Best front end alignment tools...

for small shop.

Better than a level and tape. Not $50k.

Turn/angle plates, castor camber gauges for on the wheel, prefer with toe adjust fixtures. Good enough to be accurate, repeatable and do a good job on fast race cars.

Go...

What type of race car?

The handling guys might be the best place to ask.

I have a couple hundred dollars worth of tools for an alignment.

caster camber

toe plates

A couple of digital protractors

But the key is a string box

I used 4 dollar store pizza plates as turn plates,, not sure how well those work though

Tenhulzen

Not super impressed with what you get for the price they charge. They also skip right over checking caster in their how to videos.

Which is why I have a caster/camber gauge.

If all you need is toe, you can go to the hardware store and buy what you need for a lot less. Between the caster/camber gauge I have and the parts from a hardware store you are bux up vs Tenhulzen.

I wish I had the room for it, know a guy that has one of the original "111" series Hunter alignment setups collecting dust in his garage. Very clean like new. It's the "A111" first of it's kind. Has 4 heads, one to hang on each wheel and strings between f-r and across the front. I'd rather have one of the newer versions, with the infra red sensors instead of the strings but beggers can't be choosers. I remember when these machines were brand new, not long after I first got into alignments.
I think something like that would work ok using along with my 2 post lift and a set of turn plates

I have the Tenhulzen plates and they measure castor very effectively and repeatably. Instructions are clear. I do agree that it’s spendy for what it is, but it’s effective, accurate, and easy.

Don't know if anything here is of interest? We've used Intercomp Racing with our race teams for decades. Always good things there.

https://www.intercompracing.com/alignment-equipment.html#1

INTERCOMP RACING home page link CLICK

Mike

I have a Longacre Digital unit that has a rim clamp.

If you have rims and steel hub that can accept a magnetic bubble gauge, I'd buy that.

My Digital unit has button click procedure that I always forget and have to re-learn. Then I sometimes don't think it's calculating it right.

An old fashioned mechanical bubble type is more fool proof. For caster, you rotate the gauge to level, then turn the wheel the angle required per the tool. The required angle sweep is usually written on tool or you can write the angle on blue tape to remind you.

The turn plates make the job easier for me than having a digital gauge vs bubble. The turnplates have the angles on them so you can get your caster sweep real accurate. And with plates you don't have to roll your car back and forth every time you make an adjustment.

I got turnplates used from a circle track guy since this picture. Much quicker and easier now.

I have one of these with the optional toe adapters. The price is reasonable and it works for my needs, but I haven't used on a race car. I forgot to add that I made my own turn plates from two pieces of Masonite with the angles marked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu5xEFdDr7M

Can that tool be used on wheels that don't have that outer edge lip like some alloy wheels? (I see the bungee cord/strap, it that how it is helped to stay in place?)

i have one of those fast track setups. they work pretty good once a guy learns how to use them.
the bungy cord helps to keep them in place, but make sure the cord you use is just long enough to apply some help, and not too short to cause deflection of the aluminum angle the tool is made of.
i bought a magnetic caster/camber tool from speedway motors like the one sniper shown.
as for turn plates, i bought a pair at a swap meet for $20.00. they were complete, but crusty. i disassembled them, cleaned and blasted, then painted and assembled them with new ball bearings. they work great now.
i was lucky the angle indicator labels were still very legible after a thorough cleaning, so i cleared them to keep them that way.
these plates were made by the Wheel-A-Matic Company, Franklin, N.H. USA.
i have no idea how old these may be, as i never bothered to look into this company, or search out any information.
a person can make a couple of turn plates by obtaining a couple [4 in total] of heavy plastic floor tiles, 12"x12", and applying a good coating of grease between them. although kind of messy, i have seen this method used.
for measuring turn degrees, you can use a long straight edge and an angle finder or a plastic degree finder available in most dollar stores.
as with most tools, practice makes perfect. i bought my alignment tools over a time period, so i can't say how much i have in them
i also made some toe plates that bolt to the hub, a couple inches longer than the front tire diameter. these are also able to be used by placing them next to the tire sidewall.
different adapters were also fabricated for different applications as the need[s] arose.
just my experience. your mileage will vary.

This will be for drag cars. Mostly OE front end Stock, Super Stock type deals. Some tube chassis stuff as well. I want to be able to make the stuff right without having to drag it my buddy's place to use his machine.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check them out.

Those Hunter string machines were rock solid and reliable! If you can get your hands on one that functions...grab it! If you want to be accurate you really need something that references off the rear. Just measuring caster/camber/toe in front really doesn't tell the whole story. Thrust angle becomes huge...especially with race cars. Worked at a shop that did lots of race car alignment work......using a Hunter string machine.

Edit: The manager of that shop ran a bad azz 8 second nitrous 67 Caprice. Set up on that string machine!

Anybody tried this one?

QuickTrick Wheel Alignment

that's like an updated fast track tool.
but $500.00 ?
when i bought my fast track setup, it was around $100.00 or less..........
the speedway tool was $89.99 on sale.
i guess stuff has increased in price some since then.