Camber issues

[GO BIG OR GO HOME]

Tires leaning in slightly on my 97 350. Upper and lower ball joints look OK. I'm runing a add a leaf and 35" terra grapplers and they are starting to show slightly more wear on the insides. Any info on how to correct this would be greatly appreciated.

sent while doing burnouts somewhere in the country

 

[Tom S]

How do the ball joints feel when you have it jacked up? To change the camber means chanigng the bushings at the upper ball joint.

 

[GO BIG OR GO HOME]

I put in new wheel bearings, calipers, and rotors a few weeks ago and tried moving the shaft and knuckle around while I had it naked and everything felt tight. So you're saying you have to go all the way back to the ball joints just to adjust the camber?

sent while doing burnouts somewhere in the country

 

[old96stroker]

I don't mean to be a terrible smartass but why don't you just go get it aligned or checked? One of those tires probably costs twice as much as a alignment, same thing was going on with mine last year and that was what is was.

 

[Tom S]

I put in new wheel bearings, calipers, and rotors a few weeks ago and tried moving the shaft and knuckle around while I had it naked and everything felt tight. So you're saying you have to go all the way back to the ball joints just to adjust the camber?

sent while doing burnouts somewhere in the country

The bushing comes out without tearing it all apart. Take a look at the nut for the top ball joint and you will see it.

 

[Tom S]

 

[GO BIG OR GO HOME]

Thanks Tom! And I actually just had it aligned today because I put new tie rods on yesterday. I went to somewhere I've never used before because they were the only ones who could get to it today. The guy said the camber was off but couldn't give me any advice on how to correct it. The alignment is great but I probably won't go back for anything else. What are those bushings called and where can I get some to correct the leaning. Also how do I determine what I actually need? I'm a rookie on front end stuff

sent while doing burnouts somewhere in the country

 

[Tom S]

Well did they even bother to give you a sheet showing the numbers for the front end? How does an alignment shop not know about those. The bushings come in a few kinds, the one shown is a factory zero degree bushing. They come in solid ones similar to that one but with a different head and adjustable ones that have a dual cam set up. Napa has a decent selection of them and had what I needed in stock when I was getting mine set up.

I think what you actually need is a proper shop to get your front end squared away for you.

 

[Bugman]

I'ld find a new alignment shop that knows what they are doing. It isn't like those bushings just came out yesterday.

 

[Pstroke96]

because of the caster of the axle if the alignment is toed out it will make the tires bow in a little at the top. i would bring it to a better alignment shop if i were you

 

[GreenF350]

You took it in for an alignment and they just said "Yep, alignments off. Good luck fixing it!"?? I would pissed and asking for my money back. It's easy to adjust if you have the equipment to tell you what you are adjusting it to. I would find another shop too. A good shop should check the front end out before they align it too so you will know if anything is worn/loose and fix the alignment (barring major issues like bent parts from and accident or something). They may or may not charge a few bucks for the bushings, but they shouldn't just leave you hanging like that.
-Aaron

 

[GO BIG OR GO HOME]

Yeah....so I'm hunting a new alignment shop. Anything specific I should ask when calling around? Like do they do computer alignment?

sent while doing burnouts somewhere in the country

 

[Tom S]

Ask them how much to do a full alignement on a F350 including doing camber/caster.

 

[85_305]

First thing. Our TTB trucks w/ 6" lift and 35" tires custom camber plates installed in order to properly align these.

Second, very few shops can align our TTB... let alone TTB setups with 6" lift and 35" tires. Hell, even GOODYEAR couldn't align my truck properly.

Third, when in reverse, our TTB axles make our tires go crazy. When driving forward and given enough time to straighten out, they will usually straighten out when setup properly.

Fourth, these big heavy trucks need rotations on their big expensive mud tires every 3k miles or so to keep them even.

 

[davey99ps]

His is a 350, therefor no ttb.

 

[85_305]

Sorry I missed that part. I dont believe the dana 60's had the same cause/effect that the TTB did... so everything I just said might be out the window. Except for maybe the "find a better alignment shop" bit.