Flyin' Miata

Hub Stands

Since there are so many Miatas around here that need alignments, I decided to purchase the Flyin' Miata Hub Stands.  They took about a week to arrive, but got here the other day in fine shape.  

I took some pictures as I assembled them.

The roller bearings should be kept clean so I needed a way to keep them clean for storage. I had a couple tennis balls around that I drilled a 13/16" hole in.  Then I made four small slits in to allow the tennis ball to slip over the roller bearings.  Now I can stand them upright for storage.

I started laying out an area in my garage where the 99 AE normally sits to see how level the floor was.  I found it was not far off using a bucket of water, a clear hose and a ruler as shown on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZoL1gaWedA.

The floor level ranged from 3/8" difference in elevation on one corner to 1/4" on one and only 1/8" on another.  So, I could use tiles, or plywood to bring them all to the same level.

However, when I checked the corners for level with my 18" level, the floor sloped enough within the squares that checking the camber and caster would be difficult. I decided to find a way to level the squares at the four corners.  

I looked at epoxies, floor leveling compounds and possibly making stands.  None of these options seemed to be viable to me.  Epoxies are very expensive and self-leveling compounds were suggested for use under tile overlays.

So, I looked for a way to grind the existing concrete.  I found this diamond coated grinding wheel on Amazon.com.  They were half the price of the same wheel from other vendors and local stores and I got it delivered the next day.

The grinding wheel worked great!  The only problem I had was lots of dust.  I used a large fan pointed out the garage door with another one at the door to help evacuate the dust. I also used compressed air to move the dust that settled on the floor.  A respirator is a must!

I leveled each corner with the grinder.  The passenger's side rear corner needed the deepest cut, almost 3/8".  The green marks are the spots that need more grinding.

Now the corners are within 1/16" over 18" to being level.

I will need to check elevations again and find plywood or tiles to get them all to the same level before I can do the first alignment.  Maybe I can get to that tomorrow? But at 90+ degrees, it may be too hot tomorrow for that.