front end alignment

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northeastmopar

northeastmopar

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Just had my newly installed front end aligned by my local shop. Looked under there today and staring at me was all the brand new components and all these nice grease fittings and none of them had any grease coming out of them? I know a front end alignment does not include grease but would you think the guy doing the job would have squirted some grease or noticed them being new after I told him everything was new and he should check my entire front suspension? Now I am not trusting his alignment? Do you guys think a Dodge dealer would and is capable of aligning my 72 Demon as I do have oversize radial tires and I installed the Moog offset upper bushings as well as PST adjustable strut rods, or will they tell me it is not a stock built car so go somewhere else. Needs to be greased also. Who should I be looking to for the alignment??
 
I don't know about your dealer but mine has a lot of old timers there; I asked the service manager that very same question and he had me talk to the guy who would do the work. I would have every confidence the alignment guy would do it correct. Maybe you might want to talk to the dealer guy doing the work.
 
New Meadows Auto in Topsfield 1-978-887-9247 best around..
 
65 Dartman said:
I don't know about your dealer but mine has a lot of old timers there; I asked the service manager that very same question and he had me talk to the guy who would do the work. I would have every confidence the alignment guy would do it correct. Maybe you might want to talk to the dealer guy doing the work.
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Yep! Just gotta ask, most shops will not say no. I always invited customers to watch me work as long as they did not try to climb under the rack with me. If they ever got to close a little shot from the air grease gun always backed them up a tad! Best way to have educated customers that return for life!
 
Who the heck installed the bushings without greasing them? That's the guy you should be upset with. An alignment service doesn't include any of that, so, the alignment guy shouldn't have to do it for free. He should have said something if in fact all the bushings are dry, but that's a different story.

As for the alignment, most places will only use the factory specs which are for bias ply's and shouldn't be used for radials, and I would wager that is exactly what a dealer would do. If you can find a dealer that would even touch a '72 Demon nowadays. They're in the business of new cars, so, even if they would work on it I wouldn't trust that anyone at a modern dealer would have the foggiest idea of how to work on your Demon. There isn't a dealer around here I would let touch any of my cars. And, really I doubt you need another alignment. What does your spec sheet say?

As for the fittings, just buy one of these and a tube of grease. Problem solved.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lmc-l1325/overview/
 
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If they were packaged and installed bone dry they should have been pre lubed before work/wear loaded or driving on, especially ball socket joints. The question now is how much damage is done. Good luck with it.
 
RedFish said:
If they were packaged and installed bone dry they should have been pre lubed before work/wear loaded or driving on, especially ball socket joints. The question now is how much damage is done. Good luck with it.
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Don't think I've ever gotten a set of ball joints that were totally dry. Should be assembly lube in there at least, so if the car hasn't gone too the ball joints shouldn't be damaged. Some of the bushings on the other hand won't be happy if they weren't installed with at least some assembly lube. Would be pretty obvious though, that would be a squeaky ride.
 
You may find this useful...
IMG_20170313_204037.jpg
 
72bluNblu said:
Who the heck installed the bushings without greasing them? That's the guy you should be upset with. An alignment service doesn't include any of that, so, the alignment guy shouldn't have to do it for free. He should have said something if in fact all the bushings are dry, but that's a different story.

As for the alignment, most places will only use the factory specs which are for bias ply's and shouldn't be used for radials, and I would wager that is exactly what a dealer would do. If you can find a dealer that would even touch a '72 Demon nowadays. They're in the business of new cars, so, even if they would work on it I wouldn't trust that anyone at a modern dealer would have the foggiest idea of how to work on your Demon. There isn't a dealer around here I would let touch any of my cars. And, really I doubt you need another alignment. What does your spec sheet say?

As for the fittings, just buy one of these and a tube of grease. Problem solved.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lmc-l1325/overview/
Click to expand...

The first trip down the road was to the local shop. I printed and gave the mechanic the specs that he should set my front end. I told him camber -0.5 caster +2.5 and toe in 1/16" to 1/8". I installed all the front end components and my first ride was to the shop which is 1/2 block down the road. I probably should have mentioned the grease job, but I did tell him to check the entire front end while in the stand for anything I may have missed. I just thought it was strange that a mechanic doing a front end alignment did not see no less than 8 grease fittings and no grease squeezing out the dust boots or fittings? I told him I would gladly pay for anything he needed to do. I guess I was not clear enough??? I have a grease gun, but I thought it would be easier for my mechanic to do it on the lift. I guess not... I think the joints will all be fine as it has less than a couple miles on it.
 
northeastmopar said:
The first trip down the road was to the local shop. I printed and gave the mechanic the specs that he should set my front end. I told him camber -0.5 caster +2.5 and toe in 1/16" to 1/8". I installed all the front end components and my first ride was to the shop which is 1/2 block down the road. I probably should have mentioned the grease job, but I did tell him to check the entire front end while in the stand for anything I may have missed. I just thought it was strange that a mechanic doing a front end alignment did not see no less than 8 grease fittings and no grease squeezing out the dust boots or fittings? I told him I would gladly pay for anything he needed to do. I guess I was not clear enough??? I have a grease gun, but I thought it would be easier for my mechanic to do it on the lift. I guess not... I think the joints will all be fine as it has less than a couple miles on it.
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I wouldn't worry about it. Pump some grease in them before you drive it again. How does the car handle?
 
northeastmopar said:
and all these nice grease fittings and none of them had any grease coming out of them? I know a front end alignment does not include grease but would you think the guy doing the job would have squirted some grease or noticed them being new after I told him everything was new and he should check my entire front suspension?
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you paid for an alignment not a grease job. why didn't you grease the front end when it was put in?
 
73Swinger18 said:
I wouldn't worry about it. Pump some grease in them before you drive it again. How does the car handle?
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Had the power steering box rebuilt by firm feel with what they called the police package which is suppose to be a more feelable steer and the front seems to track ok, but I only can compare it to my ebody challenger and it is a little floaty on the road. I am just getting to adjusting the shift points with the cable system and I got it pretty good, but I have not as of yet opened the throttle more than 1/3. At that it seems a little loose. But everything is brand new. I also have a front sway bar. Original 340 torsion bars. Moog offset bushings. PST adjustable lower control arm struts. New shocks. The 416 stroker with the 3:55 gears seems as though it will smoke the tires right off the rear of this Abody. Kind of scary compared to my T/A 340 6 pack. So I am being real careful so as not to put this thing into a tree.
 
abodyjoe said:
you paid for an alignment not a grease job. why didn't you grease the front end when it was put in?
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I probably should have. I just intended to have my local mechanic do that when he did the alignment. I forgot to tell him. simple....
 
northeastmopar said:
The first trip down the road was to the local shop. I printed and gave the mechanic the specs that he should set my front end. I told him camber -0.5 caster +2.5 and toe in 1/16" to 1/8". I installed all the front end components and my first ride was to the shop which is 1/2 block down the road. I probably should have mentioned the grease job, but I did tell him to check the entire front end while in the stand for anything I may have missed. I just thought it was strange that a mechanic doing a front end alignment did not see no less than 8 grease fittings and no grease squeezing out the dust boots or fittings? I told him I would gladly pay for anything he needed to do. I guess I was not clear enough??? I have a grease gun, but I thought it would be easier for my mechanic to do it on the lift. I guess not... I think the joints will all be fine as it has less than a couple miles on it.
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Some folks just do not know how to business and retain customers anymore. I bet if he shot some grease that basically cost them a $1 or less for you, you would have a different opinion. It is simple things that make the difference! Back in the 80's I would have been commended for getting another long time customer for a simple decision that required no manager to tell me I gave away a buck to earn $100's more. To many people taking orders from bean counters today!
 
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1969383S said:
Some folks just do not know how to business and retain customers anymore. I bet if he shot some grease that basically cost them a $1 or less for you, you would have different opinion. It is simple things that make the difference! Back in the 80's I would have been commended for getting another long time customer for a simple decision that required no manager to tell me I gave away a buck to earn $100's more. To many people taking orders from bean counters today!
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Yup. He loved my car. Told me how awesome it sounded. Asked me if I still had my T/A. Told me how I always do real nice work on my cars. Does all my work for my entire Family. Small shop, and guy loves Mopars. Must have been real busy that day. But I took it there because we talked about the alignment and the need to not go by the original specs with all the updates I did and he told me he knew exactly where to set it at. I think a Dodge dealer would not have any mechanics old enough or want to spend the time to do this right...
 
northeastmopar said:
Yup. He loved my car. Told me how awesome it sounded. Asked me if I still had my T/A. Told me how I always do real nice work on my cars. Does all my work for my entire Family. Small shop, and guy loves Mopars. Must have been real busy that day. But I took it there because we talked about the alignment and the need to not go by the original specs with all the updates I did and he told me he knew exactly where to set it at. I think a Dodge dealer would not have any mechanics old enough or want to spend the time to do this right...
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DSC_0002.JPG


IMG_4285.JPG
 
northeastmopar said:
Yup. He loved my car. Told me how awesome it sounded. Asked me if I still had my T/A. Told me how I always do real nice work on my cars. Does all my work for my entire Family. Small shop, and guy loves Mopars. Must have been real busy that day. But I took it there because we talked about the alignment and the need to not go by the original specs with all the updates I did and he told me he knew exactly where to set it at. I think a Dodge dealer would not have any mechanics old enough or want to spend the time to do this right...
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Talk to them about it! If they have been good to you in the past they will make right to retain your business. Open communications are everything, just hope you are happy with the alignment you asked for!
 
That's why I do my own alignment at home.. all I needed was a angle finder and measuring tape.. I started this after 2 shops screwed the alignment up. . I eventually might have it checked but it drives perfect.
 
1969383S said:
Some folks just do not know how to business and retain customers anymore. I bet if he shot some grease that basically cost them a $1 or less for you, you would have a different opinion. It is simple things that make the difference! Back in the 80's I would have been commended for getting another long time customer for a simple decision that required no manager to tell me I gave away a buck to earn $100's more. To many people taking orders from bean counters today!
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LOL!! Yeah, in 1985!!! Dude, in most modern dealers they would wander around asking if anybody had a grease gun, or knew where one was, let alone finding a full one!
I also like how judgmental people are when they're not the ones doing it. As mentioned, the OP was there for an alignment, not a grease job. Did the OP trailer His ride
to the shop? My buddy just did Sat. when He brought the '67GT in after putting drop spindles,1" T-bars,tubular arms,& Firm feel tie-rod assy's. Maybe the tech thought
the OP was being thoughtful so He wouldn't get friggin' grease all over Himself performing the alignment. Some people w/nice rides wouldn't tolerate grease oozing out
of their joints all over, not to mention some sealing boots shouldn't be filled 'till they spew, You pump 'em 'till they start to swell & stop. What, the alignment Guy is a
mind reader? We get paid 1.5hrs. in My shop for a 4-wheel alignment, whether We get stuck heating/beating/bleeding or begging the s**t to move, that's flat rate Bud!
I certainly wouldn't balk at shooting the dude's fittings if asked, but chances are like my buddy's car, I lost My butt cause there was a long way to go to get it right. If
nobody says do it, it ain't gettin' done, that's just the way it is the way they get paid. I agree some are short sighted about customer service, but We weren't at the
private shop I worked at.
 
Darren said:
That's why I do my own alignment at home.. all I needed was a angle finder and measuring tape.. I started this after 2 shops screwed the alignment up. . I eventually might have it checked but it drives perfect.
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I do the string alignment myself with level. Don't drive enough since getting back on the road in 2014 and know I want to pull the engine back out for a few back to original changes ( mainly oil pan) and will only take it out and back in through the bottom. About 2k miles thus far and the tires look like new! No need to machine it till it's really ready!
 
LOL!, You can disagree all You want, what I said is straight up, 99% of all the tie-rods & ball-joints are sealed Sport. Nobody is shooting grease in s**t these days 99% of
the time, less than that at a Dealership, plain fact. If it wasn't for our pre-owned inventory getting grease-able replacement parts, We wouldn't have one use for a grease
gun............ever.
 
The shop probably didn't have any genuine Mopar grease ...
 
Killer6 said:
LOL!! Yeah, in 1985!!! Dude, in most modern dealers they would wander around asking if anybody had a grease gun, or knew where one was, let alone finding a full one!
I also like how judgmental people are when they're not the ones doing it. As mentioned, the OP was there for an alignment, not a grease job. Did the OP trailer His ride
to the shop? My buddy just did Sat. when He brought the '67GT in after putting drop spindles,1" T-bars,tubular arms,& Firm feel tie-rod assy's. Maybe the tech thought
the OP was being thoughtful so He wouldn't get friggin' grease all over Himself performing the alignment. Some people w/nice rides wouldn't tolerate grease oozing out
of their joints all over, not to mention some sealing boots shouldn't be filled 'till they spew, You pump 'em 'till they start to swell & stop. What, the alignment Guy is a
mind reader? We get paid 1.5hrs. in My shop for a 4-wheel alignment, whether We get stuck heating/beating/bleeding or begging the s**t to move, that's flat rate Bud!
I certainly wouldn't balk at shooting the dude's fittings if asked, but chances are like my buddy's car, I lost My butt cause there was a long way to go to get it right. If
nobody says do it, it ain't gettin' done, that's just the way it is the way they get paid. I agree some are short sighted about customer service, but We weren't at the
private shop I worked at.
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I did it for years, all of it, not just alignments before deciding to better myself due to these attitudes. That is what the ASE Master Tech patch was for! Sounds like most the DA's in my shop. They never got the big picture! It is a noble profession that has many rewards, including damn good pay! I left making an honest 500 a week with 3 days of waiting work after taxes, in 88 to better myself at 7.50 an hour in a 40 hour week. It was a poor desicion at the time, but in the long run I made the right choice. If needed I would return with my own shop and change the local opinion of many who have dealt with shops like this. A 30 gallon barrel of grease costs little per vehicle through the shop. It goes much further than that and it is hard to replace good paying customers that refer many more!
 
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You really don't seem to get it, what if the tech decided to grab the grease gun & be "Harry Helpful", then the owner flipped out 'cause he had His own "special grease"
waiting at home when He trailered it back. You don't do things nobody asked You to do because sometimes they don't want You to. Again, He's a mind reader? I KNOW
people that wouldn't grease them 1st, or want someone else to, so grease wouldn't accidentally get on stuff they would have to clean. If I had done the alignment, I
easily could believe this person was anal retentive enough to not want grease all over the place, & cleaned it up after lubing. Again, I KNOW these kinds of people.
 
Killer6 said:
You really don't seem to get it, what if the tech decided to grab the grease gun & be "Harry Helpful", then the owner flipped out 'cause he had His own "special grease"
waiting at home when He trailered it back. You don't do things nobody asked You to do because sometimes they don't want You to. Again, He's a mind reader? I KNOW
people that wouldn't grease them 1st, or want someone else to, so grease wouldn't accidentally get on stuff they would have to clean. If I had done the alignment, I
easily could believe this person was anal retentive enough to not want grease all over the place, & cleaned it up after lubing. Again, I KNOW these kinds of people.
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Like I said a few posts earlier, communications, it is a simple thing! Know your customers and talk to them and vise versa! It ain't a hard thing to comprehend. Before we had phones, iPads and text it worked pretty good!
:lol:
 
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