Hi folks,
My 72 f100 pulls to the left when driving, not under brakes.
Is this as simple as a wheel alignment or something else.
Also, would the average tech in a wheel joint know how to approach this on a vehicle that is over 50 years old?
Thanks

In Australia.

 

Here is a link to the alignment specs. Front Wheel Alignment Specifications - FORDification.com
About all any alignment shop can do is tell you what the caster, camber and toe is and set the toe. You may have worn parts, King Pins, rod ends, etc. they should be able to identify any of those problems. But if your "I" beams need bent to correct anything you will likely have to find a shop that works on large trucks.

 

is it happening when all the time or specifically when you are accelerating? if it's all the time, it's 99% an alignment issue. if you're 2wd, the only thing i'd be confident an average tech could adjust is the toe on these trucks and it's super sampled. if you have a 5/8's, 9/16th's wrenches and a tape measure, you can get it extremely in your driveway by the distance between the same spots from the driver side to the passenger side tire tread 1/2 way up the tire toward the front of the truck and doing the same in the back... they should be extremely close with at most a 1/16th extra in the back to have a little bit of toe. you adjust it by loosening the sleeve on the tie rods the connect your driver side steering arm to the drag link and spinning it to either increase the toe or decrease it.

adjusting your camber or caster takes physically bending the beams. those are unlikely to be significantly out of spec unless you lifted it, lowered it, or were in an accident in it.

there is a possibility (although also unlikely) that your rear axle isn't completely perpendicular to the frame. a good alignment shop normally checks this but i doubt they'd be the people to correct it.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Will investigate further.

 

Happening all the time, 2wd.

 

Have you double checked your brake hardware, drums and hoses?

 

I had a issue with my 69 pulling to the right, more like it wanted to make a right hand turn. Anyways, I took it to three different shops and everyone said it perfect. The third shop the guy knew what the issue was as he works on older vehicles.

Turned out to have nothing to do with my alignment or components. The steering box needed a slight adjustment. The guy charged me $40 to fix it. Keep that in mind if everything else checks out.

 

Further info: I bought truck about 6 years ago and the previous owner had oner of these kits professionally installed. Hasn't done many miles since than so I'm assuming the parts included in the kit are still good. Thanks for all the leads guys.

F100 65-80 Lowering Kit Front I-Beams 3″ Drop – Striker Trucks

 

I have the DJM dream beams installed on my 69 also FYI.

 

Try rotating the tires to see if the symptoms change. I see lots of broken belts/cords, especially when they get older.

 

Just a random question: Would using the i bean as a jacking point cause it to bend? Just wondering if maybe it was done at some point. Trying to rule things out.
Cheers.

 

Compared to the DJM beams the ones you have do look a little flimsy. It might be possible to bend one. Or they may never have been right to start with.

 

Update: took a straight edge and placed it on the rims top to bottom to measure camber:
Got neg 2.1 for the left and neg 2.5 for the right. (Measured using and app on my phone so I don't know how accurate this is). Out of spec according to the info, but aside from bending the beams, not much I can do about this.
Visual check from the front and it looks like I have a slight toe on the right and a slight toe out on the left.
I checked the tie rod ends and I only have adjustment for the right wheel. The left connects to steering with no adjustment.
Hmmmm.

 

You should just take it to an alignment shop they will tell you what the caster and camber is, and they can set the toe for you. Make the wood blocks and take them with you because they won't have any.

 

Don’t overlook simple stuff like tires… A few lbs low pressure doesn’t always catch the eye but can be enough resistance to pull one way.