new struts.. alignment?

[TDWPgtp]

hi again. im about to replace my front struts and mounts, and i was wondering how important it is to get an alignment right away. would i be able to go a few days without one? i wont be driving much anyway seeing as my transmission is pretty much shot. so would it be ok to wait a few days? thanks

[00GTP4ME]

Originally Posted by TDWPgtp

hi again. im about to replace my front struts and mounts, and i was wondering how important it is to get an alignment right away. would i be able to go a few days without one? i wont be driving much anyway seeing as my transmission is pretty much shot. so would it be ok to wait a few days? thanks

I just got mine done and afterward they said the alignment wasn't horrible, but bad enough that the job needed to be done. If all you're doing is changing out those, I'd bet that a few days really wouldn't hurt much if anything; you're fine.

[GTP Dad]

Have an alignment done as soon as possible after you replace the struts. A few days probably won't hurt anything. But don't wait too long as a bad alignment can cause a lot of issues.

[tblake]

Yeah, you will need one, especially if you have camber bolts in the front.

[CrazyHorst]

My suggestion is to mark the camber bolts with a punchpoint or chisel line (something that won't get erased like a sharpie mark could). Make measurements of tie rod end threads if you take those off with a 6" scale to 1/32".

Install back to those same settings. After that I would not worry about the 2-3 days of driving until you can get a proper alignment.

[TDWPgtp]

alright thanks guy. ill probably have one done a day or two after i was just wondering in case i didnt have time. thanks again!

[CrazyHorst]

My original post wasn't clear enough. A better term would probably be a "matchmark" where the fastener and the surrounding metal are marked at the same time.

A paint mark would also be suitable if you let it dry and take care but I've also rubbed those off accidentally when wrestling with parts.

You could also use a carbide tipped scriber (or really anything sharp and hard enough to scratch the metal) or a dremel tool. The possibilities are wide open.