Dropping the steering column should have no effect on the wheel alignment.
The steering wheel not centred could be from wheel alignment or from being removed and not put back on the splines in the correct position.
The rear wheels should be aligned for toe in at the same time as the fronts.
There is no adjustment for camber front or rear, apart from slotting the top mounting holes or fitting eccentric camber bolts.
Factory alignment specs for Australian 1978 X1/9, 2 people + 20 kg of luggage.
Front - camber -1 deg +/- 20', caster 7 deg +/- 30', toe in 2 to 4 mm, meas at rim.
Rear - camber -2 deg +/- 20', toe in 4 to 6mm, meas at rim.
All very true and good advise !!!!
However......the alignment specs for your X1/9 ( I assume UK spec RHD 1987 ? ) may well be different than Greg listed. Below is a pic ( hope you can read it okay ) from my official Fiat shop manual of the alignment specs for a North American spec '79-'82 X1/9 ). Note some differences. As your '87 UK X may well be different than either spec....Hopefully one of our UK members has a shop manual that lists the specs for your X. Or likely the alignment shop still has the specs in their alignment machine - if they dont you will have to provide...
As others have said here...yes you should get a 4 wheel alignment. That is quite common these days as most modern cars have independent rear suspension and need all 4 wheels to be properly aligned. I would think that most alignment shops have the equipment to do that over there. So that should not be a problem at all. And the X1/9 has an easy rear toe adjustment built in - just like the front of most cars. But yes...it is possible the adjusters are all seized up...they certainly were on my X. See my post here:
So...I took apart my rear toe link assembly to clean/paint/install new inner bushing. Discovered that the female threads inside the sleeve were okay...but ONLY up to the point where the existing ends ended up. Past that point....I could see inside that there was a build-up or rust and "kaka" on...
xwebforums.com
So the shop that warned you of that possibility had a valid point.......yours may well be okay...or not....
So..any shop with a 4 wheel alignment machine should able to easily set the toe-in front and rear. But yes...you are likely best to find a shop that specializes in alignments...if that is all they do all day they are more likely to be good at it !!!
And yes.....there is NO adjustment provision for camber on an X1/9 from the factory. Fiat say that as long as it within the spec range it is "okay". If not...something is likely bent or worn.
But yes....there are now special "camber bolts" available ( like referenced above ) that indeed allow the shop to adjust the camber to dial it in perfectly. You might need them...or you might not. If you are picky and want a perfect alignment...you will. You may well end up only needing them on 2 or three wheels. Problem is...you wont know if they are needed until they are halfway through the alignment process.
Any decent shop will be familiar with using them - no problem there. And an alignment shop will usually have them in stock for most cars as they are kinda universal. Problem might be that the X1/9 uses a not common size - 10mm. Over here that size is not common at all - only used on Fiats - but luckily on the new 500 - and some old Suzukis. Over there might well be more common as you guys have lots more small cars.
If I were you....I would find a decent alignment shop and book you car in. Ask them if they stock 10mm camber bolts in case they are needed. If they dont...get some and bring them with you. If they ask "what is a camber bolt ? "......find another shop !!!
Caster is adjusted by adding/subtracting shim washers. Just ordinary washers will do.
At the end of the day......an X1/9 is aligned like just about any other car. Any decent shop can do it easily. Aside from the possibility of needing some 10mm camber bolts...no special tools or special bits or special knowledge required. But on the other hand...you can understand a shop's reluctance to work on a rusty 35 year old Fiat where everything they go to touch is all seized up. Time is money to them and rightly so...
And...hopefully this goes without saying...but if all your ball joints/bushings/tie rods/strut/rack are not in good condition...an alignment is rather pointless......