I'm convinced that with enough playing you can eventually work it out, although it'll probably require more trial and error if you have problems with one adjustment making the rest change positions as well.
With things like that, I value my time much less than I value my money. I'd rather shell out $3 for a 20' section of tubing and play for a few hours to make something out of spare ATF and other stuff laying around than pay for a full pro gauge set. That's just because if I spend hours futzing around to save myself $50, well, that's $50 saved.
Hopefully at some point I'll be able to expand the budget a little bit, but until then it's shadetree techniques and tools for me.