My rims and tires will not fit my local tire shop metal alignment machine. I was told it is possible to get decent results by hand. Any one do the alignments themselves and if so what is the best way to find center and get this knocked into place. Car is pulling hard right.
Alignment
- Thread starter ToddJerad
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
aqua_wonder
New member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2007
- Messages
- 51
- Reaction score
- 0
What size tires and wheels are you running?
BroncoJoe19
Active member
I bought two stanley brand laser levels, they are approx 18 - 20 inches long.
They were longer than my rims. I wanted to anckor them to my rims, but I didn't want them to hit the rubber tires, so I had to build out my rims. I used a piece of square tubing aluminum, and used electrical tape to hold the tubing to the level.
I then attached the levels to the rims with bundgie cords.
I turned the level lasers on, aimed them at a piece of sheetrock I had lying around, and measured the distance between the two laser dots, with the board at a foot off of the bumper, and 8-10 feet off of the bumper.
I made adjustments until the two measurements matched.
I messed something up, because the steering wheel wasn't centered, but the truck tracked straight.
I recall that when I was a kid, and needed an alignment, that I tried measuring the distance from the center of the front of the front tire to the center of the front of the other front tire, and compared that to the measured distance between the back of the front tires. That would be pretty crude, and I wouldn't want to waste a good set of tires like that, but I guess one may get a little close.
I recall that shift1313 posted a method that he used. You may want to search through his posts.
BroncoJoe19
Active member
Here is the post I was talking about.
http://broncozone.com/forums/index.php?s=&...ost&p=76136
STLKIKN
New member
If you're running a stock steering linkage there's not much you can do to centre the wheel if your truck is lifted.
Since you're a solid axle, setting the toe as mentioned by your alignment shop is possible.
But you need to find out why your truck is pulling to the right first... if your toe in setting is way off, that can cause a pull, if you are trying to drive with the steering wheel at centre position and you are not actually at the centre of the box that will create a "pull" as well.
The easiest way to check toe is with a tape measure and a buddy...
Find centre of the tread at the front and rear of the front tires, measure the front, then measure the rear.
The difference is going to be your toe in measurement. The front should be less than the rear measurement.
if you are running up to 31" tires, I would recommend 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch.
Up to 33" tires 1/16 to 3/16, and for 35s no more than 1/4 of total toe in.
IF you have an adjustable drag link, after setting the toe, find a flat and level stretch of road or parking lot, drive in a straight line allowing the steering wheel to find its natural centre, adjust the wheel to centre by turning the drag link sleeve in the appropriate direction.
Before doing any of the adjustmets though, I would do a complete steering inspection and try and figure out what is causing the pull to the right...
Good luck.
" sloppy " steering can be caused by a multitude of problems...
some are cheap fixes, some can become costly...
This is a list of things to check BEFORE attempting to adjust your steering box.
what condition are the radius arm bushings in
are all four "c" bushings in place (79 and prior)
if you have a two or three piece steering shaft, what condition are the joints in
drag link end and tie rod end play
ball joint condition
wheel bearing adjustment
track bar bushing condition (solid axle only)
toe in adjustment
tire pressures
tire condition
steering stabilizer condition
loose steering box to frame bolts ( quite common on EB's with larger tires)
is the sector shaft in the steering box "jumping" up and down...
(this would require the previously mentioned adjustment, NOT recommended for the novice wrench turner)
Twin Traction Beam bushings
It is fairly common for 80 and newer Fords to have cracks/ break in or at the engine crossmember or the frame
where the crossmember mounts, a tire on the ground "wiggle" can be used to check these areas.
These items will require two people to check,
the tie rod ,drag link,sector shaft,and all bushings can be checked by having a friend sit in the truck and "wiggle" the steering wheel back and forth about 1/2" each direction, carefully watch each joint or bushing and look for play at each piece, for the steering box to move on the frame, or for the sector shaft to "jump" up and down ( the sector is the piece of the steering box that the pitman arm bolts onto.)
The ball joints and wheel bearings can be checked by jacking under the diff until there is a couple of inches under the tire,( use a jack stand to support the truck) grab the tire at 12 and 6, feel for top to bottom movement ( in and out) at the places you've grabbed. If you can't feel movement, the wheel bearings are ok.
Have a friend do this so you can watch the ball joints... do the same top/bottom "wiggle":
movement in the ball joints indicates wear.
Get a two or three foot lever ( steel bar works well) put it under the tire ( make sure the truck is still secure on the jack stand) gently lift the bar while watching the ball joints for movement, allow the tire to drop all the way between lifts,
up/ down movement in the ball joints indicates wear.
Toe in can be checked by measuring the difference between the centre of the tread on the front and back of the tires across the truck. Measure the tires at the same level to get an accurate measurement. The difference is your "toe-in".
Depending on your tire size, this should be anywhere from 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch.
To check your steering stabilizer, simply unbolt one end of it, see if it extends and collapses using the same amount of force each way. It should have a steady resistance all the way through its travel in either direction, without being harder one way or the other.
One other item to check while your truck is in the air is the axle u-joint, lock the hub, turn the steering to full lock ( either direction) and turn the tire. If you feel a tight spot as the wheel turns, make note of where the grease zerk is, if during the next rotation, the same resistance is felt at the same point in rotation, you have a bad axle u-joint. If you change an axle u-joint DON'T forget to grease the spindle bearings!!!
Good luck in doing your inspection... if you find any thing that you feel is worn, make a note of it and take it to your local shop, most places around here will do a
steering inspection like this for about 1/2 hours labor.
Since you're a solid axle, setting the toe as mentioned by your alignment shop is possible.
But you need to find out why your truck is pulling to the right first... if your toe in setting is way off, that can cause a pull, if you are trying to drive with the steering wheel at centre position and you are not actually at the centre of the box that will create a "pull" as well.
The easiest way to check toe is with a tape measure and a buddy...
Find centre of the tread at the front and rear of the front tires, measure the front, then measure the rear.
The difference is going to be your toe in measurement. The front should be less than the rear measurement.
if you are running up to 31" tires, I would recommend 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch.
Up to 33" tires 1/16 to 3/16, and for 35s no more than 1/4 of total toe in.
IF you have an adjustable drag link, after setting the toe, find a flat and level stretch of road or parking lot, drive in a straight line allowing the steering wheel to find its natural centre, adjust the wheel to centre by turning the drag link sleeve in the appropriate direction.
Before doing any of the adjustmets though, I would do a complete steering inspection and try and figure out what is causing the pull to the right...
Good luck.
" sloppy " steering can be caused by a multitude of problems...
some are cheap fixes, some can become costly...
This is a list of things to check BEFORE attempting to adjust your steering box.
what condition are the radius arm bushings in
are all four "c" bushings in place (79 and prior)
if you have a two or three piece steering shaft, what condition are the joints in
drag link end and tie rod end play
ball joint condition
wheel bearing adjustment
track bar bushing condition (solid axle only)
toe in adjustment
tire pressures
tire condition
steering stabilizer condition
loose steering box to frame bolts ( quite common on EB's with larger tires)
is the sector shaft in the steering box "jumping" up and down...
(this would require the previously mentioned adjustment, NOT recommended for the novice wrench turner)
Twin Traction Beam bushings
It is fairly common for 80 and newer Fords to have cracks/ break in or at the engine crossmember or the frame
where the crossmember mounts, a tire on the ground "wiggle" can be used to check these areas.
These items will require two people to check,
the tie rod ,drag link,sector shaft,and all bushings can be checked by having a friend sit in the truck and "wiggle" the steering wheel back and forth about 1/2" each direction, carefully watch each joint or bushing and look for play at each piece, for the steering box to move on the frame, or for the sector shaft to "jump" up and down ( the sector is the piece of the steering box that the pitman arm bolts onto.)
The ball joints and wheel bearings can be checked by jacking under the diff until there is a couple of inches under the tire,( use a jack stand to support the truck) grab the tire at 12 and 6, feel for top to bottom movement ( in and out) at the places you've grabbed. If you can't feel movement, the wheel bearings are ok.
Have a friend do this so you can watch the ball joints... do the same top/bottom "wiggle":
movement in the ball joints indicates wear.
Get a two or three foot lever ( steel bar works well) put it under the tire ( make sure the truck is still secure on the jack stand) gently lift the bar while watching the ball joints for movement, allow the tire to drop all the way between lifts,
up/ down movement in the ball joints indicates wear.
Toe in can be checked by measuring the difference between the centre of the tread on the front and back of the tires across the truck. Measure the tires at the same level to get an accurate measurement. The difference is your "toe-in".
Depending on your tire size, this should be anywhere from 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch.
To check your steering stabilizer, simply unbolt one end of it, see if it extends and collapses using the same amount of force each way. It should have a steady resistance all the way through its travel in either direction, without being harder one way or the other.
One other item to check while your truck is in the air is the axle u-joint, lock the hub, turn the steering to full lock ( either direction) and turn the tire. If you feel a tight spot as the wheel turns, make note of where the grease zerk is, if during the next rotation, the same resistance is felt at the same point in rotation, you have a bad axle u-joint. If you change an axle u-joint DON'T forget to grease the spindle bearings!!!
Good luck in doing your inspection... if you find any thing that you feel is worn, make a note of it and take it to your local shop, most places around here will do a
steering inspection like this for about 1/2 hours labor.
Thanks guys, I am gonna crab a friend and do some checks. Still a little confused about calc. toe in. Some people way measure from tire to tire across and it should be about .25" difference. But some say measure to a wall or flat surface and each side should be an eighth. I guess both ways will work. Thanks again.
"Car is pulling hard right."
If this is an accurate discription.., then the problem is more serious than just a "toe-in" check/adjust. :-B
If this is an accurate discription.., then the problem is more serious than just a "toe-in" check/adjust. :-B
I am starting to think it is steering also and will perform some checks that STLKIKN suggested. I bought it from a guy who off roaded the **** out of it and still finding dirt in crazy places so he probably banged something up badly in there. Hopefully its something cheap and easy.
