What I did on my Datsun today

[Jeff G 78]

I run about 1/8" toe out in the front, but you can also do 1/8" toe in. There are plusses and minuses either way. Toe in is more common.

[Randalla]

Thanks Jeff. So, doing this manually without an alignment rack, I need to run a string from the back to the front of the car to measure how far out each side is correct? Measuring across the left and right front rotors (front vs. back) could conceivably point me into the ditch even if the measurement is correct.

[Jeff G 78]

No, the easy way is to use toe plates (search Longacre Toe Plates), but I do it without. With the car on the groundand neutralized, measure as high as you can from tire to tire forward of the contact patch. Use a rain groove and hook the tape measure on one side and read to the same groove on the other tire. Repeat the process behind the contact patch and compare the two measurements. The difference is your total toe. Shoot for 1/8" toe in.

When you need to make an adjustment, if you can't do it while the car is on the ground, jack it up, make the adjustments, lowere it, and roll it several feet forward and backwards to neutralize the tires before you take the next set of measurements. If you are fairly close to start with, you can set toe in less than 30 min. Toe plates are more accurate and take less time, but they are not needed for a basic toe setting.