problem of the week- wont return to center

B

Blasttruck

Member
1972 1210 2x4
so, now that the valve covers, plugs are sorted out and the new clutch goes in tomorrow....heres the steering issue!
I had new 265 75 16s and 16 in wheels put on a week or so ago and now she wont return to center!! Tracks straight but wont come out of a turn without manual adjustment. Its pretty nerve binding when doing 55 with a 6k# trailer. Ive spoken with the tire manufacturer and have all 4 tires at 70 psi with nitrogen. I'm reading toe/ caster/ball joint issues. Was pretty good before the switch and I fully re greased everything a few months ago. The steering pump had to be moved to replace the driver side valve cover and the belt is on pretty tight. No real noises but maybe a bit of a squeak from underneath when turning at minimal speeds. The return hose is old and needs to be replaced but fluid is pretty full and maintains it pretty well.. This is all new to me so talk to me like the idiot I am lol....
Thanx as always!!!
 
Caster is what encourages the return to center coming out of a turn. Its odd that different wheels and tires would effect your caster so much. Maybe its always been a bit out of whack and just took a big difference in tire tread to be obvious to you. With the 1210, you have a solid I-beam front axle that has king pins. How are your tie rod and drag link ends? Any play in them?
 
It May be exaggerated but it is beyond noticeable. Being a solid axle is it adjustable? I'm hearing that the wheels being out a few more inches is what's causing it but that doesn't make sense to me.....most everyone does it to these old trucks and it seems it would be more of an issue if that was the case...especially since I don't have a lift! But I don't know jack...
 
Forgot...as far as I can remember the ends were ok, I had them looked over briefly when I was greasing them....I'll have em looked at again...
 
Cut and turn is a process that is often performed on Scout II Dana 44 front driving axles in conjunction with a spring over axle conversion. The main reason is to regain proper alignment between the front axle diff and the transfer case front output, and secondarily to introduce some positive caster into the steering. It doesn't apply to your axle setup.
 
There's caster wedges that go between the spring and axle to set the caster on that truck. The wedges are also where the shocks attach, so I doubt yours are missing. Have the king pins been greased? And are they in good condition? To check with the tire off the ground grab the top of the tire with one hand and bottom with the other. Then see if there is any play/wiggle in that direction.

Another possible issue is if the springs have sagged or twisted you can loose caster. If you have the front end aligned they will give you all this info and perhaps your new front tires will last longer.

If you don't have one the factory sway bar makes a huge difference in how these trucks handle. My 1210 travelette was like a tuna boat on the corners and now with a sway bar it's like a sport truck.
 
Ok, so looks like were gonna check the tow and put some casters in and look into the sway bar....any thoughts on how to know how many degree's to use on the casters?
 
Just make sure it's set to factory spec. If you have ps go to the high side of the factory spec. Just a fyi when changing to a sway bar, it the wedges in there now are replaced with new ones where both the shocks and sway bar mounts to the wedge. I believe (haven't measured, just from visual observation) the sway bar versions have more caster built into them. Check with Chad here to see if he has a sway bar setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top