I understand what caster does. When I redid the kingpin on the one side I checked the other side and there is some caster angle. With the tie rod disconnected the wheel tended to swing back because of gravity. I'll have to look up the specks on what the caster angle should be to be sure, but it seems to be good. I remember reading that these trucks were given fairly little caster angle to allow them to be more drivable in an era when powersteering was not a standard factory option. I'm guessing later I beam suspensions with ball joints instead of king pins probably have more caster angle to begin with since powersteering was more universal by then.

To increase the caster angle I've been told that there are different radius arm bushings that can raise or lower the end of the arm to adjust the caster angle. Never looked into this because I felt the caster is enough. I do still have to replace the other kingpin. The bushing that supports the weight of the truck is partially collapsed and might be causing some stiffness in the steering, though it swings very easily without load on it so I can't be sure. It certainly won't help.

Took a closer look at the tires and there is some signs of wear that is higher on the outer edge of the tires than the inside. The rubber stems from the factory are all gone on the outside, but there are still small stubs left on the inside edge of the tire. So I would still like to correct the camber problem as soon as I get some time.

 

My '83 F350 flat bed dump truck front wheels tip out at the top when it's unloaded. But, put about a ton of load on it and they are straight. With no load it tends to wander a bit but loaded it steers nicely. It wandered much more before I replaced the rubber/fabric (rag joint) steering coupling.

 

One more question :


How close to bottoming-out are your suspension limiting bumper thingies ??


On my F-350 diesel, they have always been barely off the axles, maybe half-an-inch.

I spent a fortune on some "upgraded" coils that were supposed to pick the front up a couple inches; when I got them installed, I could see no difference between them and the old ones.


By the way, I don't want to dishearten you in your quest for perfect tire alignment and drivability; but, if you manage to get a Ford to steer and drive GOOD and not eat the front tires, you have accomplished the impossible.


A meal-sack wouldn't hold the money I have spent on my front-end over the years and nothing has changed.

 

Thats OK, I'm used to getting in over my head.

I feel it is possible because there are two other fords of the same era in the family and both of them will self center (f150 and ranger 4wd). Though both of those have ball joint axles.

1.5" sounds about right for spacing to the bump stop, I'll have to check that to be sure where mine is.

I think the standard is to have 4" of clearance from the top of the I beam to the bottom of the frame. At least thats where the camber should be neutral.

Your problem should be easier to fix than mine. Some steel spacers at the bottom of the spring should bring the ride height up. I wish I had your problem.

 

6* of caster will give you good centering. The question is: can you get that much out of it

I would change that other kingpin first and see what that does.

What kind of shape are your RA bushings in?

 

I checked them a few months ago and the seem to be OK. I haven't abused the truck since I've owned it so I don't think much has happened to them since then. A slight drop in the spring height would also add to the caster angle.....

 

I would get everything repaired and tight, and then take it to the shop. They should be able to dial it in. Front ends are interesting to learn and read about, and it's nice to know what's going on when you take it to the shop, but some things you just can't do at home, and a good alignment job is one of them.

 

Thanks Franklin, but the last shop I took my truck (the F150 at the time) to ended up putting over 1/4" of toe in on the front end with thier fancy electronic machine. There doesn't seem to be a shop around that I can trust to line up the front end properly so I will be doing the work myself as usual.

....and that was the shop that everyone in town recommended.

Access to our shop is a little restricted with some of the digging thats going on right now. I'll try and get the truck in tomorrow (well, later today, I guess).

This isn't the first time I've done my own alignment, but it will be the first time I have delt with a camber issue. I read that a 1 degree positive camber is recommended, so I will do some measuring to see where it is and then decide if lowering the springs is the best thing to do.

 

One other thought. I know that the PO replaced this truck with a 1996 powerstroke of the same configuration and I remember it had wider mag rims with my truck having the OEM rims. Is it possible that the spring height is adjusted for the wider wheel base that mag wheels provide? My F150 has mags and the wheels have what seems to be a slight negative camber at times (maneuvering), don't remember what it was like before the mags.

 

My 85 F-350 drives better w/ a "load" or pulling the horse trailer. You can just see the front wheels "toe-in". It has been that way for over 7 years and the tires seem to wear evenly. It definitely has some play in the steering though, and I am hoping to remedy that somehow..

 

I just DIY replace both upper & lower ball joint on my 97 E350 V10 6.8 club wagon 12 passenger van with 203000 mileage I marked the position of both Camber Caster on the upper ball joint before I took it off, The van keep turning to the left whenever I leave the steering free. Anyone can tell me how to adjust the Camber Caster to keep the aligment correct?

 

Some people seem to think they can do a alignment at home, but unless you have the correct equipment, including the slide plates for the tires to sit on, you cannot do a good alignment without taking it to a shop. You might get the toe close with a tape measure, but even that's not very good afterward.

There are good shops and bad shops, and shops with mis-adjusted equipment, but that's like everything else. You have to ask around to find out who does the best job, whether it's tuning a piano or aligning a vehicle.

 

We run a BIG tire-shop.

We REFUSE to get into the alignment business.

The problem with so-called alignment technicians is the ever-changing array of completely different vehicles that keep showing up, and none of these guys ever get a chance to really learn how to align any certain vehicle.


Here is how it usually works in the real world.


Hunter, or some other sales rep, comes into tire-shop X and after dozens of trips and lots of persuasion, finally convinces the owner that, if he doesn't buy fancy new alignment machine Y, his competition across town is gonna be selling all the tires and he is gonna end up in the poor-house.


So........., they deliver the shiny new machine and send their most promising minimum-wage flunky to a four-day alignment "school", then send him back with a shiny framed certificate to hang in front of the customers.


By the time the machine gets bolted down, there have been ten new vehicles released that it is not capable of servicing, so it is already outdated.


With no real knowledge of what is going on, he starts "aligning" Hondas, KIAs, Chryslers, and HumVees; do you really think this guy is any better equipped to work on your truck than you are yourself ??


Admittedly, there is maybe one guy in every three-hundred-miles-square that is actually qualified to fix a front-end, and he may not be a Ford man.

 

David, You said you rig was a beast of burden before they unloaded it and let it out to pasture. Seems to me it would have been purchased with load options no longer applicable. One clue of confirmation might be the braking capability which is the fourth character in your VIN from the left.

Brake Type and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)Anyway I said all that to suggest you simply need a different (smaller) spring rate.

 

Do these particular letter designations hold true for all 1980-86 Ford Trucks ??


This is the first time I ever heard(read) of this braking designation in the VIN number; I am gonna check mine and see what it says.