Has anyone used a DIY alignment kit?

[ryan2014]

Hi everyone! Im looking into a DIY alignment kit for both my daily and AutoX cars. has anyone ever used this system? trying to find something inexpensive but worth every dollar. i ran across this site... opinions?

Quicktrick Alignment | DIY Alignment, wheel alignment, toe align

[midnight911]

i've done it with strings as well as self-fabbed smart-stings knock off and the results were very very accurate. time consuming but i didn't see paying hundreds of dollars at those places with fancy equipments...ah, i admit i've paid them hundreds of dollars...i'm lazy most of the time...

[BK911]

For toe, I made a set out of electrical conduit. Cost under $25 and took less than a 6 pack to make. The initial setup took about an hour or so, but now it take minutes to setup. Used on many 911s and a couple of 914s.

For camber I used a level and simply measured from level to top and bottom of rim.

[82 SC]

Love that set up! I have used two yard stick rullers to check toe before under a car. Measured the front inside of the rims as far forward as i could and checked it against measuring the front rims as far back as i could and checked the difference. The car was a VW thing so it was easy to get under with it on the ground. I had gotten mad at a shop that did alignments so I did it my self. Turned out good in my case. Thanks for the photos and telling me how you did your camber.

[joefrantz]

I use car mounted strings similar to BK911. I've also done it with standalone strings strung between stanchions along the side of the car.
The car mounted approach is much easier to set up, and I think it's a lot more stable. I also indexed the strings off of the centerline of the tub, as measured from the suspension mounts.
I used a Smartcamber type triangular gauge for camber.

[Kyle at Pelican Parts]

A few people here have mentioned SmartStrings and SmartCamber, and have made some pretty clever copies. We actually sell SmartStrings and SmartCamber here at Pelican. It's a fantastic system, super easy to use, and incredibly accurate. The system was developed by Craig Watkins, former head engineer of Flying Lizard Motorsports. Give it a look and feel free to shoot me a PM if you have questions.

Smart Racing Products SmartStrings and SmartCamber

[Trackrash]

As others have said alignment is not rocket science. Some really cool setups here. Most of the kits I've seen are not worth the money IMO.

All you need are parallel strings, a perfectly level floor, a level and lots of patience.

[jittsl]

I use strings on all my cars including my race car and have always been happy with the results.

[m110]

The advantage of buying the smart strings for me is the ease of slapping it on, adjusting, driving around the block so it settles and re-adjusting.

[DCinVA]

To check toe-in, I use a couple of straight 4x4's about 2 foot long. Place them against the tire on each side, then measure front and back. Easy, fast, and you can do it without help. It is a good idea to set a concrete block against the 4x4 to keep it from moving.

I have used the string method, and it works great. Just a little time consuming to set up.

[Mr.C]

Do you guys lock the steering in wheel in place or is it really even necessary?

[m110]

Originally Posted by Mr.C

Do you guys lock the steering in wheel in place or is it really even necessary?

I use this item from our friendly host:

Pelican Parts.com - Steering Wheel Holder and Pedal Depressor