8 degrees toe-in!
In the case of my Model "A," I adjusted the toe-in using a modern machine 2 years ago. Having driven it a few thousand miles since, the steering centers nicely and runs straight with hands-off the wheel. Tire wear is normal.

The bottom line for me is the OEM technique is for ball parking only. Have your car checked with a modern alignment machine.