Making A '66 Mustang Go Straight Down The Road

[@farmermiyagi1338]

I'm so old, I learned to do wheel alignments with bubble gauges and a pointer stick. Back in the day, when you actually had to understand the numbers to do a proper alignment. This takes me way back.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

How difficult is it to align a 1958 Plymouth Suburban? Car is in my profile picture.

[@kennypool]

I never understood that caster camber stuff, transmissions rebuild with my eyes closed, go figure.

[@jamespfitz]

Me too!

[@scrappy7571]

@@dans_Learning_Curve Those have eccentrics, but still a miserable job to make the adjustments. I had to align my landlords 57 desoto, same suspension. Also had problems getting modern equipment to attach to the rear wheels, the quarter panel covers half the wheel.

[@r.weaver3769]

Yep. When geometry helped big time.

[@floorpizza8074]

I learned more about vehicle alignment in this 32 minute video than my entire 56 years on this planet. Thanks, Mr. O.

[@JeffWok]

Add another 54 years to that statement

[@sir_frag1868]

He never gives himself enough credit. I've been wrenching 40 years now and still learn something new with his videos. New cars scare me. To many brains in the way. Bring back air, fuel and spark please.

[@shadetreemech290]

@@sir_frag1868 You're forgetting compression and timeing.

[@sir_frag1868]

@shadetreemech290 true true, but to get there, you still needed the important 3. Can't time it if it doesn't start. The ears tell the story though. We've all done. Ear tune timing my stepfather always taught me. Not so easy 40 yrs later.

[@djsi38t]

its all useless for a moden car so you learned a bunch of useless info.

[@2tommyrad]

Eric... one of 12 people on Earth that actually cares about his product. Nice job! Ship it.

[@CMDR_CLASSIFIED]

I must be one of said 12 people! LOL! I just finished fixing a 1970 Mach 1, with the 428 Super Cobra Jet in it. The car hadn't run in over a decade. Had to pull the dash to replace the main wiring harness, as the old one let the angry pixies loose at some point in time! It had some old school NAPA performance dual points distributor that even NAPA couldn't find parts for, so I had to spend hours online just looking at pictures to find the parts needed to rebuild it. The carb was pretty easy, as it was basically a Holley 4150 style. Had to rebuild the steering column as well. Next was brakes. Everything from the master to the wheels was replaced, lines included. Luckily when we bought the car, it came with a plethora of new parts. She's quite the beast now, and goes like a bat outta Hell! Have a great day! o7

[@rawcado]

Who are the other 11? 😆

[@CycleGeezer-cq9lm]

Eric says he's not an "old car guy" or an alignment expert and then goes about proving what an expert he is. Such humility! If more mechanics had the knowledge and desire to do the job correctly like Eric, there would be a lot more trust in repair shops. Kudos, Mr. O. Keep doing the good, honest, knowledgeable work with good explanations and we'll keep watching your excellent videos!! Well done.

[@jgreitz]

I was taught by my dad who worked in cars in the 40's, 50's up to 2002. Tape measure, plumb bob and levels. Last alignment i did on a dodge 3500 dually in my garage. Took it in to the most reputable aligmentment ahop with computerized maxhine tk check, nothing out of adjustment. They asked, who did the alignment? I said i did the way the old school did it. They said it was perfect. Geometry class paid off. Eric, you rock!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

My profile picture is my late father's car which I learned to wrench on.

[@ironnerd8336]

I still would like to find out how my grandfather did alignments. I can still hear him laughing about cars running down the road like a hound dog. I watched him do it thousands of times. Roll up on a Curtis ramp, put the Lobster Claw on it, and beat the hell out of some stuff. He made a career out of it. No chance now since he died in the 90s. It might have been a trade secret, though. He did side work for Holman-Moody.

[@281shaker]

Put lowering springs, adjustable panhard bar & rear suspension on my 2008 GT500 and aligned it on the garage floor with fishing line and a $10 angle finder. I then took it to a shop to check it, and they said they "barely tweaked" one side for toe. 12 years later it still is straight and true. Most things can be accomplished with a little sweat and ingenuity!

[@martiningenbrandt4336]

Brings back memories. Worked at a Goodyear service center back in the seventies. Did a lot of alignments. Upper control arm bolts were splined in the control arm.

[@adamtrombino106]

I worked for a GoodYear in the 90s. GMs weren't splined, Old Chryslers had cam bolts that were frozen, and later 1s had sliding upper arms that had to be done with the weight off of them, then u had to compensate everything for live camber/caster shots. It took hrs to do! On the Mopars with torsion bars, you had to check ride height 1st, checking for bent bars and k frames. Fun times!

[@DietBajaBlast]

growing up we had a black '66 mustang with the straight 6. I watched my dad rebuild the entire car. Great memories, I know I'll enjoy this one.

[@tomd5010]

We had the original 65. Straight 6 with a 3 speed manual shift. Boy was I pissed when it got rear ended so bad it had to be totaled.

[@craigpennington1251]

@@tomd5010 Can imagine so. My sister had a 64 &1/2. Straight 6 and a 3 speed standard stick shift. Damn good running car & no power accessories or A/C> The Plain Jane as we used to call them.

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

When I lived in USA for a few years I grabbed a genuine 64-1/2 ragtop with some SERIOUS cancer issues (floor pans and rockers had reached the point where it was starting to sag in the middle). I LOVED working on that old pig!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Learned to wrench on the car in my profile picture.

[@gregking7926]

I had a 66' vintage burgundy hard top coupe, black pony interior, GT package. 289 2 bbl with the C4 automatic. I liked the 4-60 air conditioning it had, 4 windows down at 60 mph.. Wished I had kept it now it was sweet. Having all that room in the engine compartment to work in was a bonus unlike todays cars.

[@daves4202]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how nice & shiny that engine bay is?

[@Maulzy23]

Love the old workshop manual open on the modern alignment rack with the translation next to it. Awesome car.

[@carguy0000]

I did a complete alignment at home on my c2 corvette >> didn't have any turn tables under the front wheels so i used garbage bags -- oil in between the two garbage bags -- worked great - easy to turn - used a long string hooked on safety stands to make sure the rear end was square and toe was right . turned out great .

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Great idea using the bags for a turntable!!

[@jfv65]

Smart idea!

[@johngriffin6815]

Pizza pans work great as well.

[@researchandbuild1751]

I used two plastic cutting boards with lithium grease in between to pivot on

[@kens.3729]

It’s pretty Amazing that you’re always Willing and Able to do What the Customer is Asking for. That’s Why you have so many Viewers that Appreciate your Efforts.

[@johnt.848]

Whats with all the capital letters, was there a sale on them?

[@vm9684]

These kind of alignments haunt my dreams and I've only done 3! Those 2 bolt upper c arms got me waking up in a cold sweat. "Did I adjust that right?, the computer said I got it, but that doesn't stop me replaying the alignment in my head at 3 a.m. Hats off to you sir!

[@jameslovitt994]

Felllow did a nice job restoring that mustang. Man I don't miss aligning older cars, especially after they've been wrecked and "fixed" about a half dozen times.

[@Troy_Built]

Sometimes the only way you were going to get that steering wheel straight was to pull it and recenter it.

[@kthwkr]

This episode was great. Brings back old memories as a teenager working with a very experienced boss who taught me how to put in those shims and align a car. Needless to say my own car was perfectly in align that year. Having been adjusted every few weeks as I tried new things I had learned.

[@thk7513]

My alignment days started in 1973 with a bubble gauge and toe in beam system. Oh the memories! Some of the alignments were head bangers, we didn't have the electronics that can compensate for thrust angle or total toe. Hadn't thought much about till this video. Thanks Eric!

[@lvsqcsl]

Was that "bubble gauge" a Kwik-eze magnetic gauge? I still have mine.

[@thk7513]

If my memory serves me correctly, I want to say it was a Hunter. The system had four stand alone stands that were leveled to the floor. The one with the turntables, the turn tables were not anchored to the stand. Found that out when I picked up the stand and the turn table fell off and landed on my foot, breaking my foot.

[@CannaMike420]

I'm an old '73 Bear Alignment tech and this visual brings back many memories of skinned knuckles and well placed curse words!

[@TomM-iw3te]

Good to see someone watching Eric’s videos that has experience with ‘older’ techniques. I got my earlier experience working the drag racing pits at Carlsbad in the mid 60’s. I’m astonished at how for engineering has changed mostly for the good and occasionally to my frustration. All the best!

[@seastacker8582]

The ratchet strap to the pry bar…. Classsic. That’s a safety third move you would definitely see in my home garage. Love it.

[@jeffdriver3000]

I own a 1968 Mustang Coup that I rebuilt myself. One thing you have to remember is in the 60's all tires were bias ply, Radial tires didn't come out until the late 70's so wheel alignment will be different. On classic Mustangs the preferred alignment spec with radial tires and power steering is 0 to -.5 deg camber, 2.5- 3.5 deg caster and 1/8-1/4 toe-in. I also works in automotive for years including doing wheel alignments with the older style computer machines that ran lines between the heads

[@jamespfitz]

My 66 Bonneville arrived with vintage glass belts. Like driving on ice.

[@lvsqcsl]

I remember my dad owning a set of French-made Michelins on his car in the mid-60's and they were radials. I used to set 1/4 degree positive camber on each side and 1/2 degree caster spread. If the car didn't have power steering you would try to adjust that caster close to 0 degrees; makes it easier to maneuver in parking lots. In the early '80's, I worked with a Hunter C-111 computer machine and later a D-111. When cars went to front-wheel drive you had to align the back as well as the front to a "thrust" angle. There still is nothing like a good 'ol magnetic gauge.

[@turbo32coupe]

I agree. I use 4 degrees caster, 7 with power steering. 0 to 0.5 degrees positive caster for the road, negative camber for racing. It's best to lower the upper 'A' arm to Shelby specs to increase the camber change when cornering. My car is a 68 Mustang also. I added electric power steering. The car tracks like it's on rails. Goes straight at the drag strip.

[@alexlail7481]

My dad taught me how to do an alignment on a ford truck (twin-I beam & TTB) with rope , tape and a couple wrenches... he also taught me as much as it matters on most vehicles on those close is the best you'll get and you can't tell the difference beyond it holding a straight line down the road...

[@robertchambers9774]

Ooh the memories. I worked as a line mechanic in a Ford dealer when the first Mustangs came out in 1964.. Did not like doing alignments then either!

[@darylhudson777]

I bought a 1966 Ford Mustang for $150.00 from a salvage yard owned by a member of the church I attended. It was a 200 ci straight 6 with a 3 speed manual trans with floor shifter. It was a pleasure to drive. Would drive one today if I had the money. Good job, brother. ✝️☝️🕊️😇❤️🔥🙏👏🇺🇸👍

[@Afrattzz1]

Mrs. O did a great job helping you line it up on the lift. Much better than some techs I’ve worked with 😂

[@marknease1631]

I like that scene in Animal House when they’re pulling Flounder’s brother’s car inside the garage, and they show it going too far and crashing into the front of the garage, and Bluto, who was supposed to be guiding the driver in, then puts up his hand and signals to the driver and says, “ok you’re good”

[@1337penguinman]

Well, she was paying attention. Which is the first step.

[@JOHNROWE-cl9iq]

Nice job Eric. Alignments on the old cars is kind of an art. When I first learned I had an alignment pit and a bubble gauge. We graduated to a Bear Computetized Alignment Machine and a Hunter rack in the mid eighty's. Alignments were always satisfying for me, especially the ones that came in totally jacked up to begin with. Again, great job. Always enjoy the posts.

[@Danzilly]

Evening Eric! Nice to see you take a break from the modern stuff.

[@chrisjackson9102]

As a classic mustang owner, i will say you went above and beyond. I had mine realigned twice after working on the feont end. Took it to the best alignment shop in 100 miles (guys brought their exotics in there from The City). All they would promise was to get it in the green for the camber and caster. Good job Mr O.

[@bluethunder1951]

I did my 51 GMC years ago after the rebuild, using a tape measure and adjusting the tapered shim, this brings back memories, great job 👍🏻.

[@c.e.anderson558]

You never cease to amaze me. Truly. My dad was helicopter mechanic in Korea. We NEVER took a car to mechanic. I learned all the cuss words him changing ball joints on 64 Comet . I was about 10. So I learned a bunch over the years but alignment scared me. You see why on this ' stang. Keep up the good work.

[@man350z]

Look at all that arm room in the engine bay. Reminded me of my 1977 Camaro with the room it had, I was able to sit on the fender while changing the spark plugs and adjusting the carb. Those were the days!!!!

[@jimgoff1170]

I used to rebuild these front suspensions a lot in the eighties, 65 and 66 had to be shimmed and the bolts are splined and will not turn. In 67 and later, they adjusted camber with an eccentric cam on the lower arm, and caster was adjusted with a threaded strut rod. Those upper bushings are metal and threaded into the control arm and onto the upper shaft, they were very noisy when worn, or in rainy weather! I agree with the sentiment that some things are better left in the past!

[@griffinreitz7041]

Wow, a car I can not only work on, but actually know a LOT about. Worked on the line, for ford, in the 70s. Usually the old manual cars had negative caster. We didn't go to positive till power steering came out. Negative will steer easier. Positive will return to center faster and easier.

[@rayboudreault1452]

I got a kick out of this video, my brother who was a mechanic for firestone here in Canada in the early 70. He was a front end and brake specialist which included front end alignments. One of his favorite sayings was that he was working on a customized box of duz. He was a mechanic for over forty years and had lots of stories such as yourself, I enjoy your videos tremendously, please continue for as long as you and mrs O are able to.

[@zzschulzz]

OMG, LOVE the sound of that engine!!!

[@bigdog7813]

I'm an old midwestern wrencher from the 70s. Trade school taught us to add 1/4 more camber on the left and 1/2 more caster on the right. This was done to compensate for the crown in the road (required to prevent pooling of water on the roads). As for old Mustangs, Falcons, etc., they had notorious problems with the shock (strut) towers flexing inward over time (frame flex). This would cause issues with excessive negative camber and also affect caster. They used to sell an aftermarket brace to tie the two towers together to help prevent the flex. Might be an option for this 'Stang. These vehicles also had issues with control arm bushings. Bushing wear will also cause negative camber and affect caster. It goes without saying that any changes in camber and caster also affect toe. Another helpful hint; in addition to rolling the car forward and backwards to help settle things out after making adjustments, I used to pull down on the bumper a couple times to help make sure all was good. Great video as always. Thank you for sharing.

[@WyGuyyy]

One of my favorite feelings as a tech is taking some car that drives sloppy as heck, giving it a proper alignment (or two cuz perfect toe is hard), and then feeling the massive improvements afterwards. Dealing with pulls caused by tires can be annoying though.

[@matthopcroft2535]

Hats off to you!!! You’re not afraid of any repair. You keep us informed and inspired every day. Thank you and your team including Mrs. O 👍

[@senior_ranger]

Thanks for the nostalgia. My second car was a '66 fire engine red Mustang 289, three speed in 1967 --- and I wish I still had it!!! Disappointed this one had auto trans, but it did look and sound good. My girlfriend at the time had a black '65 High Performance Mustang with an engine that had a sultry sound like I've never heard from any other car!

[@CrazyPetez]

As the former owner of a 1965 Mustang, I found this video fascinating. 👍

[@johntuttle5396]

Fun Weird Fact. The original Musang was based on the Ford Falcon, verified by the fact that the antique shop manual that Eric was referencing for the alignment specs is for the 1966 Comet, Falcon, Fairlane AND Mustang. Fun to see Eric working on a car that was made when men were men, cars were strictly electro/mechanical and computers needed paper punch cards to operate - with no one ever imagining that someday somehow they'd fit into a car and be used to run its engine (and everything else)! 😃

[@additudeobx]

I owned a 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint with a 260 V8, 4 speed and a Hurst shifter. I wished I'd never sold that car.

[@robertfitzgerald3432]

@@additudeobx I owned a 1970 Mustang convertible, 302, 2 barrel, auto-trans, single exhaust. Was a monster on the highway being lighter (without the steel roof-weight). I made the mistake of trading it in for a new five-on-the floor short box E150 351 Windsor, Van. Had the Van for 14 years. On the tenth year I began experiencing starting problems after running in hot weather, when briefly sahutting off the engine (1/2 hour or less). Stopping for Gas was always a Prayer - are you going to start..75% no. Took me three months to find the problem..Not: Electronic Module, Coil or Coil hi and low tension wires, nor ignition switch or ign wiring..?

[@scottnusser6232]

I'm still doing them that way in my shop 40 yrs later 😅 Hunter guy says I'm Fred Flintstone. Won't bet me 500 bucks my ways are dead in the middle of the green zone on his fancy machine😂 . My steering wheels are always centered also, pride myself on that fact. Only way to know that is to do what Eric always does, a thorough road test to make sure it's right. That's what sets Eric apart from the other ying yangs😅

[@robertfitzgerald3432]

Oh, was not starter, though I burned the first starter out.. engine turned over..not starting circuit or solenoid, either.

[@BobSakamoto]

@@scottnusser6232 I was sent in as service manager to redeem some shops that were failing due to bad reputation. It was not unusual to find them charging extra for removing and recentering the steering wheel. That made my blood boil.

[@danielbrown4133]

Hello there Mr O, I'm in Australia and was on the tools as a teenage apprentice motor mechanic back in the 1970s and 1980s, I wheel aligned thousands of our model Ford Falcons back in those days. Our Ford Falcons had a front suspension system similar to the front suspension system of the Mustang you are presently aligning, however, the slight difference between that Mustang and our Ford Falcons was that ours had a thick eccentric cam adjustment washer fitted as part of the front face of the lower inner control arm retaining bolt. A corresponding retaining plate was also welded to the front and rear faces of the lower inner crossmember on the vehicle. When the front end of the lower inner control arm bolt and eccentric cam washer was pushed through from the front of the vehicle, the bolt and eccentric cam washer assembly would pass through the front welded crossmember plate, the lower inner crossmember, the lower inner control arm, the rear face of the lower inner crossmember and the welded plate on the rear face of the lower crossmember. Once the bolt was fully pushed all the way through that, the mechanic would then fit a thick eccentric cam washer to the rear most portion of the lower control arm bolt along with a corresponding spring washer and nut. This, along with the welded plates on the front and rear lower crossmember allowed the Camber to be adjusted and tightened up at that point without the need for any shims (If I saw your Shop Manual pages correctly, it had a diagram there showing the lower inner control arm bolt with eccentric cam washer, and the welded adjustment plates on the lower inner crossmember which I previously referred to). This allowed independent Camber adjustment which I found made Camber adjustments very quick and easy. The diagram also showed what I call an adjustable strut bar which could be adjusted forwards or backwards to increase or reduce Caster. Toe-in was adjusted the same way you did it after the other two adjustments were done. It appears this Mustang it didn't have that type of adjustment capability which would have made the job so much easier and a lot less time consuming for you. Being Right Hand Drive here, our wheel alignment specs were, Camber 0 to -1/2 degree, Caster 0 up to +1/2 degree on the right hand side (Driver's Side) but had to be adjusted to a lesser setting than the passenger side which was set to up to +1 degree on the (Passenger's Side). This would ever so slightly push the vehicle up the road camber (not normally noticeable by the driver) to counteract any vehicle wander due to the way our roads were constructed back in the day. If the driver/owner wanted more high speed stability and steering feel we'd dial in more positive Caster in the manner described before which made the steering heavier. Toe-in was about 1/8th. I hope you are able to make sense out of all of this. I enjoy watching you work and keep up the high standards. All the best Dan.

[@robpeabo509]

You showed us enough Eric. The mechanics of unscrewing and unscrewing a bolt is something we should all be able to do. SHowing us the wheel alignment process and the shim locations along with your commentary for aligning this vehicle and similar vehicles that require shims was invaluable.

[@tomkukuk2326]

Boy did this video take me back! I started my mechanic career in 1973 in a Ford dealership and did alignments on these day in and day out. Didn't have electronic alignment equipment....I still have my magnetic gauge and toe bar. I retired after 50 plus years and now get my mechanic fix by watching you fix them. Great job. I enjoy your channel immensely. Thank You.

[@earlribaudo4807]

Man, does that bring back memories. I bought a new 66 Mustang and I was a brake and front end mechanic for Firestone. I hated the 65 and 66 Mustangs for alignments. Took so much time and very frustrating using the old alignment machines. In 67 Ford came out with the cams and man was that a joy. Loved it. But I just hated to align my car. Also the old ford pick ups with the straight axles. Using a hydraulic jack to bend the axle one way or the other for camber, another fun one. Of course there were other ones also that were crappy, but the Mustang, in my opinion was the worst. Great video, patience and I am sure off camera there were a few choice words. lol

[@scrappy7571]

Remember the upper bushings were metal and squeaked like crazy. Guys would torch a hole in the inner fender to get a zerk fitting installed. Miserable cars to align.

[@springfield4522]

Thanks for showing an older vehicle. Us folks with '60's cars can use all the examples we can get.

[@Averna222]

New cars may be better designed for faster and easier alignments, but being in the rust belt, I'll take this design any day of the week. Working at a dealer, I regularly see seized up adjusters after only 3 years, exactly as you said.

[@FB-111A]

A blast from the past. My first car was a 1966 Plymouth Valiant with a 170cubic inch slant six. I may not have been the cool kid in High School, but I learned the value of a dollar and the value of life. Thanks for sharing.

[@mlsargent51]

My first alignment ever was on a camaro, with no instructions on how to use the machine, or what I was actually trying to accomplish. 2 hrs later I had gotten it. Seeing you do this style still gets me lil heart beating a little faster.. lol

[@buffdelcampo]

I learned alignment back in 1971. Most of the cars had shims. We used hub gauges so we moved from side to side usually twice to get it right. I disliked the small Ford products with the spring pressure on the upper control arms. The cars with springs on the lower control arms were easy. The upper inner shafts were accessible from under the hood. The toe was similar, drive down the road and readjust to make the steering wheel straight. This brought back some memories. I had several Mustangs. I set camber at a 1/2 negative on my cars. We didn't do that on customer cars. Probably set them at 1/8 positive. I moved on to aircraft after a few years. Now I'm retired and working on my old cars again. Great video! Thanks.

[@geyser3445]

Nice to see a car made out of metal instead of plastic like modern cars.

[@Dale-t9y]

Hello to Avoca, NY! My great grandparents were from there back in the 50’s. Nice part of our country. I own two 66 Mustangs too. Great video! Thanks.

[@johntaylor1947]

I love it ''toggle switches and house wiring.''

[@bigdteakettle8989]

I learned to do alignments on a machine that had mirrors hanging off the wheels. I had never even heard of 4 wheel alignments at that time. I hated aligning the Fords with sliding control arms. If your tool ever slipped you were picking yourself up from the floor of the front end pit.

[@scrappy7571]

I still have that tool to pull on the arms. Another obsolete tool taking up valuable space.

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

​@@scrappy7571same here. Lots of arcane tools in my now retired tool box

[@stevecorey3399]

As a former professional wrench from back then 1976 I went to Hunter alignment school in Bridgeton Mo. I understand complete process!! My shop was “The South side Chicago Alingnment shop” you explain yourself perfectly! Still 🔧 Wrenching at 68 yrs young, And just purchased a bi derectional scan tool . You are a true professional young Man ,,,, Total Respect

[@keithstudly6071]

I think that this job showed the value in knowing the basics about alignment. Between modern 'gee wiz' racks and cars that try and compensate for a bad alignment it's easy to get distracted on what it is your really trying to accomplish. Thanks Eric!

[@clonetrooper576]

Big props to Eric for actually accepting an old car like this. Most shops wouldn't touch this

[@chrisharris8727]

Wow talk about bringing back the memories. I’ve been a mechanic over here in the uk for about 45 years and I’m semi retired now. I can remember learning about castor, camber and alignment etc as an apprentice. My first experience was with the type of gauges that had a small level bubble and a mirror on one end with the degrees on the other end and you looked though a view finder to see where your adjustment was taking you. I absolutely agree with the “if you you’re going the way you think it should go the other way” Great content Mr O keep up the great work 👍🏻👍🏻

[@kmath50]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. When I was in my High School auto shop, I worked on many Mustangs. A lot of kids in my school inherited them from their parents or bought them. The alignment rack that we used was nothing compared to the cool stuff they have today.

[@goptools]

Back in the day I did tons of alignments on a manual machine. If the car wasn't pulling left or right and was wearing evenly on the tires, you would sometimes check the caster and camber but tend to leave it alone because you could make it worse by setting it closer to "perfect" according to the factory specs. Also, getting the sterring wheel straight could be a bit of a black art. Especially if the customer just replaced the inner and outer tie rod ends himself/herself. Ford did go to eccentric cams on the control arms at one point but the exact year escapes me now. That car probably tracks way better than it ever did new!

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

My 71 Torino had cams on the lower arms and strut rod adjustment for caster. My Dad's Maverick was the same.

[@diagnosticsdoneright]

Did a bunch of these in tech school and I definitely don't miss it. Brought back memories, thanks.

[@jdef1]

As an amateur mechanic, this was incredibly helpful, Eric. Thanks brother.

[@michaelhawthorne8696]

Oh....what a beautiful air filter....not hidden by loads of plastic.... That's one nice sounding car Eric....

[@GarnConstructionInc]

Nice job to keep a nice ride literally on the road!

[@garyradtke3252]

I remember the old Chrysler products with cams that where usually froze up and had to be beaten loose or replaced because the D hole and bolt was rounded out. GM's with shims where easier and the ford sliding control arm was fairly easy if you had the newer tool for it. No mater what it was always a pain in the winter time when the packed ice and snow had to be removed first then the remainder drips in your eyes, mouth and down the back that is already chilled. NOW I remember why I learned to hate my passion in life and change my professions!

[@titaniumman_22]

Nice work man…that Mustang sounds and looks great! 🇺🇸

[@paulwatts3328]

WOW Who is this guy ? I learned more about alignment in this video than my 58 years.Noboby Nobody (clarify NOBODY) does it better. you are the real deal mister ( Mrs.O too) cheers

[@ronthepainter3313]

This was very informative as I have a 1965 Comet with basically (or close to) the same suspension and eventually it will need an alignment.

[@rickburt7055]

Had a '65 Caliente 2 Dr ht. Wish I had it now.

[@stephenfloat1260]

Its really good to see someone doing the job correctly this is the way I was taught

[@drfalcon4102]

Did a few dozen of these back in the day, including my own 64 Falcon, it was easier to get the reading , and put the car on a regular rack , install the shims and then set toe,, usually worked well for me.

[@duanebuck193]

Had my 30' Diesel Pusher aligned just before I took it on a 5K trip in May/June, and one of the things they apologized for was that my thrust angle was 4 inches off and they could only get it back to about 3/4 of an inch (the joys of a DP). For the first time since buying the RV 6 years ago I was able to go down the road and actually take my hands off the steering wheel - I knew that there would be an improvement, but not the level that I got! The shop took pride in their work, and my rig showed that they knew what they were doing!!

[@johnkendrick7304]

Great video as usual. It's really good to see someone do conscientious work. Wish they were more like you out there. Keep up the good work

[@kwmiked]

Thanks for coming in today Fella 👌🤙👍🏻

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great job, Eric! Not everyday you see alignment with shims (except on differentials). Very informative and entertaining to watch!

[@SocketSilver]

Ivan’s old school way of setting alignment and SMA garage Bay classroom instruction video are classics. 100!

[@markmalikowski4971]

That was awesome. Education for an old school front end adjustment. Thanks for taking us along.

[@jamesdowney2077]

That’s my dads dream car. 66 mustang convertible, 289 with a 4 speed manual. That was a great video bringing back to the old times when everything was manual, and no outside interference.

[@marvinschleicher5542]

It’s good to know how camber and caster affects the steering of a vehicle. I have heard of bump steer but didn’t know what that meant. Thanks for all the info.

[@GunfighterWyo]

The 1966 Mustang did not have the clock and tach on the steering wheel. The 289 was a great engine. Great to see the road warrior again. My Mother had a 1966 Mustang. The front grill is from a 1967 Mustang. The taillights are not Mustang at all.You did a wonderful job explaining and making repairs.

[@kevinkoepke8311]

Fun watching this. I've never done a wheel alignment but watched when getting one. Thanks Eric!

[@muasboy]

God bless you Eric. I have a 91 toyota pickup. Entire front suspension replaced. No rust. She needs shims for caster and camber. I went to 3 shops. Told them that she’s all new in the front. Every bolt/nut will break loose. All 3 shops didn’t want to align my truck Did massive research, spent a whole day doing a home alignment. She’s not perfect. But she tracks pretty straight for diy.

[@steveoh9838]

Agreed, a little negative camber is good, especially with modern radial tires. Good job!

[@smokinwithskruggs]

Man, i do not miss those days of alignments. I remember charging 49.95 to do all that crap. Hats off to you Sir. Most folks now aday wouldnt even touch that car and if they did they would set the toe send it out the door with a crooked steering wheel.

[@jatco84]

Damn...what a trip down memory lane. Not being a mechanic, tho fully aware of the processes.. it's great to see a classic Mustang on the road. Loved the journey and your perseverance on getting that alignment to work. Great Vid. Thanks Eric..!!

[@tedbudzilek6113]

Firstly, love your channel and content. I was an under car mechanic and specialized on suspensions and alignments. Maybe you didn't record it, but the first step in doing an alignment is check that the front tires are the same size and manufacturer and the same for the rear. The next step is to check and set air pressure. I can't tell you how many alignments I did using just a tire pressure guage. It's the first thing to check if a customer complains of the car pulling to the side. An "old timers" trick was to leave the drivers door open to simulate someone sitting in the driver's seat. Of course, doors weighed more back in those days, but it gave you some preload. Doing that could change the left side camber by negative 1/2 degree and right side positive 1/2 degree, especially on yhe old big gms. Keep up the great content and you sir, are a God when it comes to operating a flame wrench!

[@spencerduncan]

Eric, I feel this was a great video for people who have never seen or touched one of the shim adjustment cars. My first was a 1960 Chevy Biscayne. Thanks for the video.

[@RS-qp4bp]

Thanks for showing us the old school way of adjusting the front end alignment with modern tools.

[@duanedelestienne2997]

Thank you! A very nice demonstration of the differences between older car alignment and modern vehicles. It is demonstrative that you well understand the alignment vectors and how they interact. While very simple, the use of shims could be very tedious. Nicely done!

[@jeromestrong5614]

Thanks Mr. O for the ride along. Nice seeing some old American iron being worked on. Thanks have a wonderful day.

[@JonnyCrash]

Looks like he originally did the Shelby drop up front. Very nice car! I'm restoring a '66 Mustang coupe. It's currently a bare shell in my garage. I really need to get back to work on that thing!

[@johndelta00]

I was wondering why there were two sets of holes for the control arm.

[@johnt.848]

@@johndelta00 Top bolt holes should actually lower the car, lower holes should lift it.

[@chipyeahoo]

It’s got the Shelby taillights too.

[@althomas6496]

I used to teach mechanics, if I had your video back in the 70s when I was teaching seta trainees I wouldn't have had to work so hard, great explanation and demonstration.

[@colestowing8695]

That had to be fun (and yet a bit scary) working on something like that

[@carlosnavarro921]

This takes me back to when I used to push wrenches 28 years ago and would work on mostly 70's and 80's car's fords were the worst especially when they went o to the sliding control arms and ford 4wd trucks were no fun either, thanks for the trip back to memory lane Mr. O

[@michaelrousselle6080]

looks like you enjoyed that drive, nice job as always, I have a 1973 Chevelle same setup

[@MrWayneJohn1]

I used to do these alignments daily back in the 80's. Specs on all US made cars always called for positive camber but they drive so much better with a little negative camber. Grease the shims to keep them in place, and to make it easier for the next guy to remove them.

[@davidbaldwin2729]

great video thanks Eric. The steering wheel is off center on my '57 Tbird by around 30 degrees and now I feel brave enough to see if I can adjust the toe to straighten it out. You looked pretty good cruising in that '66, maybe the customer will let you borrow it to get burgers and shakes with Mrs O :)

[@courier11sec]

If I remember, your steering column is evenly skinned and you can pop the wheel of and set it straight.

[@GeminiSeven43]

It's not that bad to do just remember to adjust in small increments equally on both sides and road test between adjustments. The comment above also is a possibility as the steering wheel shaft has small splines or "Teeth" that secure it and fine adjustments can be made but this is risky to do because of the steering wheel is not put back on properly you could have the steering wheel come of while driving. Please be careful either way.

[@TEDodd]

Make sure you actually center the steering gear first. Count the turns lock to lock and go back half way. The wheel may be off too.

[@flaburgastedbunny]

I work for a chain shop in Indiana and was an alignment tech for about a year and a half. We got a few of the older guys coming in with 60s trailblazers, mustangs, and Chevy bel airs. I learned how to do these pretty efficiently from an older tech I used to work with. A lot of times the customers liked to watch too which I didn't mind but gave me some stress the first time I started doing these. Impressive work Eric! It's good to show this kind of thing because I feel that as techs, it's very rewarding to do this kind of work and appreciate how far the field has come. To everyone in the comments saying 90% of people wouldn't even attempt this job, you would be right, but there are lots of technicians that like a good challenge. Shop around and ask if you want work done like this, if you do, ask if the shop has shims and if they do, there is a chance someone there can do the job. Cheers everyone this was a ton of fun to watch. Edit: time is the reason why a lot of shops won't do work like this, so my advice to people who want this work done please drop it off for the day. Customers unrealistic expectations cause rush jobs and shoddy work and I hope that this video gave some people some clarity on the difficulty of some jobs.

[@johnerway7255]

Very cool. I recall when I was about 12, in 1956, my dad went to Elmira New York and the old guy did the alignment. His shop was filled with cool tools. Plus lots of News Paper reviews outlining him, the inventor of the alignment machine he was using. I recall he had a welders cap hanging on a hook he would wear while working. I wish I could recall more but, nope, this now old guy, can't. lol

[@georgereiss998]

For my second Christmas my father got me a 64 1/2 Mustang pedal car. He was a Ford mechanic and my first real car was a '72 Pinto wagon that came in with a seized engine. Bough it for $100 and rebuilt the engine in 2 nights after dinner. He always used to say if you understand how it works, you can make it work. He's been gone a year and I really miss him.

[@johnw1078]

points for working on vintage iron, nicely done 🍻

[@DependableAutoTruck]

Many many years ago i worked for Montgomery Wards when it was a full repair shop motors, transmissions, valve jobs we did it all. our front end man was the best in town dealerships would send the ones that they couldn't get right he knew how to align when it couldn't meet specs and still not pull or wear the tires. he said took many years to learn how to align the ones that couldn't be set to factory specs and make them work. he finally retired everyone hated to see him go.

[@Win52D]

Man, does this bring back memories, back when a shade tree mechanic could actually work on a car without $10,000 of equipment.

[@SouthMainAuto]

My alignment rack and computer was about $75,000.... Just saying 😂

[@elcastorgrande]

@@SouthMainAuto As I said, Eric... "if I can do it, you can do it. That is, if you have 30 years of experience, and $500,000 worth of tools."

[@andrewg6238]

Love how you say this wasn’t a great video. For the first time, I need to say YOU’RE WRONG ERIC O!! I learned stuff. I just had my 12 Kia Forte aligned after swapping shocks and struts (162k on ‘em), then did tires, then the alignment. Now I know why I wanted the alignment, and I commuted in it today for the first time…what a difference! And the steering wheel is straight for the first time since I bought it at 91k! Thank you so much for what you do!! May God continue to bless you and Mrs. O!!

[@redlock4004]

You know you are right up into a fricking job when your hat falls off.

[@mikecorrado4971]

Brought back many memories. I did hundreds and hundreds of those cars in my 37 years as an alignment technician. Thanks for the great video.