eats tyres.
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I would think most if not all professional specialty alignment shops won't even bother attempting a bend if other suspension parts are shot.
They inspected my truck back in 1991 and said sorry, we can't do it until the coil springs are replaced.
They inspected my truck back in 1991 and said sorry, we can't do it until the coil springs are replaced.
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2007
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i have not long gone though my front end,and replaced king pins, front wheel bearings and some rod ends. the bushes were all ok, so were left alone. it has new standard height ( with 351 ) springs in it.
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From: Gadsden Purchase
Originally Posted by briney
i have not long gone though my front end,and replaced king pins, front wheel bearings and some rod ends. the bushes were all ok, so were left alone. it has new standard height ( with 351 ) springs in it.
Cupping on the outer edges by any chance? :)
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/toe-in1.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/toe-in2.jpg
Mine did that from way too stinkin much toe-in set by the factory and later by two different dealerships. :/
Zero to 1/8" is within spec on my '75 F150 and they were at 1/8" or more.
"a little does good, a little more does better" ?? :)
Experiment and figure out how much toe-in you like the feel of the best
...i prefer zero to 1/32".
What do you think?
Alvin in AZ
ps- re-do your king pins and bushings whether they need doing or not! :)
pps- do it all or do nuthin :/
Last edited by Alvin in AZ; Jul 2, 2007 at 06:22 PM.
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it was just wearing the outside 2 inches. no feathering or anything, just wearing the edge. i put the standard height springs in, and played with the toe. it has started to wear about 4 inches of the tread now. too much positive camber i think. i will have a better look at the toe. your setup looks like a good way.
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Originally Posted by trinogt
You gettin' wear on your tires, Dennis? Or were you just wanting an alignment check?
I parked the truck and later replaced all steering links/springs/shocks in July of 93 while out in Vancouver
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Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Eustis FL
I put new tires on my truck, then called around to see who could do the alignment. Everyone including Ford said they were not equipped to do the johb. Finally, one chebbie dealer (gulp! I know!) said they could do all necessary aligning on my truck. I had them do it. Three weeks later, after several trips to and from college back in the early 90s, I noticed (too late) that my tires were worn on the outer edges. One side worse than the other. I went right to the dealer. Know what they said? "Oh, we can only do toe-in adjustments; takes special equipment to do Ford I beams".
...And I specifically asked in the beginning if they did 1978 Ford F150s, and if they did I-beam alignments! So, they ruined my tires by misleading me, and not telling me more adjustment was needed when I left the shop.
This is Smyl Motors in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada.
I tell this to anyone I can think of when the deplorable memory comes to mind.
...And I specifically asked in the beginning if they did 1978 Ford F150s, and if they did I-beam alignments! So, they ruined my tires by misleading me, and not telling me more adjustment was needed when I left the shop.
This is Smyl Motors in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada.
I tell this to anyone I can think of when the deplorable memory comes to mind.
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
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Heavy truck tire shops are able to bend the Idiot-Beams. There are several here in KC. The closest one to me is down in the Fairfax district. I used to use one on 12th Street off I-35 called B-Line automotive. They usually had a stack of Ford truck frames sitting around to be straightened before assy.
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Postmaster
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From: Gadsden Purchase
Originally Posted by trinogt
Never thought of a heavy truck facility... Makes sense though, especially if they do that kind of straightening on a regular basis!
Who else here ever have a set a tires trued? :)
Alvin in AZ
Cargo Master
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From: Eustis FL
Tires trued??? Never heard of that...
I have a pair of BFG's on my '95 Thunderbird that are out of round... Can that be fixed? I thought a few more hard launches and they might fix themselves... lol!
I have a pair of BFG's on my '95 Thunderbird that are out of round... Can that be fixed? I thought a few more hard launches and they might fix themselves... lol!
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I had the same problem , I changed the radius arm bushings and wala . I had to cut the rivets out and bolt it back together , wasnt that hard . I run bf goodrich 235s 60 15s on 8 rims and it doesn't wear any more at all . It used to wear on the inside tread . 8 years now and perfect tire wear , check my gallery .
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From: Gadsden Purchase
Originally Posted by trinogt
Tires trued??? Never heard of that...
They use a spinning cutter to shave-off the tread while the tire spins.
Like a "tire lathe" after the tire is mounted on the wheel and aired up and many times even while mounted on the vehicle.
Talk about a smooth vibration-free ride after that treatment. :)
Balancing is nothing compared to tire-truing for reducing the vibration.
I believe a guy could make a living with one of those machines.
In the old days, ever notice how super-smooth the tires rolled on the big-rigs compared to everything else? :)
Heard about "pre-trued" big rig tires... sounds like a bad joke to me.
Alvin in AZ