Vehicle wheel toe-in alignment apparatus and method

A toe gauge, adapted for use with a substantially identical companion toe gauge in gauging the toe of a vehicle having a wheel spindle mounted to a wheel support for swiveling about a king bolt axis and being adjustable for effecting toe changes in a wheel mounted to the spindle, comprising:

• an elongate body;
• an attaching member joined to said elongate body adjacent a first end of said body and cooperating with said body to define a spindle receptacle having a first axis and adapted for receiving, and being supported by, the vehicle wheel spindle for swiveling about a spindle axis defined by a wheel mounting shaft of said spindle;
• a laser beam target surface being fixed to said body and located along a second axis which intersects first said axis at a location on an opposite side of said body from said attaching member, and defines a included acute angle with said first axis so as to be located along said king bolt axis when said gauge is in a preselected angular location about said spindle axis and adapted for being impinged by a laser beam of a companion gauge mounted on an opposite side of the vehicle when the toe of a wheel at the opposite side of the vehicle is within a desired range;
• a locator positioned along said second axis between said target surface and said first axis so as to engage structure associated with said spindle so as to retain said gauge in said preselected angular location;
• and
• a laser unit mounted to said body at a location approximately along said second axis for directing a beam toward a target surface of the companion gauge.