alignment shop in Richmond?

Because of our stupid RECON laws here Im not going to beable to get my XJ to an alignment shop before it ships out. I will be driving it from the docks to Oregon so I need to make sure it is all in order. So now I need to find a 4x4 freindly shop as close as possible to the docks in Richmond.
My Cherokee has a 4.5 lift and I havent decided yet if I will run my 33x10.5 A/t's or my 35x14 swampers.
Thanks, Jeremy

You can do it yourself with a tape measuer. Very easy and will save you some cash.

You gonna miss the rock? I do its been 2 years I ready to move back.

Yes and no, been here for the better part of 30 years. Its gotten to the point that I cant make it here anymore. I bring in $50-60K a year and it isnt nearly enough. what I sold my house for I bought two in Oregon and Im starting a new business. Powder coating so I wont beable to keep enough customers on Island, shipping is prohibitive and trying to get the materials into Hawaii is just not easy.

we used a tape measure on my buddies tj this past weekend and have used it in the past. We got it really close but the shop still had to adjust it a little. If it was just a weekend warrior that only went on the road to get to trails that would be one thing. This is making the trip upto oregon and then round trip to Arizonia so I would like to get a shop to have at it.
Thanks, Jeremy

in2fords said:

...and I havent decided yet if I will run my 33x10.5 A/t's or my 35x14 swampers.
Thanks, Jeremy

Click to expand...

Seriously??? Seems like a no brainer, why is it still undecided?

And I second the tape measure.

I havent decided yet cause I need to drive on each. I still have stock 3.55's but with a np435 I dont have over drive. I need to see how she runs on the freeway, on one hand I like the height of the 35's to help keep the rpms down but them some heavy suckers and might be a little to much weight to spin for the rebuilt 4.0.

A tape measure is a good way to get it able to drive to the shop.

Ewww, get rid of the 3.55's and goto 4.56's or 4.88's.

I'll third the tape measure. I've watched some of the most recommended alignment shops do the same thing. Except they'll put a mark around the tire and measure it.

70 mph in 1:1 ratio with 3.55 rear end gives your 2500 rpm with a 33 inch tire. That should be perfect. If mileage is your primary concern....the 33's will win by a long shot. The 35 while using less rpm, require LOTS more power to turn due to weight and having an effect on ratio. The motor will be struggling to do 70 mph at about 2300 rpm.

If I was really interested in driving a trip like that for mileage with no OD....I would be looking for a set of 31's.

As for the tape measure...don't blame you for wanting it perfect A little peace of mind goes a long way.

thanx guys. Yeah, I've been using grimms gear ratio calculator and think with the 3.55's I'll be using the 33's but like all things, just cause it looks good on paper........
I have NO money or time for a gear swap right now, once I get to the new home it will happen, that will be a whole different discussion on what gears to run, I like the 6.69 1st but the 1.1 final is going to get on my nerves if I need to drive to Rubicon or Moab. I might keep the 3.55's for street driving and add a 203 range box for a doubler, use a np208 or a d300 with the 4:1 to get near my ideal crawl ratio in the future. I havent finished the project yet so I would like to test drive with both the 33's and the 35's, there are a few other factors, I will be throwing the 33's away once I get there so if I drive on them then I need to ship the 35's, that gets expensive. besides the milage and power to get thru the hills the biggest reason to not run the 35's is cause they are damn near new and I would hate to kill them with street driving and then there is braking to consider, I wont get my d30 big brake kit or rear disks on the d44 untill I get up there. So the 35 vs 33 debate will wait till a test drive, untill then Im undecided but leaning on shipping the 35's or just buying new tires up there for near the same cost of shipping.

As far as the tape measure method, trust me, Ive been doing it that way for years on everything from my 88 saleen, my 91 BII with a 302 and a pair of 60's to my current Porsche 944. It has worked fine to get me to the shop, usually damn near in specs, but the extra $100 is worth it to me to have it on a rack and know where it is at for certain.


So, does anybody know of any GOOD alignment shops near the docks?

Thanks, Jeremy

here I go getting my own tread hijacking on,

just for giggles i looked up what I would be at with a 203/205 doubler and 4.88's on 35's: low range, 85.21:1 - double low range, 170.42:1 and my rpms at 65mph would only be 3045 !

If i can squeeze it all under there that would be nice, the rear shaft would only be about 25 inches but thats about what a TJ is right?