i got new tires and they recommend a place for me to get an alignment, the mechanic said i need a few things before i can get one, new sway bar+bushings, ball joints, all tie rods. im about to start on the ball joints and wondering if i should replace the cambers, the ones in the now have the little nipples to prevent them from moving. they look fine, he didn't says anything about the cambers but mite of been implied.
Should i just replace them so they can be adjusted or leave the old ones in?
and when i take it in for the alignment should i take out all the tools etc? i have alot of weight on the driver side.
2006 E250 5.4 ford

I-beam type very bad inner tire balding no feathering or anything else
steering wheel centered tires look very straight.

thanks for the help

 

When you do a full front end Vibe you need to go all the way ....It is alot of work but If you buy good parts that is the main thing.....I bought Motorcraft or Moog ....for Ball Joints / Tie rods / and assorted crap...Shocks I went with Munroe RV which are rated for a Solid Axle.... then had a specialist do it ( Aliginment ) which Involves all the $ 5 bushings and related crap .....And thats it ....Tires last at least 25K....loaded...Works for me ....

 

I dont think you can replace the camber bushings until you know what the alignment specs are to start with.

 

You can purchase adjustable camber sleeves and have them installed with the ball joint replacement. If the van's uneven weighting is a regular thing, then yes, take it to the alignment shop that way.

 

i got moog cambers the passenger side says -1/4 + 0.0
the driver side says -0.4 -0.25
the passenger side is easy to set since its on the install paper but the driver side numbers are not on the install sheet. im thinking since its in the 0. range i should leave it at neutral for the alignment shop. or is there another way to do this?

 

I don't think you can do anything helpful since you don't know what the current caster and camber is unless you have the means to measure it. You know what the bushings are, but that isn't what the caster and camber are.

 

The adjustable concentrics will allow you to maximize +caster. The specified range of caster is from +1.5 to +7 degrees. The fixed setting from the factory is typically about +3 degrees which is Ok for city driving but you want at least +5 degrees for highway driving.


The symptoms of having too little caster is "wandering" or "loose steering" at highway speeds.