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I've been doing my toe-in alignments for decades with many variations of the tape measurements. I have placed wide boards against the front wheels with something heavy against them to hold them in place and measured the distance between the front and rear of the tires. I have jacked the wheels up and painted a white stripe in the middle of the tread and while still wet spun the tires and held a screwdriver in the paint to make a mark to measure the front and rear distance between the tires. Of course you have to wait until the paint dries and drive the vehicle back and forth enough to settle the suspension before measuring. Strings from the rear to the front work if you compensate for the difference in the wheel width between the rear tires and front tires. One reason I started doing my own alignments was that my front tires always wore more on one side when getting the "professional" alignments. After doing it myself, I haven't had that problem any more.
I made a single toe measuring device of 1/2" plywood, a few screws, some glue, and attached aluminum feet for straight edges to guide my ball point pen as I mark tape on the floor, it's does not have to be perfect flat as any error when used on the right, say for example that it adds an 1/8" at the rear of the tire, it will compensate by adding the same to the left but then it's adding on the front of the tire. I have slots that let me adjust the plastic tipped thumb nutted bolts against the machined lip of the machined wheel. Once you've marked 4 corners, back the truck up and measure front and rear distances on the floor. I set my start end of my measure at the ten inch line on a steel tape, read the other end, twice, subtract 10, write it down. Then I measure the other pair the same way. For a 20" wheel, place slots at least 20" apart and as high off the floor as to center of wheel & tire.
I use level to check caster and camber. My floor is level.. Two floor tiles with grease between them placed under a tire is like a bearing turn plate.
Last edited by tbear853; Oct 30, 2021 at 12:03 AM.
This would fit the bill. I watched the video and it's exactly what I want. Even though it's not digital, the gauge makes it easy to read and fine tune adjustments.
I could double-check it's accuracy after doing a computerized alignment then notate it.
This would fit the bill. I watched the video and it's exactly what I want. Even though it's not digital, the gauge makes it easy to read and fine tune adjustments.
I could double-check it's accuracy after doing a computerized alignment then notate it.
Patman -- you are awesome!
heh thanks!
Biggest thing to remember is when you look at the gauge front/rear of the front tire, when you make adjustments, you should be doing half of what you need to do.
for example if you measure front and you zero it out, and then move it to the back and it reads -20. You would only perform adjustments to get the rear reading to -10
So I finally got around to testing the Specialty Products 46in to 74in Toe Measuring Gauge that Patman suggested.
Got it out of the box and it was easy to assemble and had instructions that came with it, that I keep in my toolbox in case I ever forget how to use it.
I brought one of my vehicles to have the alignment checked on a digital alignment system. Got a before and after printout.
I then drove it home and checked it with the Specialty Products alignment tool and it showed the exact same numbers that was on the printout. I noted it down for future reference.
Nice. Made one of them too, it works though. No math ... or vehicle moving needed needed either if tires are free to squirm like on greased tiles on the ramps or floor.
