wandering steering
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More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 513
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From: Alberta
wandering steering
I just got back from a trip with my truck and I am really getting pi**ed about the steering. The truck follows any little dip or bump in the road really badly. On a perfectly flat highway its not too bad but if there is any variation in the pavement it is a major handful. It will sometimes just move over probably 6 inches without any input from me. It makes pulling a trailer a white knuckle affair. The truck is a 1970 F250 4x4 crewcab. I put a 1976 front Dana 44 in a while ago. The steering box is off a 70s Dodge 4x4. I just rebuilt the drag link with all new parts, both ends of it have the proper taper fit. I recently installed a steering damper on the tie rod. I'm running 285/75r16 Goodyear Wrangler tires. Yesterday when I was towing a U-haul trailer with a 63 Dodge pickup I could hardly keep it on the road so I aired my tires up to 60 psi and put 40 psi in my rear airbags and it was still bad. I guess bigger tires will probably be worse for this but you see a lot of tires this big or bigger on the road and I bet they aren't scared for their lives. Maybe its just this brand of tire?? Or my front springs are too sacked out? Anyone have any ideas?
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,302
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From: Madison, SD
How much slop in the steering box??? Are all the tie rod ends tight, or do they have a bit of play in them??? Got to be something worn in the steering or suspension.... Is it power steering??? Possibility you could have too much pressure from the power steering pump....
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More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 513
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From: Alberta
Its a Ford F250. I had a wheel alignment done and it didn't make any difference. It may be camber(?) is wrong due to the worn springs? It is power steering, is there such a thing as too much pressure? Ball joints were done about a year ago, drag link is all new, tie rods are the best out of 2 or 3 sets I have. I guess I need to start throwing some money at it.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,008
Likes: 1
From: Tucson
I had the same problem years ago with my 67. I was certain all of the front end parts were good. My tires were good too. I swapped rear for front tires and noticed the difference immediately. This convinced me to buy a new set of tires which cured the problem completely. You probably have new tires but swap front to back anyhow and give it a try.
jor
jor
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More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 513
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From: Alberta
I just had them rotated about a month ago, they were new in June. By the way, I'm very unhappy with how these tires are wearing. They come with a 80 000km treadlife warranty and after 12000km my rears were worn 47% and the fronts 27%. By my figuring the very best I could expect is around 30-40000km out of them.
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
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If your tires are wear funny and the thing is all over the road maybe that front alignment your got wasn't done right. I've been screwed before on alignments. Take it to another shop and have it chcked again.
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Joined: Jun 2004
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Freejay, Checked your gallery. You have a sweet truck. I'd also check all the leaf spring bushings and bolts. Not an easy task but the bushings can wear and come out. I've seen the bolts where they get eaten thin. I'd noticed this recently when swapping rears on my "wrecker" project. Also if you still have the stock ford rims they are usually very narrow like six inches designed for a 235/85/16 E. That may be causing the sidewalls to flex with the wider tires. Some of the later rims (80's, 90's)were seven inches wide. If you look for them they usually had a smaller valve stem that wasn't a bolt in, and should be marked on the outside of the rim 16x7. These wheels stock usually carried 245/75/16 E tires stock. I'd found them on both pickups and vans. If you find them in a salvage yard be check that all four are the same. Some I'd found had mismatched rims from age. There not much wider but may help and should be cheap.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
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From: SW Michigan
wanderings
F-J, thats a sweet looking truck. I would try the tire swapping thing first, cause its easy and cheap. I have had some really strange handling before, and thought for sure all of the tires were fine, and then found internal belt separtion or other weird things in a tire, even though they looked just fine on the outside. But I wonder if you have enough ( any ? ) caster ? The front end you installed is an upgrade for sure, but the leaf springs you have may not be holding it at the correct angle. How much caster does the shop say they gave you ? I like to have at least 6*, even though Ford recommended 2 1/2 or 3, IIRC. If you can get 8 or 9, even better. More caster will make the truck track straighter, and will give the steering wheel the urge to return to center if you let go of it when you finish a turn. More caster will make the steering wheel harder to turn, but I have never noticed the differance. Or should I say my power steering pump has not worn out and it doesn't make funny noises or anything. Axle shops have tapered shims that you can put between the axle and the springs if the '70 leafs are holding the '76 axle at an unfavourable angle. DF
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More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Alberta
This is the second set of tires I've had since the diff swap and its been the same with both. I don't recall it being that bad with the original diff and the same tires. I've been thinking about some new springs all the way around, Maybe some 2" skyjacker soft rides. Those should give me the correct caster right? With both the front diffs I've had the pinion seemed to be really low. We put a set of shims in to rotate it up some but I think it is still just parallel to the ground.
Thanks for the help
Thanks for the help
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2005
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I've had similar problems with my '68 F250 Highboy after installing a new Dana 44 from a '78. New springs (with bushings) and a good alignment solved it. Take it someone that understands old trucks and make them show you the numbers.
Your tire wear, especially on the rear seems really odd. Definately need to have someone look at how the axels are sitting in the frame.
Peter
Your tire wear, especially on the rear seems really odd. Definately need to have someone look at how the axels are sitting in the frame.
Peter
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