Alignment

@SteveMarson

Short answer: There is a way to adjust rear toe at the spring plate bolts.

I believe the body tapers to the back.  so you would likely have more clearance between the leading edge of the tire (closer to the door at the rear) and the rear edge of the tire (closer to the tail lights) when measured to a level held against the body.  (then again I could be wrong and will defer to others here)

Yea, when you look along the line of the body, it does appear to taper in towards the back. So it could be that this right side is correctly aligned but the left is not as it’s different. You say you can adjust this; do you know how? I’m going to jack up the car tomorrow for a closer look.

You can't visually check toe in.  You can measure total toe easily, but you would be better off going to an alignment shop and having them do a 4 wheel thrust alignment.

@SteveMarson

Steve, for visual reference I've attached a pic of the spring plates as mentioned by @Wrenn Smithh. You will notice the elongated bolt holes for axle attachment. Click on pic to enlarge...

Perhaps the axle of the wheel you suspect with toe-in has shifted (forward) from their proper position within these elongated bolt holes. When you have the car up on jack stands you can measure both axles are equally located (front to rear) on the spring plate.

There are others on this forum who are way more knowledgeable than me who can chime in on DYI adjustment/alignment of the axles. Hope this info is helpful.

Measuring where the trailing arm is bolted to a spring plate is useless information.  You could set both sides exactly the same and have total toe off by a half inch or more.   You can also set rear toe to spec and still be off on the thrust angle.  This will make the car dog track.  The thrust angle needs to be the same as the centerline of the car.  That is why I recommend a 4 wheel thrust alignment.

@SteveMarson   You can not use the body as reference in doing an alignment on these cars, probably any car for that matter. Our cars are replicas. The molds were flashed off of real cars that were hand made. In some cases, the original car was wrecked and repaired before being flashed. It's like a recording of a recording. They still visually look fantastic, but the eye can be fooled.

Jus sayin.

I cannot like @Carlos G 's comment enough. Thank you, my friend!

Porsche factory specs on the aircooled 911 fender height are +/- 5mm(about 1/4"). That means there could be a 1/2" or so variation from side to side, and that's a factory built car.

Our replicas are off, some more than others. You can NEVER use the body to measure straightness of ANYTHING, ever, on a replica.

Measure the wheelbase, and compare L side measurements with the R side. That will get you in the ballpark of where the problem lies, if any. Then measure total rear toe-in. You want that perfect before you even think about moving to the front alignment.

You'll want the thrust angle straight to eliminate any dog-tracking tendency. All that is the start of a four wheel alignment.

I will third the alignment shop suggestion.

fwiw, another quick and dirty method of seeing how your rear wheel toe-in is doing is to get a couple pieces of flat aluminum angle and slide them together, then climb under the car and slide the sticks apart with each outer edge touching its respective tire in the same spot. Go as far back as you can, mark a line where the sticks overlap, then do the same thing as far forward as you can (same spot on the tires), and compare the lines. The back line should indicate a very slightly longer stick than the front line.

Then.... run a string from the center of the front beam to the leading edge of each rear tire, with the car on a ramp (4 post) lift. An adjustable beam helpfully includes a bolt in the center, which you can loop the string around. The arms of the "V" you make under the car should be the same length.

If one side is longer you can tap it forward in those slotted holes Jim mentioned, and tap the other side back, to maintain the equal toe-in specification, which you check again with the sticks after the string trick.

This method is not as good as an alignment shop but it'll get you close enough to drive it there.

Before we get lost in the weeds -- does the car have handling issues? Uneven tire wear? Any problem at all that would indicate an alignment problem, besides not looking right to the naked eye?

The previous posters here have good points.  You may be fine.  First of all, remember that the Speedster body tapers toward the rear, so both sides will appear to have rear toe-in even when straight relative to the car's centerline.  Second, the Vintage body may have been molded from a previously repaired Speedster, making it asymmetrical.  I know in the past you could spot the body repair on the right front fender.  Finally, if it isn't mounted on the pan exactly on center, that could amplify the appearance of an alignment problem.

If you can get the car up on a 4-post lift with the weight on the wheels but access to the underside, you could measure from the inside of the wheels to a centerpoint on the pan.  Don't use the body as a measuring point.

The easiest(and cheapest) way to check toe-in yourself is with a pair of toe plates and two tape measures.

https://www.vevor.com/toe-plat...4EAQYASABEgJKD_D_BwE

If you want to verify thrust angle, you need some string, a single tape measure, and four jack stands. Anyone can do this. Simply construct two absolutely parallel strings with the jack stands. It is a little fussy and time-consuming, but then all you need to do is measure from the parallel strings to the front and rear of each wheel at hub level.

Remember, rear track on a VW-based car is slightly less than front track, so don't be alarmed when you find this.

An update …

I jacked up the rear, took the wheels off and measured in various places. There is some discrepancy between the disc and the chassis but not much. I think it’s an issue with the body and as most of you have pointed out, that’s the way things are. I then put the car back on its wheels and used string and jacks to measure the alignment. None of the wheels are the same, most are toes-in 5mm or so - not a million miles out so I think it’ll do for now (my IVA test is next week). Once passed (hopefully) I’ll get it checked at a garage for a proper adjustment. Thanks for all your comments.

@SteveMarson Good news.

I hope you rolled the car forward about ten feet or so after you put it down on the ground. It's important to get the suspension to settle and get a true reading of alignment.

@DannyP - yes, I drove it up and down the road a few feet back and forwards.