Hunter Highlights Vol. 114

In 1962, sixteen years after Hunter Engineering Company was founded to produce and market Lee Hunter’s innovative automotive service inventions, the company introduced its second major wheel alignment product, the Tune-Align Alignment System. The Tune-Align was the first mechanical alignment system that was capable of compensating for lateral wheel runout. Prior to the Tune-Align, alignment precision was at the mercy of the condition of the hub or wheel.

The Tune-Align was also the first system to automatically guide the operator during adjustment (a mechanical version of today’s on-screen adjustment bar graphs), improving alignment speed and ease of use. As the adjustment was made, a clacker sounded and lamp on the sensor box flashed at a rate that corresponded to the proximity of the adjustment to specification.

The Tune-Align’s success helped secure Hunter’s position as the undercar service leader and support the company’s expansion and introduction of newer technologies. In 1969, Hunter’s F60/70 Compute-A-Line would advance the state-of-the-art and become the industry’s first successfully marketed computerized dynamic wheel aligner.

Executives from Volkswagen AG Service Division, Workshop Equipment Alexander Seibold (fourth from left) and Udo Bärensprung (fifth from left) visited Hunter from Wolfsburg, Germany to discuss existing contracts and review new equipment. They were accompanied by Volkswagen Audi of North America Equipment and Tool Manager Keith Krebs.

Pictured from left: Hunter Executive Vice President Nick Colarelli; Hunter Director of International Wes Wingo; Hunter North Central Division Manager Greg Dunkin; Alexander Seibold; Udo Bärensprung; Hunter Vice President of Research and Development Tim Strege; Hunter Deutschland Marketing and OEM Accounts Manager Rolf Lapp; Hunter President Stephen Brauer; Keith Krebs; Hunter International Technical Manager Patrick Callanan; Hunter OEM Program Director Jeff Kern.

Monro Muffler & Brake Equipment Manager Brad Dettman (fifth from left), Director of Purchasing Tom Giannone (sixth from left) and Director of Training Jim Lynch (seventh from left), traveled to Hunter from Rochester, New York to review new Hunter products.

From left: Hunter Pittsburgh Regional Manager Joe Jambro; Hunter Northeast Division Manager Doug Woolverton; Hunter President Stephen Brauer; Hunter Cleveland Regional Manager Frank Ponte; Brad Dettman; Tom Giannone; Jim Lynch; Hunter Director of Product Management Denny Bowen.