FJ40 Steering how to remove slop?

[voltaire]

Hey guys i have a 74 FJ40 everything under the hood is stock when it comes to the steering. I used to have 3 other cruisers when i was a kid 2 with manual and one with power steering and i liked both...

I want to keep the manual on the 74 for now and it actually handles better than any 40 I've driven but... there is always that little bit of slop in the steering i was wondering if i could get rid of...

I have 35 BFG's on it now and i replaced the Tie rod, Relay rod, with heavy duty ones from man-a-fre and they are thick and strong also replaced the bushings, clamps, ends, dampener, and steering stabilizer... I still have a little slop, what else should i look at? According to the manual from 1974 there is supposed to be 1.5in of slop in the steering wheel, Was going to delve into the steering box, is that necessary?

the main issue is the road pull to one side or another on certain roads... Its always been an issue with all my cruisers even with power steering and big tires, just wondering if the manual steering can be adjusted to handle it.

Thanks,

Voltaire

 

[Poser]

Correct your caster angle and you will be surprised how much better your truck will drive on any road....

 

[voltaire]

Thx for the input, so far ive added a 4 inch spring lift... what exactly is the caster and what would be the easiest way to adjust the angle.... also what angle rotation should it be turned... how can i tell when its correct? is the caster the bar protruding from the lower side of the steering box?

 

[voltaire]

Can i adjust the cast by using Shims on the leafsprings, and with the 4" lift springs, 35 inch tires what degree shims do i want 4 or 6 degree?

 

[mep1811]

steering slop

Any decent front end aligmenr place can tell you how far out of alignment you are. i cured my slop by putting power steering and getting rid of a old sloppy sterring box.

 

[INHALER]

Because of the complexity of the stock FJ40 steering system, that slop can never completely be cured, especially with bigger, fatter tires, and taller shackles. Even though I've done the 350 chevy swap over ten years ago, I'm still reluctant to do the saginaw conversion because I don't want to cut the frame, yet I have issues with the stock steering. Right now I am fixing up the body and I am about to begin an overhaul of my steering. Everything new. Also, I am thinking of down sizing my tires to 33"x10.50". To have less of a footprint on the ground will make the steering a little easier... but still a bit sloppy.

 

[nspctr1]

I used 4* shims on mine but 6* would have probably been better. My rig had the shackle extensions on it when I picked it up so not sure what size or manufacturer it is but my caster was about -2* out and you want about 1* positive IIRC.'
I was really surprised at how much it helped.

 

[mep1811]

steering slop

I used this kit for my p/s. You could also try having your steering box rebuilt.


Conversions

 

[Poser]

It does not matter how many steering components get replaced or if you do a steering conversion, if your caster angle is incorrect the vehicle will not track strait and will wander all over the road.

 

[voltaire]

Found the slop

I do a many websites and turns out i do the site for the foreign automotive guys out here they put on the extreme duty tie rod and relay rod and it looks and feels awesome... they pointed out the origin of the slop its coming from the CENTER ARM, apparently this is the number one spot that goes on stock steering, and you can actually see it shift when you try to turn... man-a-fre supplies the rebuild kit for 70 bucks which includes the long bearing type bolt that has worn out of 30 years, ill let you know how it goes after its installed.

 

[numby]

Running 31X10.50-15s I've got no slop. Yes, the steering box is adjusted and I keep the Center Arm and Drag Link End well lubed and adjusted as well. Shackles are stock. I'd think much of an increase in tire size and you'd start to get accelerated wear on everything including the TREs. If going taller maybe a narrower tire like a 33X9.50 would help.

 

[CruiserStuff]

My guess is that a center arm rebuild would help.....