Rebuilt Suspension and Brakes
 

On my 77 I just replaced front calipers, roters, pads, I beam bushing, pitman arm bushings, springs, shocks, wheel bearings and brake lines. On the back I replaced wheel cyls, shoes, drums, brake springs, shocks and rear end grease. I had the king pins replaced and an alignment. I would like someone that knows how these trucks should opperate take a test drive to tell me shat I am missing. I will soon be replacing the column and the rag joint has been replaced. I don't know how these trucks are supposed to drive. This one in nowhere near anything else I own but it is 30+ years older and I guess I need a sanity check. If anyone is in the Memphis area and thinks that they are up to the challenge let me know. This thuck is for my son so I want it to be first safe and then we will make it cool.

Thanks.

All twinIbeam trucks drive different from aframe front ends. Its hard to describe. My 95 psd was the best driving one I ever owned. My 96 F150 was ok but it lacked a good feel of the road. They didn't drive nearly as good as my 97 f150 with a aframe frontend. I had a73 F100 that I could never make drive good. It weaved on the road & I couldn't find a shop that could fix it.

That is what I am talking about. I have only ever driven this truck since it was worn out. This may be how it was supposed to handle when new I just don't know. There is still some wander but with each new part it gets better. The only thing I think I have left to replace is the PS box. I think it should be in good shape since the truck only has 38K on it though.

You can tighten the steering box a little, but if it's got much play, it's gone, BTW, it's not the miles, it's also sitting that can ruin one, condensation gets in the fluid, parts rust. How are your steering joints, I replaced the center link on our 78 4x4, needs a tierod end and straighten the drag. Radius arm bushings can allow the front to shift back and forth, you can go with polyurethane for longer lasting.

I have replaced everthing below the steering box. All the bushings, springs, drag link tie rod ends, king pins and shocks. I also replaced the rotors, bearings, brake lines, calipers, pads, seals, and dust cap. Everthing is new and the truck drives much better. I just don't know if this is the way it is supposed to drive or not because I have never driven a truck like this when it was right so I don't have a frame of reference so I was really looking for someone to at least go for a ride with me and tell me if I am finished with this part.

I can meet you on a weekend. I've owned 10 ibeam trucks. I drive a 04 e250 work truck now. I was thinking about your post while I was driving around today. My van has about 2 inches of play in the steering. It doesn't pull & drives straight but I can rock the steering wheel back & forth 2 inches & the truck doesn't respond it goes straight. It has almost 40k on it. I tryed this at 65mph on interstate. My 97 F150 has no play in the steering with 125 k. If I move the steering wheel any at the same speed my 97 responds. All my ibeam Fords except my 95 PSD did this to some extent. Let me know if you want to meet & test it.

I would love to meet this weekend if possible. My wife will be away with my daughter and my son and I will be at home and it is really his truck anyway. I live in Collierville but really near Germantown. I could meet you somewhere anytime on saturday. I am planning on flushing the PS and radiator this weekend but that will not take long and I can wait to see what someone else thinks. Thanks alot.

I drove this truck today. It drives good but the steering seems too fast. It doesn't pull or weave. It just reacts too fast when you turn the wheel. I think its the PS pump or the steering box. What else could cause it?.
Robert has a fine old truck. It needs a few minor repairs & some paint to make it into a sweet lookin F100. Its in great shape for a 30 yr old truck. The motor runs good & strong. The tranny shifts like a new one. Its a good project truck for sure.:-X22

You can correct the box a little with turning the set screw, but I'd say the box needs replaced, when the pump is bad, it's so tight it can be near impossible to turn left.

I figured you would know Mark. This truck has everything else on the front replaced. It drives great except for the steering reacting too fast. Maybe a new box will corect it.

I swapped the steering column yesterdayon the truck. I found that the lowering bearing on the old column was really gone. the shaft will move side to side about 1.5". Now the fastness of the turning is greatly reduced till you get to about 50 but it isn't too bad there also. I think I will loook into a rebuilt box and see how much money it is.

I think they are $175, called last year for our 4x4, sitting was it's enemy.
I had a 75 F-100 as a teen, dad totally went through the front, wouldn't take grease, and steering refused to return, brass bushings welded themselves to the king pins from lack of grease, so when we got it, too late, refused to take grease due to it not being able to go between the bushing and pin.
If your colum was worn like that, the box is your problem, the wrag joint likely caused it and it it did one side, obviously it'll do the other. I never had that problem before, and I've had some real beat up heaps, my problems were usually concentrated to the end links, from getting bent by hitting objects.
Did you change your brake fluid, put new in the master cylinder and bleed the front & rear till it came clean, condensation settles in it after a while, you have to change it.

Yes, I replaced all the brake hoses, ft calipers, rear cyls, rotors, drums, springs, master cyl and all friction surfaces. I ended up running about 1/2 gal of fluid through the system till I was satisifed that it was clear. The old master cyl was full of rust is the oly way I can describe it. I think that water must have gotten into it and then the inside of the casting rusted. The brakes work great now but it really takes an effort to lock the wheels. But this is not power brakes. I can't figure why Ford sold a power steering truck with manual brakes. Oh well.

You could have upgraded with a booster and power master cylinder, it's not all that difficult.

Don't I need a new proportional valve then?