Too much positive camber
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New User
Joined: Jan 2018
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Too much positive camber
Hi all. I am new here, and just picked up a 1972 F250 camper special. I'm not very mechanically inclined so this forum is great for learning...so much knowledge here. I tried searching but I could not find definitive answers.
My truck has too much positive camber, causing the front tires to wear on the outside edge. The tires allegedly have less than 7000 miles and they are smoked. I just got the truck so I'm trying to figure out if this is an easy fix, or does it sound expensive? The camber issue is very noticeable. I'll post up some pics tomorrow of the stance and tires.
Thanks in advance.
My truck has too much positive camber, causing the front tires to wear on the outside edge. The tires allegedly have less than 7000 miles and they are smoked. I just got the truck so I'm trying to figure out if this is an easy fix, or does it sound expensive? The camber issue is very noticeable. I'll post up some pics tomorrow of the stance and tires.
Thanks in advance.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 182
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If it were me I'd want to check the beam and radius rod bushings as well as kin pin bushings as a start. If it's very noticeably excessive something could be bent/ installed wrong or who knows. How well do you know the trucks history?
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New User
Joined: Jan 2018
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I know the history only back about 20,000 miles or so. The truck has 100,000 or so miles. I bought it from my friend who lives out of state. It was a third or forth vehicle for him so he didn't drive it much. Thanks for the info. I'll hopefully get some time to look a those parts this weekend. After watching a youtube video on the bushings, it doesn't look to hard. More info to come. Thanks again for your time.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 182
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Good luck and report back. With that history all bets are off. Could have wrong coils or unseated, maybe an alignment shop bent the beams. There's an answer just keep investigating and asking questions, lots of very knowledgeable bumpside owners here.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: NAMPA, ID.
Some pictures would help. One thing that could definitely cause it is too strong of a spring. If they were recently replaced they could have been incorrect.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,893
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From: Ohio
Or it could have a ton of TOE IN? Depending on how the tires look when sitting still. If you are loaded tail heavy and the nose is in the air it will eat the outer edges. If the truck sits level then I would check toe in.
Just went through this with my '95 F150 I purchased. It had 3/4" toe out and was destroying the inner side of the tires. It was also squirrely on the road since it was trying to go two directions at once. Once put a tape measure on it and got it set at 1/16" toe in, it steers great and hasn't hurt the new tires.
Just went through this with my '95 F150 I purchased. It had 3/4" toe out and was destroying the inner side of the tires. It was also squirrely on the road since it was trying to go two directions at once. Once put a tape measure on it and got it set at 1/16" toe in, it steers great and hasn't hurt the new tires.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Black Hills of SD
In the service manuals from back then, they show adjusting camber by bending the I beam. I don't think anyone does that much now. I concur to make sure everything is in good order, and check that toe in too. These can run noticeable camber and not ear tires if the toe is correct. I have installed aftermarket "extra load" type srpings that raised the front enough to not only look ridiculous but throw the camber way out too. You may have to adjust ride height.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,853
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From: Minnesota
As stated above. Sounds like someone may have done some front end maintenance and possibly replaced the front springs and never did a proper alignment. If you do need an alignment you will need to go to a place that has the equipment to "bend" the I-beams to correct the toe.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: NAMPA, ID.
As stated above. Sounds like someone may have done some front end maintenance and possibly replaced the front springs and never did a proper alignment. If you do need an alignment you will need to go to a place that has the equipment to "bend" the I-beams to correct the toe.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 947
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From: Manitoba, Canada
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I was thinking the same thing. You'd think worn parts would cause excessive negative camber. If someone put the wrong springs in it would hold the front end up too high causing positive camber. Easy solution would be to trim the springs.
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Wow, a lot of great info guys. Thanks for the replies. I haven't had time to get the truck on jack stands but I was able to crawl under and as expected, the bushings are toast. How easy are they to replace? I will be able to put the truck on jack stands only, so I don't want to attempt if it will be a pain without a post lift, or special tools. I have found some videos on youtube that indicate I may need a bushing clamp?
I will do some more photos this weekend. Here are some of the truck, without crawling under. Thanks again. Anyone in the SLC area that can recommend a good shop if I cannot do it myself?
I will do some more photos this weekend. Here are some of the truck, without crawling under. Thanks again. Anyone in the SLC area that can recommend a good shop if I cannot do it myself?
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: NAMPA, ID.
Just judging from those pictures, it looks to me like the camber is reasonably correct. Of course all the bushings need to be solid but I'd suspect you've got some toe in issues. By the way, from my experience, just old and severely cracked and shrunk I-beam and strut rod bushings won't really cause a huge degradation in front end performance. As long as there are not chunks missing, new ones won't appreciably help. I've seen guys replace ball joints, kingpins, and all manner of front end components when they absolutely didn't need to. But what do I know.