I don't know of anything in west Michigan. However, I do know of one in Owosso that finally fixed my alignment properly. I had had problems for years with my alignment staying in place. Much less getting it right. Dick in Owosso finally got it better than right and it has stayed in-place for 2 years now. He made some extra adjustments to my alignment and it drives super straight without input. Even on our crowned and bumpy roads. I would highly recommend him. And his prices are pretty good too. PM me if you want his phone number. It would be worth a trip over this way.
PS. Mine is an 88 GT. And one of the keys was to get a set of paddle nuts and bolts from Rodney Dickman.
I've had my 85 aligned at Belle Tire on Alpine & 4 Mile on a few different occasions after various suspension & steering upgrades. The most recent was this past May when I replaced my rear ball joints & inner tie rods. It's a level drive-on rack with a pit (not a "drive up a ramp & onto" type, so no ground clearance issues to worry about) and their Hunter equipment is fairly new. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
For the record, Grapewood Frame & Axle on Chicago Drive has a reputation of being a great alignment shop for custom & lowered suspensions but after 2 attempts in 2008 or so they couldn't get my Fiero to drive straight without being too twitchy. After that frustrating experience I tried Belle Tire later that week and what a difference, the car never handled better. On top of that, Belle was $80 for a 4 wheel alignment and I think I paid Grapewood just about double. I was surprised that a shop like Belle staffed by younger guys could do such a good job, but it's likely a testament to the equipment they use. As I recall, Grapewood was a bit more old-school in their alignment methods whereas I'm sure the new Hunter systems make the process fool proof.
[This message has been edited by RyanFromMichigan (edited 08-06-2014).]
RyanformMichigan thank you for the information. Have I seen your car around town? Are you aware that Snapperhead and I are trying to keep the GR people informed as to what is happening in Fiero Land.
I planned on hitting just about every car show & cruise this year now that my car is finally painted, but life happened and things changed a bit. I just had ACL replacement surgery on Monday so my clutch leg is out of commission for a while.
I tried to teach my girlfriend how to drive a stick the day before my surgery so we could still try make it out to a few upcoming events, however we quickly decided a Fiero with a V8 wasn't the best car for her to learn the art of working a clutch properly... quite honestly I'm lucky my motor mounts are still intact after that fiasco.
I've had my 85 aligned at Belle Tire on Alpine & 4 Mile on a few different occasions after various suspension & steering upgrades. The most recent was this past May when I replaced my rear ball joints & inner tie rods. It's a level drive-on rack with a pit (not a "drive up a ramp & onto" type, so no ground clearance issues to worry about) and their Hunter equipment is fairly new. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
For the record, Grapewood Frame & Axle on Chicago Drive has a reputation of being a great alignment shop for custom & lowered suspensions but after 2 attempts in 2008 or so they couldn't get my Fiero to drive straight without being too twitchy. After that frustrating experience I tried Belle Tire later that week and what a difference, the car never handled better. On top of that, Belle was $80 for a 4 wheel alignment and I think I paid Grapewood just about double. I was surprised that a shop like Belle staffed by younger guys could do such a good job, but it's likely a testament to the equipment they use. As I recall, Grapewood was a bit more old-school in their alignment methods whereas I'm sure the new Hunter systems make the process fool proof.
For some unknown reasons, getting a proper alignment on my Fieros has been more difficult to achieve than on my other cars. I attribute this to the fact that the alignment process on our cars is not always just a "turn-a-bolt" process. The rear wheels often need to have adjustable bolts installed and the front often needs shims on the suspension arm bolts to set the caster. If proper procedures are followed and the alignment is done by a skilled mechanic who can read English, it will come out right. Unfortunately with the proliferation of cheap, ignorant, unskilled labor at the tire shops a good alignment is hard to obtain.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Powerlog manifold, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Flotech Afterburner Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Originally posted by IMSA GT: Smartest thing he could have done. Now he doesn't have to sleep with a gun under his pillow and he's making some real money.
