Toe adjustment DIY

[ali_c20]

I recognized that the toe in of my k5 was way too much (1/2 inch) because of the wear pattern of the tires.
I made a little setup to get relatively exact measurments.

Car on jack stands on flat surface, wheels off, steering straight with locked steering wheel.
Checked for bend axle tube, the wheel bearings, the ball joints and camber.
A level on each brake disk and clamps to hold them in position.
Two tape lines (good quality ones) with the ends taped to one side to get the same position when adjusting.
It took some patience to get all things setup exactly level and centered without some helping hand.
After measuring and calculating the right numbers the adjustment took 5 minutes.

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[1987 GMC Jimmy]

What's your camber approximately? I want to say factory spec in those days was 1 inch positive camber. Mine was and still is 1.5 inches positive, which was the factory spec in at least the mid to late 80s.

 

[ali_c20]

It's 1.2 degrees positive on passenger side and 2.5 degrees positive on driver side.

The 2.5 degrees are approx 1.75

I ordered some camber adjustment sleeves to correct the camber according to specs.

I found a alignment spec sheet in the ck5forum.

Model Year Left Caster Right Caster Camber Total Toe
Chevrolet/GMC
S-Series Pickup, Blazer ZR2 00-03 2.80° ± 1.00° 3.30° ± 1.00° 0.00° ± 1.00° 0.05" ± 0.10"
S-Series Pickup, Blazer ZR2 95-99 3.00° ± 0.50° 3.00° ± 0.50° 0.00° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.05"
Silverado/Sierra 1500–Except Crew Cab & SS 01-04 3.50° ± 1.00° 4.50° ± 1.00° 0.25° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.10"
Silverado/Sierra 1500 99-02 4.25° ± 1.00° 4.75° ± 1.00° 0.25° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.10"
K1500 Pickup 07-08 3.40° ± 1.00° 3.20° ± 1.00° 0.10° ± 0.60° 0.05" ± 0.10"
K1500 Pickup 05-06 3.60° ± 1.00° 4.30° ± 1.00° 0.25° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.10"
K1500 Pickup 88-98 3.00° ± 1.00° 3.00° ± 1.00° 0.65° ± 0.50° 0.12" ± 0.10"
K2500 HD 05-08 4.25° ± 1.00° 4.50° ± 1.00° 0.25° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.10"
K10, K20, K30 Pickup 77-87 8.00° ± 1.00° 8.00° ± 1.00° 1.50° ± 0.75° 0.12" ± 0.05"
K10, K20 Pickup 63-76 4.00° ± 1.00° 4.00° ± 1.00° 1.00° ± 0.50° 0.00" ± 0.06"
Suburban/Tahoe 00-06 3.50° ± 1.00° 4.50° ± 1.00° 0.25° ± 0.50° 0.05" ± 0.10"
Suburban 1500, 2500 92-99 3.00° ± 1.00° 3.00° ± 1.00° 0.65° ± 0.50° 0.12" ± 0.10"
Tahoe, Yukon 1500 92-99 3.00° ± 1.00° 3.00° ± 1.00° 0.65° ± 0.50° 0.12" ± 0.10"
Suburban 10, 20 77-91 8.00° ± 1.00° 8.00° ± 1.00° 1.50° ± 0.75° 0.12" ± 0.05"
Suburban 10, 20 63-76 4.00° ± 1.00° 4.00° ± 1.00° 1.00° ± 0.50° 0.00" ± 0.06"
Blazer, Jimmy Full Size 77-91 8.00° ± 1.00° 8.00° ± 1.00° 1.50° ± 0.75° 0.12" ± 0.05"
Blazer, Jimmy Full Size 69-76 4.00° ± 1.00° 4.00° ± 1.00° 1.00° ± 0.50° 0.00" ± 0.06"

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Whoops, I meant degrees not inches.

 

[idahovette]

Not a fan of the sleeves, would rather use the shim behind the spindle. Doesn't put any pressure on the ball joint stud. IMO anything more than .5 degrees is gonna be too much

 

[ali_c20]

I'm driving mostly streets and dirt roads, maybe 2 times a year mild offroading. I think the ball joints can handle this. Time will tell.