I have been experiening a peculiar handling issue recently. When i am driving down the road and come to a right hand or left hand turn the truck acts like it wants to keep going straight. I have a mustang II front end i put in a couple of years ago but not had any issues until recently. I checked the tire pressure and i was low. Added air in tires to 34 psi. I had the front end aligned right after i put it in but not since. I have checked to see how much the springs have settled since installed and the front has lowered 1/2" to 3/4" from original. I was wondering since the springs have settled that much if i am running to much toe-out and that is causing the problem.

Terry

 

I don't know just how much camber gain or toe gain there is in the particular flavor of MII IFS you have, but I bet it needs a full realignment. Is the lower control arms parallel to the ground or angled upwards at the ends like airplane wings? Also carefully check the A arm bushings for wear and deterioration. Some of the bushings used have durability issues.
Does your IFS use full tubular A-arms or the OEM style stamped arms?

 

If the front end has settled 1/2 to 3/4 inch you may need a new alignment. Also, you should have no toe-out and about 1/8 to 3/16 toe-in! If the front end has toe-out, that would certainly make for poor handling...

 

Thanks for the replys. The front end is from TCI and has the tubular control arms. The lower control arm pivot that is attached to the cross member is slightly higher than the outer pivot. The lower control arm and the tie rod are parallel to each other.
I am taking it to the alignment shop this afternoon. I will let you know how it worked out.

Thanks
Terry

 

I picked up the truck last night from the alignment shop and still not how it should be. He can't get the toe in right. The upper control arms won't move out far enough without making the slotted holes longer. Has anyone else had to do this and if so why?

Terry

 

Run, don't walk, to another alignment shop that knows what they are doing! You don't adjust the toe by moving the A arm pivots! If they have moved the upper control arms out as far as possible the camber (and likely the caster) is probably WAY out of spec now.

 

That is what i am going to do.

Thanks

 

I don't think he's saying the toe-in and control arm issues are related. Two separate statements.

 

Either way, I would expect TCI to have built in plenty of adjustment room to be able to align the IFS without having to modify the upper control arm mountings. The slots in the upper control arm mountings is used to adjust camber (how much the tire top leans in or out from perfectly vertical when viewed from the front), and caster (how much an imaginary line thru the pivot points of the top and bottom ball joints leans back from vertical when viewed from the face of the wheel). You adjust toe by screwing the tie rod ends in or out on the tie rods. There should be no reason to not be able to adjust the toe into spec unless the tie rod ends fall off the tie rods or they bottom out on the threads. There is something drastically wrong, and I believe it's with the alignment shop.

 

You can also have your crossmember out of position. Which also throws an alignment out. A frame rail could also be a little bent, bowed, or otherwise not straight. I would definitely check what another shops has to say. Also, when I was setting my IFS up the front width of wheels changed by, I dont remember how much, I had to compensate with a different wheel backspace as it had shortend the front width a good amount. My front end is a fatmans however.

Do you have the stock rear end in the truck?

 

It has a nine inch ford rear.

 

I would also check that the steering linkage is not binding. Also I just replace my pump because the pump housing was leaking. After replacing it my steering did get smoother, I felt like with the leak I may have been getting air into the system.

 

Did they do a computerized alignment? If so, did they give you a printout of the results? It should show the intended specs and what they actually set it to. If they didn't use or have a computerized alignment rack you DEFINITELY need a different shop! Always ask for, save and file a copy of the alignment. You can then check the final settings of the previous alignment to the starting settings of the next. If one of the specs changed dramatically, either you hit a big pothole or something slipped. If it happens thru two alignments then you need to find what is slipping and repair it.
You should also read the printout before you leave and make sure the target settings they used were correct and if they didn't hit the targets, ask the tech why, and ask for him to readjust it or get a senior tech to check it. They charge plenty more than enough to warrant the time needed to get it right, don't settle for close enough! One more thing, I NEVER go sit in a waiting room while someone works on my vehicle! I stand close by and make it obvious to whoever is working on it that I'm there. I'd act like I know how it's supposed to be done, even if I didn't.

 

If it has posi and not open, Id make sure the rear isn't locking up.