How long was the stock draglink on a 78 F250 D60?

My truck has a way better turning radius when turning to the right than the left. The aftermarket draglink is 13-14" long. I've tried to improve the situation by pulling the pitman arm off and centering the steering then reattaching the arm, but it didn't help much...

Any ideas? I seem to recall I had this same problem with my previous 78 F250 (w/D44) but she had the boomerang draglink. The 4" kit that I used on her called for a block to be bolted in on top of the knuckle and then I added the aftermarket draglink...just can't remember how I fixed the radius problem - stupid old age.

 

That pitman arm cant be installed in any position other than every 90 degrees. The keyed splines every 90 degrees will prevent this.
Ditch that junk steering and please throw that block away. You will eventually break the knuckle, and / or the sector. If the drag link is too long because the steering arm has been raised, then the box will run out of travel, and if the driver side suspension compresses, it will snap one of the above components.
Consider spending your money on a proper x-over steering system. This is a simple alternative and one of the best fixes you can make for your truck.
With only 4 inches of lift, you are limited on space, but it is something that can be done, and you will eliminate the potential problems with weak ford knuckles, and upgrade steeing at the same time.
30 year old techiques for steering upgrades will get you on the pages of "scary steering".
You do not want to be there.
Dont take shortcuts with steering, and get it done properly.
The money you have tied up in an aftermarket draglink, and that block is getting close to what you would have spent on a crossover set-up. Now you have to spend money twice. Stop pouring money down the drain on an antique steering design and bring it up to date.

 

The current rig I have now doesn't have the block/boomerang setup.

Here's a pic of what I've got now:

 

bump for more discussion.

 

bump again lol

 

Again, you have three issues that are contributing to your problem.
You have a drop pitman arm, a block, and a drop drag link. These combined effectively make that drag link too long, and this is why you have steering issues.
Whether you have a boomerang (D44) steering arm, or a straight arm (D60) the problems remain the same.
You are so close to being able to convert to x-over. Many owners spend quite a bit of money, and you dont have to. You already have almost everything you need, you just need to make up a new drag link, and buy a steering arm for the pass side.
That drop pitman might give you a few clearance issues but you can owrk around that pretty easilly.
Crossover is the answer, and deffinately the direction you should go.

 

Yeah I'm gonna buy the kit and get to it. Where do you recommend a good 2WD steering box? Junkyard?

 

Just to address your original problem. When going strait is the pitman arm parallel to the stearing arm and perpindicular to the frame. If not thats the problem, shorten or lengthen the drag ling to make it so.

Yes ditch the block but I like those stearing systems there easy on bumpstear. Your better of with an "S" shaped dragling then that block.

Drop pitman arms only cause problems cause they increase the leverage on the box and can add to the risk of ripping the box off the frame. Other then that I find there a good solution to stearing angle problems. Also for what it's worth these problems are worse with crossover stearing cause the force is perpindicular to the frame instead of paralell in your current system.

My suggestion ditch the block and make yourself a better drag link.

 

To find the right drag link length. Remove the drag link & count the steering box turns lock to lock to determine the center. Point the tires straight ahead and measure horizontally the distance from the center of the steering arm to the center of pitman arm.

 

I was thinking that my draglink probably needs to be shorter but that's impossible with the draglink I have now since it's dialed in as short as it can go

 

It is perpendicular to the frame and parallel to the steering arm.
So I should remove the block but keep the draglink? Wouldn't that put the link at an inclined angle and cause additional strain on the end joints?

 

Have the drag link in enough of an "S" that the rod ends are strait. It will cause some angled loading on the pitman arm and stearing arm but that's better then the strain on the knuckle from the block.

 

I don't really see how that'll fix my turning radius?

 

It really doesn't address the original turning radius problem. Do as Mark A. mentioned and find the center of the steering box by counting from lock to lock. Example my truck goes 4 full turns from full lock one way to full lock the other way, so 2 turns back from lock is the center of the box.(In my truck yours may be differant) Once you find the center of the box (do this with the drag link removed from the pitman arm) is the pitman arm still perpandicular to the frame if not thats your problem.

This is assuming the box is the limiting factor in your turning radius anything else would be obvious.

Because the pitman arm is indexed and can only go on in 90 deg increments chances are the pitman arm is wrong for the truck. Then the solution is to either get a correct pitman arm or make yours fit right. I've done this in the past by finishing the splines in the pitman arm carefully with a hack saw blade. And the splines on the box with a cutoff wheel be carefull you only get one shot.

 

I do have 4 full revolutions of the wheel from lock to lock and I did try and center it but I kept the draglink on the pitman arm when I counted.

If that's not the right pitman arm what would be? One for a 2" lift?