Lasers for Alignment?

[68Formula]

I'd like to start doing my own home alignments. I was thinking with the wide range of available lasers, one would come in handy. Plus It might be useful for other purposes like checking frame to subframe true-ness. Unfortunately there are so many choices, it's overwhelming.

So what features would be best for chassis layout and setting alignments? I know it's not a necessity to have one, but if it still helps, I'm sure I'll find plenty of other uses on house projects too.

[David Pozzi]

I set the car on turntables & use this laser level from Harbor Freight. I use it to set the front wheels straight ahead by placing it against the front tire sidewall, axle height, aimed at the rear tires, axle height. The beam usually hits the edge of the rear tire tread. 153554

I do this to get each front tire the same angle. I don’t worry about what the toe-in is. Once the front tires are even, I adjust each tie rod the same number of turns to set final toe using circle track aluminum toe plates that rest against the tire sidewalls & use two tape measures.

I use a circle track bubble gauge to set caster/camber.

Always place the same side of the level against the tire. Don’t trust the laser to be straight from every side.

[rustomatic]

Pink string works quite nicely. Dirty old jackstands make nice reference points . . .

[krom]

If you are going to race it, align it on a regular basis, make a setup so you can "string" it.
Make brackets that bolt to the chassis front and rear, attach a straight edge, so you have strings on each side running parallel to the center line of the car


153588

[David Pozzi]

There is a nice red surveyors string that works great.
The string line is a great method when attached to the car. Often the car must be raised to make adjustments & that disturbs string lines that are not attached to the car.