Alignment won't stay put

[skidmarksgarage.com]

Align the car for 1/8 toe in then drive it 2 blocks and now has 1 1/2 toe out, I suspect the jam nut on the right inner tie rod but all is tight. It has done this twice now any ideas it's a 70 beetle ( Baja ) Thanks, Mark.
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http://skidmarksgarage.com/

Mark

[David_nc_72std]

[wcfvw69]

Nothing worn out as far as tie rods, ball joints, etc?
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[VW_Jimbo]

I am guessing you are using a tape measure on a groove in the tire threads. That is really hard to do with any precision or reliability. A better method is to take a lenght of black pipe. Weld a piece of flat steel 12 inches long to each end of the pipe, so that it looks like a "U". Fabricate so that there is an inch of play between the tires. Then slide that "U" under the car and rotate it up, so that the pipe is on the ground and each of the steel bar is next to the inside of each tire. Slide the bar towards one tire and rest it against it. It will stay there, if you balance it against the tire. Now on the other front tire, get down there and measure the distance between the tire and the steel upright. Do this for front and back of the tire. Also, make certain the car is actually pointed straight.

You can get an idea of what straight is by driving down a straight street for a 1/2 mile or so. Take a piece of blue tape with you, and when you find the point where the car goes straight, mark the steering wheel by wrapping the top center point with tape.

After that get the car on a level surface and measure the toe with the gauge. You typically want a hair greater than an 1/8 of an inch.

Adjust the toe as needed and retest. After you have the measurement, you need to address the streeing wheel. Do not just pop the steering wheel off and turn it and rebolt to the shaft. That will diminish one side of the turning radius. You need to get the wheel back to a center point, in relation to the steering wheel. You can mark the tie rods with a dot of paint and count revolutions at the one side and then transfer that over to the other side going in the opposite direction. Thus a ying for yang. You will eventually get close to center. When you do recheck the toe and call it good!

Note: BEFORE adjusting anything, be 100 percent certain there are no worn out suspension parts, as this will all be in vain!

An even easier method is to repair everything you find faulty with the steering components and suspension and go get an alignment at a reputable shop. They can do the alignment quicker, better and set the back toe and thrust angle too!