Kit and method of using kit to align wheels of vehicle
DCFirst Claim
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1. A wheel alignment kit, comprising:
- alignment fixture means having universal mounting means to permit said fixture means to be mounted removably to a strut assembly of a motor vehicle in place of its wheels for helping to support the weight of said vehicle to facilitate wheel alignment;
said alignment fixture means including alignment tool receiving means to enable a user to have access to a reference surface relative to said strut assembly for facilitating wheel alignment;
support means dimensioned to support from below movably said alignment fixture means for helping to emulate tire to ground engagement for wheel alignment purposes;
reference tool means secured removably within said alignment tool receiving means for engaging said reference surface to provide the user with an instantaneous visual indication of the position of said strut assembly to facilitate alignment adjustments to a manufacturer specification; and
engagement means mounted to said alignment fixture means for securing removably said tool means in said alignment fixture means to hold said tool means in a fixed positional engagement with said reference surface.
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Abstract
The wheel alignment kit and method related to a wheelless alignment technique employing a pair of alignment fixtures which cooperate with a corresponding pair of turntables to support the vehicle in place of its wheels and to facilitate easy access to the strut assemblies of the vehicle for alignment purposes. The kit also includes an electronic camber gauge tool adopted to be mounted on the fixtures to provide a user with an instantaneous camber reading. A pair of toe gauge tools adapted to be mounted on the fixtures cooperate with a datum line to provide the user with an instantaneous toe reading.
28 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A wheel alignment kit, comprising:
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alignment fixture means having universal mounting means to permit said fixture means to be mounted removably to a strut assembly of a motor vehicle in place of its wheels for helping to support the weight of said vehicle to facilitate wheel alignment; said alignment fixture means including alignment tool receiving means to enable a user to have access to a reference surface relative to said strut assembly for facilitating wheel alignment; support means dimensioned to support from below movably said alignment fixture means for helping to emulate tire to ground engagement for wheel alignment purposes; reference tool means secured removably within said alignment tool receiving means for engaging said reference surface to provide the user with an instantaneous visual indication of the position of said strut assembly to facilitate alignment adjustments to a manufacturer specification; and engagement means mounted to said alignment fixture means for securing removably said tool means in said alignment fixture means to hold said tool means in a fixed positional engagement with said reference surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12)
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10. A wheel alignment kit, comprising:
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a plurality of alignment fixture means each including universal mounting means to permit individual ones of said fixture means to be mounted removably to a vehicle in place of its wheels for helping to support the weight of said vehicle to facilitate wheel alignment; a plurality of support means for helping to emulate tire to ground engagement for wheel alignment purposes, individual ones of said plurality of support means being dimensioned to support from below individual ones of said plurality of alignment fixture means for movement relative to the ground to facilitate wheel alignment; each individual one of said plurality of alignment fixture means including brake rotor access means to enable a user to have access to a camber reference surface on said vehicle for helping to determine wheel camber; electronic reference tool means adapted to be received within said brake rotor access means for engaging said camber reference surface to determine wheel camber; said electronic reference tool means including readout means for providing a user with an instantaneous visual indication of camber when said tool means engages said surface; each individual one of said plurality of alignment fixture means including reference tool receiving means to enable a user to have access to a toe reference surface substantially parallel to said camber reference surface; a plurality of toe gauge tool means, each individual one of said plurality of toe gauge tool means having toe gauge indicia means disposed thereon and being adapted to be mounted removably with an individual one of said reference tool receiving means to engage said toe reference surface to help determine toe; and elastic toe line means mountable removably between pairs of said plurality of toe gauge tool means disposed substantially opposite from one another for cooperating with said toe gauge indicia means to provide the use with an instantaneous visual indication of toe when said toe line means is mounted between the pairs of toe gauge tool means.
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11. A method of aligning the wheels of a vehicle, comprising:
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mounting alignment fixture means to a strut assembly of the vehicle, said alignment fixture means including alignment tool receiving means to permit access to a reference surface relative to said strut assembly to facilitate wheel alignment by a user; supporting said alignment fixture means from below movably on support means to emulate tire to ground engagement to further facilitate wheel alignment; engaging said reference surface with tool means to provide the user with an instantaneous visual indication of the position of said strut assembly to facilitate alignment adjustments to a manufacturer specification; and securing said tool means removably in said alignment fixture means to hold said tool means in fixed engagement with said reference surface; whereby the user is provided with an instantaneous visual indication of the position of said strut assembly while adjustments are made for wheel alignment purposes.
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Specification