I have 1972 F100 short bed , has a 302 engine . I have a friend with a lift, so we lifted it up about a year ago to bleed the brakes, and he noticed the front tires where sagging down toward the floor, like maybe 45 degree . He said that doesn't look right, a buddy said its probably the King Pins. I have never worked on front ends much so any help appreciated or is this normal on a F100 ? Also the steering has a lot of play, so I tightened the bolt on the worm gear and that took the play out quit a bit , but it still wants go out of the driving lane which could be the alignment and tires ? Thanks,f1butcher

 

I assume a 2wd and not 4wd right? If it's a two wheel drive, the tires hanging at an angle when off the ground is normal just due to the suspension design. if it's a 4wd, that is a different story...

Tightening the worm gear is a bad idea on the steering box. That is a bad bandaid fix and can result in the steering box locking up at the worst time. Once the steering box gets sloppy it is time to replace it. I would avoid any of the major parts stores with their "remanufactured" boxes, usually those are just resealed and a quick paint job, not actually rebuilt. I personally have used a Red Head steering box and love it. Others have used the Blue Top boxes with great success. They are going to cost more, but in my opinion are worth every penny.

In addition to replacing box, you'll want to replace all the bushings in the front end, your choice whether you go poly or rubber. There are pros and cons of each. While you're at it, not a bad idea to replace king pins (I don't think those had ball joints) and the tie rods. The steering shaft may also be worn out, you can try to replace the "rag" joint as it's called, but often the u-joint that attaches to the column is worn out too and you will still have slop. Borgeson offers a replacement shaft that you cut to length for your vehicle.

You can inspect the tie-rods and king pins to see if they are worn, but I will guess they likely are due to age. You could try greasing everything with a zerk and attempt to get it aligned, but if the components are beyond repair, you'll be wasting time/money on an alignment. Don't forget to check the simple things such as tire pressure. Low pressures can cause issues with tracking as well.

On the other hand, if you plan to do some mods and can get your hands on a Crown Vic, you could rob the front suspension and rack & pinion steering from it and put underneath your truck. I haven't done that kind of mod, but I hear it is a very popular and a relatively easy swap. There will be some fabrication of course, but nowhere near the level of fabrication require to build a fully custom front suspension.

 

Thanks for the info, I have heard about the Crown Vic being a good way to go I would have to see how hard it is to do. Sounds like its the King Pins and tie rods and some bushings for now. It is 2wd , so glad to hear that they hang down when lifted. f1butcher

 

I’m in the process of a fully restoring my 71 and have gone the cv route. I have completely rebuilt the cv except for the wheel bearings. New discs, calipers, Viking coilovers, upper and lower control arms, and sway bar endlinks. There is getting to be quite a bit of good aftermarket support for our vehicles so getting parts isn’t bad. I bought a lot of the upgrades from F100 performance as well as outcast autoworks. As for the cv, summit has all the parts I’ve needed to rebuild the front end and not spend a fortune doing so. I’m not done yet so I can’t personally speak to how it performs, but it’s a well known highly used modification that drastically improves the handling of the pickup

 

For a lot of play in the steering, remember to check the rag joint. The rubber will rot out eventually and let the truck wonder.

 

Turning that screw is a temporary fix & I think not such a good idea MAYBE ! There are PROPER detailed instructions in the handy dandy Factory service manual that everyone such have............I bet you do not have nearly enough steering grease in your steering box.............Rag joint may be shot as said earlier............
I am a firm believer if you do all the proper adjustments , manual steering s not SOOOOOOO bad , because I had a 66 mustang & it steered amazingly easy.........I was in high school , so I may have known better but I do think it steered great.
Just my 2 cents.........and it is not easy to do all the adjustments, and do them all RIGHT, .......BUT , LIFE IS HARD................then u DIE................

 

Thanks guys, I will check the rubber on the rag joint and grease in steering box. First I'm working on getting the blank truck running, then steering will be next. f1butcher

 

Sloppy steering - most likely the steering box needs to be replaced. But you must also check the other things mentioned, rag joint, tie rod.
Have a helper wiggle the steering wheel while you get under there and see what is loose.
Bad king pins will give you klunks in the front end when hitting small bumps.
A nice tight front end is a pleasure, almost as good as good brakes.

 

As nice as the CV swap is it will lower the front of the truck so you will need to lower the rear too.
If you are looking for a factory looking and good handling then just rebuild what you have.

I have a 81 F100 that I rebuilt the front suspension and used poly bushings for pivot and radius arms.
I dont think it rides ruff but I did not drive the truck before I took it apart for a 4 year cab off frame rebuild so nothing to go by.
I also went with a Blue Top steering box as mine had play and I heard good thing of Red Head and Blue Top boxes.

When I did the kingpins I did not have a press to press out the old and in the new or ream them to size so I sent that part out to a machine shop that people said could do it.
Well it was a month latter I went to put it all together and found they reamed each bushing to fit the pin but never tried to fit the pins all the way through both bushings at the same time.
Because of that the pins would not fit I had to hone the bushings and forced the pins in. Being that tight the wheels do not return to center from a turn. It has gotten better over the last 5 years since it has been on the road.

Other than the kingpin bushings, unless you have a press (can be done with threaded rod, nuts and washers) and reamer (might be found on Ebay as that is where I found one for mine) you can do the bushings and tie rods in your driveway. If you go with poly bushings watch as you may need to reuse the outer shell from the old rubber bushings like I had to.
Dave ----