Caliper Garage Alignment Measuring Kit Instructions

Alignment Measuring Kit Assembly and Use

WARNING: ADJUSTING THE ALIGNMENT ON A CAR CAN CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH. CALIPER GARAGE PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNED ONLY TO MEASURE YOUR CAR’S EXISTING ALIGNMENT. WE CANNOT PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS TO MODIFY YOUR CAR. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE WITH OUR ALIGNMENT MEASURING KIT IN PLACE.

Step One: Prepare the Car

  1. Park the car on a hard, level, smooth surface. The closer the surface is to level, the more accurate your measurements will be.

  2. Set the parking brake and chock the wheels to prevent the car from rolling away.

  3. Open the hood and trunk, as you’ll need to hook the alignment kit under each.

  4. Tip: Don’t measure a car that’s just been lowered from a jack. The suspension needs to settle before measurement, and it won’t do that until the car has rolled around some. Rolling the car back and forth a few feet after any adjustments will provide more precise measurements.

  5. Tip: For the most precise measurements, measure the car’s alignment after any cornerweighting is complete, and with the driver’s weight in the driver’s seat.

Step Two: Assemble the Kit

  1. Thread a thumb screw into each hole on the alignment blocks and hooks. (These are shipped unscrewed in order to prevent shipping damage). Tip: Don’t overtighten these thumb screws. You probably won’t break anything, but you will damage the tube and make future adjustments difficult. Finger tight is more than enough.

  2. Cut your 3/4” tube to length (skip this step if you purchased your tube pre-cut). You’ll need the following pieces:

    • 2x Horizontal Tubes: Each of these tubes should be roughly as long as the width of your car plus 4-12.” They’ll be mounted horizontally on each end of your car, level with the axle centerline.

    • 4x Vertical Tubes: These tubes will connect the horizontal tubes to the clamp tubes, and should be at least as long as the vertical distance between the top of your car’s hood/trunk and each axle’s centerline. We recommend 18”, but it depends on the car.

    • 4x Hook Tubes: These tubes will connect the hooks to the vertical tubes, and should be long enough to span that distance without resting on the car. Only the padded vertical tubes should touch your car’s paint.

  3. Install the supplied padding on the vertical tubes and horizontal tubes. If installed properly, only the vertical tubes should contact your car’s paint.

  4. Using the alignment blocks, assemble the measuring kit to hook onto the front and rear of your car. Don’t worry about getting everything straight and level at this point; just get it close enough to hang on the car.

Once assembled, you should have two structures that look like this (one for each end of the car).

Step Three: Measure

  1. Hang the alignment kit on the front and rear of the car: Don’t worry about making the hooks or hook tubes perfectly symmetrical. Try to get the vertical tubes fairly well centered on each bumper.

  2. Align the horizontal tubes: Using a tape measure, adjust each horizontal tube so the distance between them is the same on both sides of the car. The goal is for them to be parallel to each other when the car is viewed from above.

  3. Attach the alignment strings: On each side, tie an oversized loop on one end of the string and slip it over the front horizontal tube. Run the string back, over the top of the rear horizontal tube, and tie a weight on the end. That weight should pull the string taught, putting it a few inches away from the side of the car.

  4. Adjust the horizontal tubes: Using the alignment strings as a guide, raise or lower the alignment blocks connecting the horizontal tubes to the vertical tubes until the strings appear to pass through the center of each wheel hub when viewed from the side.

  5. Adjust the alignment strings: Slide the strings on the horizontal tubes so they pass 2-6” away from each wheel lip. Then, using a tape measure, measure the distance between the two strings at the rear horizontal tube. Slide the strings on the front horizontal tube until they are that same distance apart. The strings should be exactly the same distance apart from each other at the front and rear horizontal tubes. This step ensures the strings are parallel, which is critical for an accurate alignment. Mark each string’s location on the tube so you can quickly tell if a string is accidentally moved away from parallel.

  6. Center the alignment strings: Once the strings are parallel with each other, slide the front and rear horizontal tubes until the car is perfectly centered between the strings. To determine this, measure the distance from each hub to the string, then move the tubes left and right until the measurements are equal on each axle. Note that it’s common for cars to have different track widths front and rear, so the distance from the string to the front and real wheel hubs might not be identical. Your car might have 2” from each string to each front hub, and 3” from each string to each rear hub. As long as each axle’s measurements are the same, the strings are centered. After moving the tubes, double-check that the strings are still parallel to each other.

  7. Measure toe and thrust angle: Using a ruler, measure each wheel at two places (the front lip, and the rear lip). The difference between those two measurements is the amount that wheel is toed in or out. Using these measurements, you can compute toe and thrust angle.

 

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