I have manual steering in my 73 360 auto F100 2wd. It was very stiff when I first got it, and though I have regreased everything in the steering linkage and it does not seem "as bad," I still think it is too hard to turn the wheel.


The strange thing is that it is very easy to turn at low speed in reverse, but when I start going forward again, it gets hard and stays that way, no matter how fast/slow I am going. At 35 mph I have to fight it through turns...even very gradual ones.


At first I thought it was just a weight transfer issue, as the truck sits UP quite a bit in the rear, but I had an 83 Dodge van with manual steering and a high rear end that I didn't have to fight THIS hard.


Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

 

well, my truck has manual steering, too. I always thought of it this way. when you're trying to go forward the rear tires are kinda pushing the front ones along, so it will take longer to turn. when you're going in reverse the rear tires are kinda pulling the front tires making the turning radius smaller. that's why it always seems easier to turn the tires when the truck is going in reverse. plus when you wanna go forward it's always harder to turn tires on dry ground. so I always turn the wheels while I'm still rolling. if not then it's real hard to turn those wheels.

as for your truck having hard turns even going 35 MPH and such that sounds not good to me. I don't have this problem tho.

 

Well, by "fight it through turns" I mean that the steering wheel wants to snap back to center on its own, and it takes a lot of effort to hold against the wheel until I can allow it to straighten out. Even then I have to be careful because it could probably dislocate an elbow or shoulder if I just let it go and got an arm in the way. Maybe Eddie really wants to be a drag truck...I dunno.

I've got a 19.5" three spoke wheel that I'm hoping will fit, and that should at least give me some better control. Besides, It will look super cool!

How much difference could the front tires make in this situation? What kind of fronts do you run on yours, Dirt?

 

Thinking about this problem? It sounds like the alignment is off in regards to the "Caster". The caster setting is what makes the wheel want to return to "Center" when done turning. If the setting is to excessive? It'll do exactly what you are describing.

Not an easy fix by any means, given how they built these trucks. However it might pay off to check the suspension/steering for any worn out bushings or the like. Anything that throws the caster off would be suspect.

S-

 

well, when I bought my truck it already had 225/75-R15 Firestones on there. in the back is 255/70-R15 Road Huggers. gonna need new tires soon....just not exactly sure how soon.

funny.....when I was reading your post and I saw Eddie I thought you were talking about my truck.....Eddie. btw, nice name for a truck.

sometimes when I hit a rock or something on a road the wheel will jerk a little bit. is that kinda what you're talking about?

btw, I'd kinda like to see that new wheel......if you got pics.

 

This may be a dumb question, Tedybear, but can a modern alignment shop do an alignment on a twin I-beam, or will they just scratch their heads and charge me for a scalp rejuvenation?

And thanks, Dirt...I don't know how you came to "Eddie" as a name for your truck, but I named mine after the Iron Maiden mascot.

Unfortunately, the 19.5" wheel is at my mother's house 200 miles away, so I don't have a picture of it. It may fit with some slight mods or as-is...the splines and shaft diameter are the same, but I'll have to see. The pic below is of the same style wheel , except mine is like brand new with an emerald green horn button.

 

An alignment shop will really only adjust the "toe-in", which it sounds to me like yours needs. The tires should be slightly toed "in", so they will straighten out when going forward.

It sounds to me like your are toed (is that a word?) in rather much, the spec should be no more than 1/8" toe-in.

you can do this yourself on a level surface, a couple 2x4s placed against the tires and a tape measure. The adjust on the drag link, near the pitman arm.

You would be hard pressed to find a shop to actually bend the beams to adjust either the caster or camber.

 

Hard pressed isn't quite the word for it. Old saying when it comes to fords twin I-Beam systems: Set Toe and Let 'er Go. That's why I mentioned checking for worn out bushings and the like.

The toe is probably out of wack at this point, but let's be blunt. Taking it to a shop, for one adjustment--and they will charge you full price for a 4 wheel alignment which can not be done! Other then checking against specs, paying for all that "work" is a rip off.

You can use the 2x4 method, it'll get things close enough...a slight amount of toe-in around 1/8" or so would be nominal. Another quick and dirty test would be to run your hand across the tire tread going from outside-in and in-to the outside. Excessive toe-in or toe-out can show itself on your tires as a feather-edged feeling. (smooth in one direction, the other direction feels like edges catching the palm of your hand)

I'd say it probably would not hurt to find an old school shop that can do an alignment check--that is to hook the tools up and just measure things against specs. It might prove interesting, but I'd avoid any shop that states they can also do a 4 wheel alignment and charge as such on these ol' girls.

S-