Front suspension refresh complete-car is unsafe to drive to alignment shop!

[E30andy]

Hey Guys!

I finished my front suspension refresh:

New bilsteins
Stock ix springs
New strut mounts
New outer ball joints
New sway bar end links
Solid CAB's, unsure of brand but no rubber in the mount
Replaced leaky steering rack with good used one

And heres the problem....new tie rod ends.....I did try to approximate the length from the old ones but that didnt work out so well. Car currently wanders all over the road and does not respond very well to steering inputs. Any thoughts on how to get toe out a little closer to spec so I can drive to the alignment shop?

I googled and see people just lie on the ground and eyeball the adjustment until the wheels appear to be straight ahead.

Thanks!!

[bradnic]

thought the IX tie rod ends were IX specific? been a while since I refreshed mine.
your car your decisions.. but why would you use solid cabs? gonna shake your fillings out of your teeth :-)

[E30andy]

I did use ix specific tie rod ends. I guess the way I worded my post was unclear. The tie rods aren’t the problem it’s the fact that they are not aligned that’s the problem.

The solid CABs were already on the LCA I was using so I figured I would give them a shot. If I don’t like them I will swap for something softer.

[e30davie]

The quick way to do an alignment, get 2 broom sticks, or similar length bits of wood/steel/aluminium. Grab them both and slide the bits against each other against the front of the tyres and get a "measurement" then without moving the pieces in relation to each other, move to the back of the tyres. Make adjustments to the tie rods to make them the measurement between the front and rear of the tyre the same. Remembering that the changes you make will have effect on both the front and rear of the tyre. I've gotten with in +/-1 mm with this method with ~10 mins of stuffing around with broom sticks measuring front and back. +/-5 mm should be sufficient to get you to the wheel align shop.

[It's Soda Not Pop]

thought the IX tie rod ends were IX specific? been a while since I refreshed mine.
your car your decisions.. but why would you use solid cabs? gonna shake your fillings out of your teeth :-)

Have solid everything and there is vibration, nothing teeth chattering though. To me where you'll feel the most discomfort will be with how hard or soft your suspension is.