SHERLINE "Inspection Grade" Alignment System


One system levels, aligns and checks corner weights
on your race car without breaking your budget!

To read an article from Victory Lane magazine about how to use a suspension system to align your car, click here.

Parts of the Inspection System bolt-on wheel plate: 1--Carrying handle (optional). 2--Laser engraved calibrated "wings" for toe in/out settings. 3--Sight glass for leveling the car before adjustment. 4--Notch for monofilament "ground plane" line. 5--Brake block locks rollers when you don't want the car to move. 6--Rollers compensate for adjustments; no need to roll the car back and forth to reset the suspension. 7--Wheel hole pattern custom machined for your car. We can do it or you can save money by doing it yourself. 8--Additional space for optional 2nd hole pattern. 9--Jack screw for leveling adjustments. 10--Large hydraulic gauges are measuring wheel weights on all 4 wheels at all times.

Get Solid, Repeatable Results Using Simple, Sound Engineering Principles

The SHERLINE "Inspection Grade" Race Car Alignment System sets a new standard of accuracy and ease of use in setting up the suspension of a race car. The term "Inspection Grade" has been around the machine trades for years, and it simply refers to the inspection system that is used as the standard to judge other systems. This instrument's admirable results were achieved by using sound engineering principles which take into account all the problems of race car setup and combine them into one integrated system. The system's compact size allows it to be easily packed and taken to the track with you. Its ease of use assures you will get quick and accurate readings that are repeatable. Its affordable price means you can fine tune your suspension with the same accuracy as the major teams yet still afford to go racing. A properly aligned car will add speed to your car and life to your tires.

FIGURE 1--SHERLINE's "Inspection Grade" Alignment System shown in a typical installation. It consists of four individual adjustable wheel plate units plus the water leveling system. (Not shown here, see Figure 2.)
(NOTE: Alignment bars are not provided.)

The single best feature of the SHERLINE system is its simplicity. It is easy to use because it "makes sense". There are no fragile electronics to fail, connectors to corrode or batteries to go dead. There isn't any need for bulky setup stands. A perfectly level surface is almost impossible to find, and, until now, readings taken on a non-level surface were inaccurate and not repeatable. The SHERLINE system is designed so you can adjust for surface irregularities and have your car sitting perfectly level before you start. Then, and only then, do angle readings and individual wheel weights have real meaning.

Setup Basics with the SHERLINE System...

1. Remove the wheels and bolt on the custom drilled mounting plates. The car rests on rollers at the bottom of the plates.

2. Disconnect sway bar and release gas charge from shock absorbers.

3. Add ballast to represent the driver's weight in the proper position.

4. Attach the tubing between each plate and the fittings on the water distribution system. Fill the clear standpipe to the proper level, making sure to eliminate any air bubbles from the system. Turn the height adjustment screws on each plate until the sight glass at each wheel shows the water level to be right at the string line. (See Figure 3. The level is easy to read because we have put a red line at the back of the clear tube. Like a thermometer, the line below the water level appears twice as wide as above.) The car is now perfectly level, regardless of irregularities in the surface upon which it is sitting. (See below.) If you mark the position of the plates on your shop floor, the next time you set up to do the same car you won't need to re-level if no major changes or adjustments to the jack screw have been made.

FIGURE 2--Water bottle and tubing system in place to set level of each wheel before aligning the suspension. (Note: Water distribution system may vary from the prototype shown here, but the function remains the same.)

FIGURE 3--Use a 3/4" wrench on the Jack Screw to adjust height for leveling. Sight Glass reads water level for leveling. Red line at back of tube looks twice as wide below water level for easy reading.

5. Attaching alignment bars across the front and rear of the car and running a string from front to rear on each side allows benchmark measurements to be taken to the plates or any other components to bring a car back to predetermined ideal settings after repairs or maintenance. Simply measure from the plates to the string on each side for straightness or offset. You will also need to establish a way to lock your steering in the centered position.

Because of the vast number of configurations of race cars, it is not possible for us to provide a set of alignment bars with this system. It is, however, quite easy to make a set for any individual car, and if you don't already have a set, you will need to make them or have them made. The illustrations show a typical example made from square tubing and bolted or clamped to the car as your particular situation allows. If you aren't equipped to make them, any good race car fabrication shop can easily make a set. For more information on making alignment bars, click here.

Find the centerline of the car as accurately as possible and measure out an equal distance to either side. Clamp the bars in position temporarily and run strings front to rear. Check the position of your strings with as many measurements from points on the chassis as you can. The string height should be close to wheel center height with the car on the ground loaded with driver and fuel. Once satisfied, mark their location and design an attachment system which allows you to clamp or bolt them back into position easily whenever needed. These lines must be put in exactly the same place each time, because they are the reference points from which you will measure to your SHERLINE System to set your suspension.

6. Stretch a monofilament line around the car through the grooves in each plate. This line now represents the ground plane from which ride height can be measured. (See Figure 4.)

FIGURE 4--Monofilament "Ground Plane" lines in place. This represents the ground level if car were sitting on its wheels.

7. Using the angle gauge on the plates, measurements for camber can now be accurately taken from each wheel position. The rollers on the bottom of the plates allow them to move as you make adjustments. There is no need to roll the car back and forth to get the suspension reset as you would have to do for a car sitting on its tires. (See Figure 5.)

FIGURE 5--Using an electronic angle gauge (optional) to measure camber right from the face of the plate.

8. Toe-in/toe-out measurements can be made from the wheel plate extensions to the alignment bar strings. The measurement benchmarks on the extensions have laser engraved calibrations in inches and degrees. (See section at end for how to use the markings on the extensions.)

FIGURE 6--Using a ruler to measure from Alignment string for toe in/out. A glance at the hydraulic gauge at any time will tell you the corner weight at each wheel. NOTE: Ackermann geometry can also be checked by unlocking the steering, using the steering wheel to turn the front wheel plates on their rollers and comparing left and right side dimensions from the alignment strings.

9. With the car supported by a jack, the springs can be disconnected and bump steer can be accurately checked by "swinging" the suspension and measuring from the Plates to the string, top and bottom. Block the suspension at as many even increments as you wish between the two extremes measuring from the ground plane string to get additional data if you wish to plot the changes by degree of suspension movement. You can also block the suspension at the low setting and then use spacers of known thickness to raise the suspension for each new measurement. This will make it easier to repeat side to side.

FIGURE 7--Checking bump steer with the suspension in the full down position and then in the full up position (dotted lines). Car is supported on a jack while the springs and shocks are disconnected.

10. Individual wheel weights can be adjusted taking readings directly off the hydraulic pressure gauges at any time. The reading in PSI on the gauge is the same as the weight in pounds. Again, because of the system's design, it is always reading corner weights at all four wheels. Corner weights must be checked as ride height is adjusted.

11. If any major adjustments were made, repeat steps 7, 8 and 10.

NOTE: When making suspension adjustments it is suggested that you never leave a loose bolt or nut. Either tighten each one as you go or remove it completely. This may require more loosening and tightening, but you often can't tell by looking if a nut is tight. This way you will never put the car back on the track with a suspension component that has not been fully secured.

Measurements to the Alignment Wheel Plate Extensions...

The Alignment Plate Extensions are attached to the Wheel Plates with Socket Head Screws. Swing the extensions up so they stick straight out to either side. Tighten the Socket Head Screws to lock them in place. For traveling, loosen the screws and swing them down out of the way. Their purpose is to provide an accurate place to measure to that would be equivalent to the width of your wheel rim.

Top view of the right side Alignment Plate Extension. (Left side similar but reversed.)

How to read the Extension Plate Scales...

Most people have traditionally taken alignment measurements at the wheel rim. Wheels are not very precise or consistent, and tires are even worse. The SHERLINE system replaces the wheels and tires with a much more accurate measurement point...the Wheel Plate Extension. There are two kinds of scales laser engraved into each Plate Extension—Linear and Angular. They are used to help you measure Toe In/Out or Bump Steer by your choice of either dimension or angle. Where you measure to is not critical as long as you do it the same way each time.

LINEAR SCALES

The linear scales are marked at what would be the wheel rim positions of various size wheels from 13" through 17" diameters. To use the scales, measure from the "zero" position (back side of the extension) on the scale that represents your wheel size. Place the end of a ruler at this "zero" position and note the dimension where the ruler crosses the Alignment Bar String. (See Figure 6.) Mark the spot on the ruler with a pencil or your finger. Move the ruler to the other extension at the corresponding wheel size scale and place your marked dimension on the Alignment Bar String at that point. Note where the end of the ruler comes on the scale. This is the difference between the front and rear measurement in inches. (Note: Measure the shorter dimension first. For Tow In, measure the rear dimension first and compare it to the front dimension.)

ANGULAR SCALE

The angular scale is at the end of each extension. Measure from the inside or "zero" position on the rear extension to the Alignment Bar String. Mark the dimension on the ruler with pencil or finger. Move the ruler to the other end of the front Extension Bar, place your mark on the Alignment Bar String and see where the end of the ruler falls on the scale. This is the Tow In angle in degrees. (If your ruler goes past the zero point, your wheels are Towed Out. Measure front first and then rear to find out how much.)

Ride Height Gauges...

With the Sherline System we include a sheet of printed rulers like the ones you see hanging from the alignment bar strings in the illustrations. Though not possible to accurately reproduce here, you can easily make some yourself. Just copy 6" or so of a ruler in a copy machine and cut out. Fold over at the zero mark and hang the ruler from the string that represents the bottom of the bodywork. Where it touches the monofilament line that represents the ground plane you can read your ride height directly. Place one at each of the four places the strings cross and leave them there while you work for quick reference. They must remain very light (don't glue backing or stiffeners to them) so they don't pull down the string. If you're working outside in a breeze, use a small piece of scotch tape to keep them hooked over the string. Keep extra copies on hand as they are easily lost.

Wheel Plates--order them ready-made or make your own...

The wheel plates that are custom drilled for your wheel lug pattern can be ordered custom-made to fit your car or you can make them yourself if you have simple machine-shop capabilities. We can supply raw material for the plates and you can machine them yourself or you can buy cast tooling plate from a local metal supplier. The more you do yourself, the more you save. To find out what the wheel plates look like and how they are made before you decide whether you want to tackle the job yourself, download the following .pdf file with all the dimensions:

DOWNLOAD PLANS FOR WHEEL ALIGNMENT PLATES

To see all the components that make up a typical corner and how they are interrelated, download the .pdf drawing below:

DOWNLOAD AN EXPLODED PARTS DIAGRAM

The Affordable System That's Easy to Use...

When it's this easy to get usable measurements, there is no excuse for not knowing exactly how your car is set up each time you go out onto the track. If it doesn't handle the way you like, you will be able to move in the right direction with each tuning change because you will know exactly where you've been before. Each adjustment gets you closer to that perfect set up that makes the car a pleasure for the driver. Even adjustments in the wrong direction give you information. You'll know what not to do next time.

Within a few test sessions, you should be so close to an ideal setup you will be making minor adjustments. Each track will have its own ideal setup, and with decent recordkeeping you can have the car set up perfectly when you arrive, making maximum effective use of your practice time.

Do you need expensive electronic digital scales? No. We considered including them, but the additional $1000 in cost was simply not justified. The hydraulic gauges used in conjunction with this system design will provide all the accuracy you need without fragile electronics.

If you are serious about setting up your car to win but don't have Team Penske's budget, the SHERLINE alignment system is the answer you've been looking for. Recently a NASCAR Crew Chief interviewed on TV said the first thing they do after a race is record the setup for future use. It makes sense, yet most of us never considered it because we didn't have a way to do it (or a crew chief to do it for us). We still may not have a big crew but this system makes it possible to gather that information in less than an hour. Next time you arrive at that track, you will save far more time than that by being set up and ready to run when you roll off the trailer. Get the jump on the competition with the SHERLINE "Inspection Grade" Alignment System.

Features...

The SHERLINE Alignment System Includes...

Options...

*NOTE: Wheel plates must be drilled to match your wheel bolt pattern and tire diameter. You can obtain the 1/2" thick aluminum tooling plate from any raw materials supplier or you can purchase it from us and drill to match your wheel pattern. For an additional fee, we can provide the fully machined plates for your car's configuration. Provide hole circle, size of pin or bolt hole, number of holes and tire circumference. (We will calculate the tire diameter and ride height from this figure.) We use computer controlled (CNC) machine tools to drill the hole patterns and have many common patterns on file. If we don't have yours, we will generate it and save it for future use. See price list for savings in doing the hole pattern drilling yourself.

System Prices...

SYSTEM 1 . . . . . $1200.00
Leveling package only—you supply and machine the aluminum mounting plates SYSTEM 2 . . . . . $1400.00
Leveling package with 1/2" aluminum tooling plate material for your shop to machine SYSTEM 3 . . . . . $2000.00
Complete alignment package including 4 wheel plates machined to your car's specifications OPTIONS:

HOW TO ORDER...

Call our toll free number to order System 1 or 2. For System 3, we will need to obtain the dimensions required to properly drill and machine your wheel plates. Call us and we will fax or mail you a sheet that will help you measure and supply the dimensions we need to make the plates for your car. Our toll free number in the USA is:

1-800-541-0735

You may also fax  your order or questions to: (760) 727-7857
Outside the USA, phone: 1-760-727-5857
or E-mail: craig@sherline.com

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