[DeTomaso] DICK RUZZIN / Mangusta Alignment-Mike Drew sent me some specs for comparison so I thought others might be interested. Road testing is next.

[dickruzzindesign]

Mike, 
Thanks for sending those. Below I compare my cars new settings to the ones you supplied me.  The technician is very skillful and experienced. I had some factory specs., actually two that did not agree, they had different values for the various adjustments. He looked at them for-- about two seconds.  Then he did the job. He speaks about the set-up as a whole, not as individual components or settings. The
laser readings he gets from the machine is cumulative. The adjustments that can be made are limited in their preciseness as there is wear throughout the suspension system, but the Hunter machine is very precise using a computer fed by laser measurements.  The rear has to be set first and then the front. He sees the front, the right and left as a whole, the same with the rear and then the total, front and rear suspension relationship. 
NOTE. The car has not been driven yet so there may be adjustments to these numbers and the set-up is for STREET DRIVING, taking crowned roads into consideration.

When I was working in the USA and Germany there were many occasions where I rode with suspension engineers on test rides.
After suspension specifications were set up by computers and chassis engineers they still drove thousands of miles in cars and used their collective subjective experiences in the car to finalize the numbers. Ideal handling numbers do not necessarily agree with those required for acceptable tire wear or temperature variation. 

Part of it is to develop the physical and analytical skills necessary and then to do that over a long period of time.  I remember the chief engineer of Opel at the Duddenhoff proving ground riding in the front seat of a car while his chief chassis engineer drove and discussing the way the car felt with different settings as they went from one car to the next, each with different set-ups. The last thing approved on the car for production were the tires.  These guys were really good.

Compare that to chassis engineers in China that i met who did not have a drivers license and were doing everything out of
dog-eared books.   
====

Dick,

Have you supplied them with alignment specs, or are they going on experience to come up with their own?

I remember seeing the factory alignment specifications for the Mangusta and being slightly horrified; among other peculiarities it called for substantial front toe-out?

Absent any other guidance, I would think 1960s GT40 alignment specs would be a good start, as the general layout, and the specific suspension system, is virtually identical to that of the Mangusta, save for a more favorable front/rear weight bias.

I don't have the original specifications handy, but here are the specifications for the Superformance GT40, which is for all practical purposes identical to the original:

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS                         DR MANGUSTA / 8MA670  ALL DIMENSIONS IN DEGREES
Camber Angle                                 
Front 0.5-1.0º Neg                                   Left -0.2     Right 0.1          Cross camber  0.4                                                                   
Rear 0.5-1.0º Neg                                    Left -0.4     Right 0.3          Cross camber  -0.7                     
Toe
Front 15 minutes Total                             Left  0.14    Right 0.09        Cross toe         0.23 
Rear 15 minutes Total                              Left  0.14    Right 0.06        Cross toe         0.20
Castor Angle                            Front        Left  4.1      Right 4.2          Cross caster    -0.1
Front Non-Adjustable                               Left  4.1      Right 4.2          Cross caster    -0.1

                                      Rear camber      Left -.04     Right 0.3           Cross camber  -0.7
                                  
                                      Thrust angle      0.04 (Relationship of car centerline to total suspension)

Rear 7 - 8?º Adjusted to give
minimum toe-in change in bump
and rebound positions.
Ride Height
Front 4.125 - 4.5 inches
Rear 4.5 - 4.75 inches
Also - all of the settings and notes in this document are based on the
recommended tires being fitted to the car.
--
All the best, Dick Ruzzin.
____________________________________________________________
dickruzzinDESIGN at aol.com  /  Phone: +313-824-0539  /  Cell: 313-300-9558