my 48 had bad wander on the road

hit a bump or lines on the road it would jump all over
it was the TOE IN it was too much the (tie rod was bent)
it also wore the tires out on the inside tread
joe

 

After I put "new to me" radial tires on mine it tracks straight and drives well at highway speeds. Before with the bias plys, I was afraid to get up to 30 MPH. It was all over the road.

 

wandering steering 55 f100 does anyone know if you can adjust the toe in by measuring it . what is the measurement . thanks billy c

 

Measure the distance between the front tires halfway up from the ground. Compare the front of the tires with the distance at the back of the tires. Front measurement is slightly closer than the rear measurement. My 48 wants between 1/16" and 1/8" so measure carefully.

You adjust it with the tie-rod.

 

let me see if im understanding it correctly. To see if i have any toe in . if i measure the width of the front tires. INSIDE TO INSIDE LEFT[---------] right. if i .compare it to the width of the left & right rear tires would i see about a 1/2 inch less of the front tiress

 

To be real accurate, jack up each front wheel slightly off the ground and spin it while holding a pencil or sharply pointed tool against the tread to mark a line first. Then lower the truck and roll it back and forth a couple feet finishing with a forwards roll to set the tires. Measure between the lines front and back at the horizontal centerline of the wheel. As MTflat says the front measurement should be ~ 1/8" less than the rear. If adjustment is necessary adjust each end of the tierod equal amounts to keep the steering wheel centered when driving straight. Go thru the rolling manuever again before checking the adjustment.
If you are using bias ply tires all the adjustment in the world will not stop them from trammlining. Also any worn parts in the suspension or steering will cause the "drunken monkey" syndrome.

Negative good buddy you measure from centerline on the tire on one side to the centerline of the tire ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE across the width of the truck. Measure at the front of the tires and at the back of the tires at the same point, then compare the two measurements. Exagerated toe in would have the front of the tires pointed in at one another (pigeon toed) when looking down on the front axle from above rather than perfectly parallel.

 

thanks i got it billyc

 

Nope, you want to compare the distance between the front and the rear of the FRONT tires. Find a good spot to measure where the tape isn't interfering with the frame, etc and measure the distance between the front tires at the front of the tire
Record your measurement
Measure from the same spot at the rear of the front tires and record your measurement.

I set my 49 at 1/4" of total toe-in (the measurement at the front of my front tires is 1/4" less than the measurement at the rear of the front tires)

Not enough toe-in will give you the dreaded "death wobble"

Good luck
Bobby

 

You beat me to it AX! Great info

 

Billy,
Have you lowered your truck or does it have a noticable forward "rake" to it's stance? If so, you may have inadvertently reduced the caster angle of the front axle. To steer correctly, in addition to toe-in the top of the axle needs to lean back from vertical to produce caster effect. It should lean back about 4 to 6 degrees from vertical. To adjust the caster angle you place tapered metal shims between the axle and the spring with the thicker part to the front.

 

to axracer & bobbytnm . thank you both for the info will try it this week end . i didn't lower it but the tires are wider in the rear

 

width doesn't matter much unless you have a set of Mickey Thompsons back there, only the diameter if they are significantly taller in the rear they could reduce the caster angle.

 

Thanks for all the info on wandering steering . I will apply it this week end billy c

 

With Pictures:

http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/r...3.asp#geometry

 

pics here
http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...0Ford%20F-100/

Now in theory the fact that the rear of my truck was lowered more then the rear that should have kept the cast close to correct right.

Now it wears Bias plys right now and wants to wander and follow every line on the road but is still driveable at around 70mph on the cali freeways, I plan to get some radials on it soon. But I guess I will be checking caster and toe in tomorrow after I get home from work.

The front susspension was rebuilt not long before I bought it, and every thing appears tight and I have around 1.5 to 2" inches of free play in the steering wheel before the tires move. Anything else I should check when I get under the front end?

Sorry to hijack the post but it seemed related.