wice.lt

Hello everyone, I have bought a 85.5 944 N/A about 4 months ago and been working on it with all of your help (just searching the threads), but now I am sort of stuck. So my last "big" step in the process was to redo my rims, get new tires and get a 4 wheel alignment. Make a story short all but alignment went well. When I took the car to a shop that has a fancy alignment machine, the guy started giving me trouble. First he said it will be few hours then it turned out to be few days (he was busy) and finally he said that something is wrong with my driver rear wheel "head" (whatever he meant) and he can't align my car without that rear wheel taken care of. He mentioned that the wheel is off by 3 degrees or so and the spacer kit he could use only would give 2 deg... My question is should I believe the guy (he didn't strike me as the most honest or knowledgeable guy, plus when I looked arround @ alignment screws they appeared to be untouched) and get the car to a frame shop (he said that the frame might be damaged?? or a bent spindle), or should I try going to few other shops and check his word?... P.S. I have already gone to Sears and Firestone and they don't do 944. Please advice.

xsboost90

hm a location might be helpful. I know of all the alignment shops in my area, only a couple would i trust to touch my car, and they do race cars etc...

wice.lt

Sorry,
First post .
Location is Bradenton, FL (Tampa Bay general area)

BruceWard

I had no problem getting Sears to align my 968. You need a special tool to do it. It is called a P221 and you can get it from Paragon for $22. http://www.paragon-products.com/product_p/p221.htm

The P221 allows rear toe to be adjusted. Also on my 968 a thin 27mm (1 & 1/16th") wrench was needed to adjust rear camber, I had a greatneck 1 & 1/16th that I used on the balance shaft and is a little less than 3/8ths thick that worked fine.

Get the alignment section from a factory manual to take with you. I walked through it with the Sears tech.

wice.lt

Thanks for the help guys.
So without the p221 tool (I am 100% sure the guy doesn't have one) is there a chance that he was able to even start adjusting the alignment, or he just flat out lied to me? Anyone out there in Tampa/Sarasota area could recommend their alignment shop.

jc22

There's a Porsche-only shop in Sarasota off of Clark Rd. about 2 miles west of the interstate on the North side of the road. Give them a call and ask who they recommend. The owner of the shop is real knowledgable and doesn't charge very much. If you ever need work done, that's the only place I would trust. Unfortunately, I can't think of the shop's name right now. I think it's Scott Shop or something to that effect. He once gave me a recommendation for an alignment shop.

Stan944

I did the rear wheel alignment in my (house) garage. I would say that I wouldn't be able to do it without the special tool P221 mentioned above. In my opinion, that mechanic did NOT have the tool. He might have tried to align it WITHOUT using the tool: unfortunately, when you loosen the bolts to do the adjustment, the tension in the setup (gravity, stabilizer bars, etc) moves everything "out of whac", and it's virtually impossible to position the rear of the trailing arm properly without the special tool.
My advice to you: buy P221, and find a GOOD alignment shop.

Mark-87-951

hmm - that makes me wonder about when I tried to get a 4-wheel alignment. They said the passenger rear wheel shifted when they loosened things up and they couldnt move it back to within factory spec. They tried to compensate with the adjustment on the other side and were under the impression that something on the passenger side suspension was bent. Is it possible they just did not have the tool?

Granite 944

"First he said it will be few hours then it turned out to be few days (he was busy)"

My thought.......... Strike ONE!

"and finally he said that something is wrong with my driver rear wheel "head" (whatever he meant) and he can't align my car without that rear wheel taken care of. He mentioned that the wheel is off by 3 degrees or so and the spacer kit he could use only would give 2 deg..."

Thats the best description he gave you? Again.......... Strike 2!

"(he didn't strike me as the most honest or knowledgeable guy, plus when I looked arround @ alignment screws they appeared to be untouched)"

In my mind......no doubt whatssoever........STRIKE 3.....He's DONE....won't EVEN get another chance at it! If I get that "gut feeling" from anyone.........see ya!

You need to get it to someone who's familiar with working on 944's and other european cars. First thing you always ask them......have you, and or, how many of these 944's have you done? In my book, this answer had better be a good one. The "tool".......yeah.......it can, and is frequently done without using it. Don't let that scare ya off. I'd expect to pay $80.00 to $160.00 for an alignment depending on if its just the front or all four. Good luck!

Stan944

Yep, that would be my guess too. I think it's necessary to inquire if they have this special tool before leaving the car at the shop for the alignment of the rear end.

wice.lt

Thank you guys for your help. Let me know if you think of something else while I am searching for a shop that I could trust.

Dave in Chicago

Find out who the local PCA club racers use, specify desired set-up (street, street/track, full track), pay the money and go. These cars were judged the "best handling car in America" for a spell. Even a straight stock-spec alignment, done well, will make the 944 the car by which you will come to judge all others.