Ford Galaxy / Ford S-MAX. Manual — part 1006

Body Repairs - General Information -
Tools and Equipment for Body Repairs

S-MAX/Galaxy 2006.5 (02/2006-)

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Description and Operation

Alignment systems

NOTE: Please refer to the Ford Service Equipment Catalog for information on the body
tools recommended by Ford.

Straightening and alignment repairs are often required to restore a vehicle body to its
original shape after accident damage.

Universal aligning and measuring systems and universal alignment angle systems are
suitable for this work.

Basically, the aligning and measuring system must satisfy the following requirements:

Universally applicable to all types of passenger car. Can also be used on light commercial
and off-road vehicles.
Accepts the forces involved during straightening.
High stability and mobility.
Can accept all or part of the weight of the vehicle.
Quick to set up.
Simple to use.

Stationary design with drive-on ramp.
Height-adjustable aligning platform.
Universal gauge extensions with fast anchoring ability around the whole circumference

of the aligning platform.
Facility to test individual body measurement points, with or without aggregates being
removed.

Alignment angle devices survey the vehicle at several points on the body. These are
usually points which are also used in production. In addition, a recording over the rocker
panels is possible. A measuring system is not needed, because the necessary body points

Description

Description

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Universal aligning and measuring system

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Universal alignment angle system

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are specified with gauges. For this purpose, vehicle specific or universal gauges are
available.

Universal alignment systems consist of a vehicle mounting (universal clamps at the
rocker panels) and a pulling device. In addition, a measuring system is required.

NOTE: Because universal clamps are used, the rocker panel area must be reworked for
optical and corrosion protection reasons after the repair is completed.

Pay attention to the following points:

Clean the attachment areas.
Anchor the vehicle free of stress on the relevant system.
Support the aggregates to take strain off the body.

Measuring systems

In order to exactly diagnose a damaged vehicle body, measuring systems are required.
Depending on the measuring method, the systems vary in having mechanical, optical,
acoustic and electronic measuring devices. In some cases, hybrid versions of particular
systems are found.

NOTE: When working with each measuring system, the manufacturer's instructions
provided in the description of the measuring equipment must be followed.

Basically, the measuring systems must meet the following requirements:

Universally applicable to all types of passenger car. Also can be used on light commercial
and off-road vehicles.
Suitable for all accident damage.
Fast capture of body measurement points in the underfloor and external areas.
Data catalog to record all measurement points (length, width and height) both with and
without the aggregates being installed.

NOTE: Basic and in-depth training is offered on the following topics. You will find an
overview of the complete range of training offered in the Ford Service Organization
training brochure.

Beam compass

The beam compass is a very practical and straightforward aid for measuring bodywork and
especially floor assemblies. The beam compass can be used to detect dimensional
variations across the length and the width by means of comparison measurements and
diagonal measurements.

As a basic principal, body reference points should be chosen which are shown in the body
frame measurement data sheet.

NOTE: To be able to determine difference in measurements, the same reference points
must always be chosen on both sides. For this purpose the beam compass must be
positioned symmetrically.

Comparison measurements can also be made on the outside of the body. Depending on the
damage, left/right measurements (symmetry measurements) and diagonal measurements
can be made using the beam compass, telescopic rod or a measuring tape.

Laser measuring systems

These systems use laser beams which are projected in one or more planes.

By the use of two parallel laser heads which can be turned, symmetrical points of a vehicle
body can be tested and compared. Using the linear scales which are attached to the
measuring points, the measurement data is read off with the aid of the projected laser
beams.

The integral inclination gauge also allows differences in height to be quickly checked.

Mechanical measuring system

The use of mechanical measuring equipment is an easy and effective way to check a vehicle
frame and chassis assembly quickly, exactly and reliably.

In many cases an assessment of the damage can be made with the help of this system,
without the need for elaborate setting up.

Because of its self-centering mount, measurement can be carried out by one person.

Further advantages:

Fast deployment.
Simple to use.
Can be extended using adapters, measuring probes and measuring tubes.

Measuring systems which are firmly mounted on an aligning platform require more work in
setting them up. They are used to constantly check measurements during alignment work.

This type of mechanical measuring system has measuring scales and measuring slides in
three measuring axes. So that the body can be measured, the vehicle is secured on the
aligning platform base frame using four universal chassis clamps. The exact fixing points
are given in each respective data sheet.

Ultrasonic and mechanical-electronic measuring systems

These measuring systems can be combined with all current aligning platforms. In addition
these measuring systems can be used independently of an aligning platform by using a
vehicle lift or suitable support stands.

Acoustic or ultrasonic measuring systems use ultrasonic emitters and sensors to survey a
body.

To do this, ultrasonic emitters are mounted on the vehicle using special attachments.
During the measuring process the ultrasonic emitters constantly send out signals which are
received by sensors (microphones) and then passed to a computer. The measurements are
displayed on the computer screen and are compared with the required values supplied by
the vehicle manufacturer.

The ways in which mechanical-electronic measuring systems can be used are similar to
those of the acoustic measuring systems. They can also be set up on a suitable
understructure, without an alignment jig. After this system has been arranged under the
vehicle floor and adjusted to three undamaged vehicle measuring points, the measuring
arm is brought up to the required measuring points and the readings compared with the
reference values. The data is transmitted to a computer where it is evaluated and the
results displayed on a screen.

Welding gear

As in the past, the dominant process in body construction is resistance welding, in
particular spot welding. Depending on body type, up to 5000 spot welds are applied, either
by welding robots or in the multi-point welding machine.

Resistance spot welding permits very high energy to be concentrated on a relatively small
area of the workpiece in the shortest possible time and when high pressure is applied, a
permanent joint is formed. During repairs the resistance spot welds used in production
must be re-created accordingly.

Description

Description

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Ultrasound measuring instrument

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Mechanical-electronic measuring system