So, today I changed out both left and right side tie rod ends and got my tires (bias ply) balanced.

Started off with some trouble as I counted the threads on the old ends and tried to match with the new ends but the passenger side wheel was SEVERELY toed in. So, I got it aligned for the most part with a string.

Is there a proper length that the tie rod bar and tie rods should be? Should the tie rods be threaded in both sides half way and then installed into the knuckle and then adjusted by twisting the tie bar?

Anyway...

All seemed to be good, until hitting highway speeds of 50 MPH, and then... horrible speed wobble occurs.

Everything seems tight with the front end off the ground, tire pressure is good, where should I go from here?

 

Myself I would go to the alignment shop if everything in the front end is tight including steering box and all connecting joints.

 

The most likely cause is incorrect toe-in. My guess is that you have too much toe-in. I don't remember what the specs are but you can get things pretty close with the string method, a tape measure, a stick, etc.


Years ago on my 49 the steering link with the tie rods was bent down. One day I put a hydraulic jack under it and "jacked" it back straight. I didn't think about it at the time but when I straightened out the link I increased the toe-in. I ended up with death-wobble after that and spent a lot of time and money replacing tie rods, and spring bushings to no avail. Eventually I reset the toe and everything has been good to go ever since.


Good luck
Bobby

 

I am half asleep so please take this with a grain of salt, but I recall 1/8" being the toe in on an F1, I run closer to 1/4" myself .That if you measure the distance between front wheels on the front inside edge of the wheel, then take the same measurement at the same spot on the back of the wheel(BEHIND THE AXEL) the front measurement should be 1/8" closer together than the measurement you took on the bake of the wheel. This is a easy thing to check. As you know there are other components like camber which is set with a shim , but toe in is by far the quickest thing to check. I once had a bad wobble that was caused by an unbalanced brake drum , that was brand new and out of the box, so every time I removed the tire which was balanced if I didn't use the exact bolt holes when re installing, I would get the wobble. I bought a new brake drum and all was ok. Try it and post what you find, if that wasn't it we will move on to the next possible cause. Hang in there we will get it. sorry I'm very sleepy so that's it for me tonight.

 

The factory spec is 0 to 1/16" toe-in.

 

I had major death wobble twice. First, my tie rod end threads were bad and I lost the tie rod while driving. After fixing that, I still had the death wobble. That time it was my toe in.

I have a thread on the subject and here is a link to the post of my adjustment.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post17051935
After getting it aligned, my truck is driving smooth.

 

Check out this how to. It's a pretty slick way to get an accurate toe setting at home.


https://www.ford-trucks.com/how-tos/...r-tires-355599

 

Agree with the others, issue is most likely toe in. If it's off enough it can feel like it's wandering even at low speeds.

 

Had the same issue of death wobble on my '56. The P.O. installed a RAM power steering cylinder kit, which included a change of tie-rod. Long story short, he never took it in for a proper alignment. I noticed the inside edge of the front passenger tire was worn down to the belts, and needed changing. So as a quick check, I set the steering wheel so the pitman arm as 90 degrees straight down, took a pair of big C-clamps and put them on both sides of the pitman arm to lock it into posisition. Then jacked up the front of the truck and removed the front wheels. Next using a long piece of flat steel, I think about 3/16" inch thick, I slid the steel between the brake backing plate and the king pins on each side. It was a snug fit. I was using this as a straight edge to see if with the pitman arm straight down, the backing plates were facing square to the frame. Measuring from one end of the steel plate to the frame and then the other, I found the driver's side backing plate, dead on. But the passenger side was another story. The measurements on the passenger side showed the it was off about 1/2"! I loosened up the tie rod lock nuts, and turned the tie rod until I had equal distance from each end of that steel plate slid behind the backing plate to the frame. Then checked the drivers side, it did not move due to the pitman arm being locked down. Tightened up the tie rod lock nuts, put the wheels on (with new tires on the rims), and then drove it down to the alignment shop, to get a "real alignment". During the drive I was noticing much, much better handling, and cornering. The alignment tech came into the waiting room and told me, that I was extremely close to perfect toe, and could leave it as is if I wanted. I said, go ahead and adjust it to spec. Seemed like it steered even better! Even though I was surprised I came that close with that temporary alignment job, what surprised me more, was the alignment machine they had, actually had the specs in it for aligning an 56-F100! Best of all no more death wobble!

 

I have repaired several trucks with death wobble and, while toe in can have some impact, in my experience if the wobble is as severe as you say then loose steering components are the culprit. You have fixed the common issue which is tie rod ends but here are a few more things to check:

1. If you turn the steering wheel more than ¼" and the wheels do not move check for a worn steering box, pitman arm ball, steering arm ball and/or drag link.
2. Undersized or bad shock absorbers combined with oversized tires or tires with slipped belts.
3. Spring bushings worn.
4. Unequal tire pressure side to side or mismatched tires.
5. Finally they do make a horizontal stabilizer that mounts like a sideways shock absorber on the axle to the tie rod. Your truck should not need this unless all else fails. It really is a bandaid used mainly on 4x4s with very large tires.

Worn pitman arm




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Thank you all for the replies! I haven't had time to work on the truck yet but the info everyone provided is awesome!

 

Been making some progress on the truck, one more question though.

Is it possible to adjust the steering wheel position without affecting toe in and out? I assume you adjust the steering wheel position by spinning the tie rod tube right?

 

Yes. Your tie rod should have a left hand thread on one end and a right hand on the other end. So if you loosen the clamps and turn the tie rod with a pipe wrench one side will move in and the other will move out the same distance thereby moving the steering wheel. Don't forget to re-tighten the clamaps. You can also pull steering wheel and move it to center. Again don't forget to reinstall the nut and retighten it.

 

I believe that you are adjusting the toe in or out by turning the tie rod. Because of the left and right threads both sides would move in or out.

 

After you get it aligned, I would take it for a drive and once stopped in a safe place after the truck has traveled straight ahead, mark the steering wheel to the column with a crayon. This will give you a good idea how much it needs to move and which way to move it.Once you are back at the shop pull the wheel and reposition it. It might take a couple of tries. Some roads are crowned so the wheel could look a little off while driving those but parking lots are mostly flat so driving through a parking lot the wheel could be straight. I just split the difference between the two. But there again I am sort of O.C.D. 😉