Hi all
I just replaced my tie rods on my truck, now I have positive camber. My tierods steer fine and I go straight as an arrow. Trying to adjust my caster camber requires maths that I SUCK at. Not sure how much positive degrees my wheels are pushed outwards from the top, but if I raise the truck, the twin I beam is going to make the front wheels sag more into positive camber. Anyone know about how much degrees the wheels sag inward when put on a lift? I assume take that amount of degrees whatever it may be, subtract it from the current amount of camber inwards, and account for the amount of positive camber my truck has? Also what is the difference between these 1.50, 2.00, 2.50, and so on caster camber adjustments, don't they all do the same thing or are these for modified trucks? I just want original caster/camber specifications.

 

Everything was fine till you put the tie rods in place? Then your toe adjustment is off. If you want a demonstration, pull forward on level ground and stop. Look at the tires. See if they are off top to bottom. Then back up from that spot a couple of feet, stop, and get out and look at them again. Different? That is the way the TTB frontend acts. It's all squirrelly if the toe is off.

The best way I have found to do it at home is to find a level place, drive forward to this place and stop. Get a tape measure, find a tread in the middle of both front tires, and measure from tire to tire at the rear, and then measure from the same tread tire to tire on the front of both tires.

The front measurement should be 1/8 to 1/4 less than the rear measurement of the front tires. It may be too much since you said it drives straight. Usually too little and it gets a little darty on the road. Adjust the tie rods, (remember which way you turned them) and lock them down. You can't get the tape measure out and instantly measure what you did. You have to back up several feet, pull forward and stop. Then measure again. You are not using plates under the front tires, so you have to keep backing up and pulling forward after each adjustment. Or go for a test ride after each adjustment and then pull forward to your level spot and stop without backing up, and the measuring again.

Any local alignment shop will be happy to adjust this for you for less than $100. Most of them will not want to adjust the camber or the caster, it's a pain on these trucks even for a shop with all the tools. If your truck needs camber or caster adjustment, they will have to set it up on the machine, the machine will tell them what bushing to use and they usually have to order them. Then they will need to be installed and set. I would imagine now this will be a $200 plus job. There is no need for complicated formulas, the alignment machine figures it out for them.

You probably could hunt up the specs on the internet somewhere for these trucks, but it's not going to really mean much without the proper tools to measure with. If the balljoints are good and the center pivot bushings are good, you should be in the ballpark on caster and camber.

 

I thought the toe-in was for how the wheels turn in and out? When I was adjusting the front end the wheels turned in and out but the camber stayed the same, and it kept the same positive camber on multiple different peices of land

 

The frontend is independent. If it gets in a bind it will raise up or drop down. The frontend is continually in a bind by design. That is what the caster is for. When you are in a turn and let go of the wheel, it will naturally want to return to center as long as you are moving forward. This is what the caster does for you. When you make a turn, you are actually raising the truck higher off the ground. When you let go of the steering wheel in a turn, the forward motion and the weight of the truck pushing down on the suspension makes the steering want to return to center.

You can see how the frontend binds up and gy-rates around by getting someone to turn the steering wheel just sitting there, and you watching the frontend and the front of the truck. It will move all over the place.

 

Thats the main issues I'm having as I actually forgot to mention it, When i turn my wheel doesn't return to front, the wheel will stick in the direction I turned it in

 

That can be caster, or baljoints that are stiff and frozen. If the problem comes and goes, it can be a stiff axle u-joint up front if you have 4x4. Nothing is simple is it?

 

it never can be lol, I replace all the u joints on the truck a year and a half ago so hopefully it isnt those. If I where to replace the caster nut adjuster, what would be the correct one? It seems like the original is not adjustable. Thats where I am confused with the varrying degrees ones like 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.00, 2.25 and so on degrees

 

It should look like a "castle" and is around the upper u-joint. The factory did use zero degree bushings, but there are bushings in it. The varying degrees is the amount of offset or "egg shape" the upper ball joint bushing has. The bushing sets the caster and the camber both at the same time, so you have to hit it just right. The alignment machine tells the tech what bushing he needs. Not sure how you would do this at home.

 

@Mountain_anderson I believe you are working on a 1986 F-150 5.0 EFI RWD truck. So I added some possibly helpful information.

A stock truck with good ball joints, pivot bushings, with all factory installed equipment, parked as described above and no driver or load is going to have 1.5° positive camber, about 5/16" top to bottom of the 15" wheel rim. Ideally, it will also have a slight toe in as already mentioned.

Pictured are the bushings used to adjust caster and camber.

From left is 0 (concentric), a 1/4 and a 1/2.

When I took my '86 F-150 EFI RWD for alignment it needed nothing. I had already done an alignment at home. I only needed to rotate the 1/4 bushing on the passenger side to even the caster with the driver side. This adjustment also helped the camber on the passenger side.

The old school alignment specialist was going out of business and told me to root through a pile of bushings he was going to scrap (a couple hundred) and pick out those three sizes for possible future use. He said our 1986 twin I-beam trucks rarely, if ever, need more than one size different bushing over the life of the truck. He also said that most all our trucks have 0 or 1/4 bushings from the factory.

​​​​​​The perches that the springs sit on are different side to side. The passenger side is thicker.

Passenger side

Driver side

(Red line next to shim I added to better level the truck)

The engine is offset towards the passenger side and so the spring needs to support more weight.

FWIW: My truck's stock springs length sitting on level ground and parked as described above.

With the stick rule under the top coil

The driver side spring

Passenger side




My truck is 3/8" higher on the driver side but levels out when the 195# driver sits in it

 

I have a 4wd truck, is there much of a difference? If I install 1/4" caster adjustment nuts would this allow me to return to the correct caster/camber adjustment? Also you mentioned the factory spec is about 1.5degrees positive camber, is this the same for 4wd models?

 

I had a sticky steering that didn't want to return, turned out to be a sticky tie rod end at the passenger wheel. Those knuckles sealed or greasable are low and in a position to take road salts, water...corrosion.

 

I just replaced mine and packed them full of the red n tacky grease

 

I guess my main question is when would it be appropriate to buy different varrying degrees bushings

 

Has the truck been lifted in front, rear, or both? If not, you shouldn't have positive camber.

Drive it a couple of miles to get the springs settled back down if you jacked up the truck to change tie rod ends.
Drive it anyway if you didn't jack it up anyway to settle it out before throwing parts at it.

 

I bought the truck used in 2020 and to my knowledge it doesnt have a lift or had one installed since, I didn't jack it up to replace but I've driven it about 20 miles or so since I replaced them