Alignment and Steering Wheel Question (1 Viewer)

[96TrailSurfer]

Just finished installing new suspension and lift, including new front shocks, springs, adjustable panhard, and steering stabilizer, and now my alignment is (obviously) way off, including the steering wheel being about 130 degree off center (wheels face forward, steering wheel is almost a full half turn off).

I understand that alignment on the 80 is pretty easy to do, but what about addressing the steering wheel issue. Is that mostly a matter of adjusting the steering arm and the drag link?

 

[landtank]

Installing caster correction will take a lot of that out.

 

[96TrailSurfer]

Installing caster correction will take a lot of that out.

I already have drop brackets for the radius arms, so my caster shouldn't be _that_ bad (although somewhat off of course), and I centered the axle to the body with the adjustable panhard

 

[77mustard40]

I understand that alignment on the 80 is pretty easy to do, but what about addressing the steering wheel issue. Is that mostly a matter of adjusting the steering arm and the drag link?

Re-centering the steering wheel is done by adjusting the length of the drag link (relay rod in FSM) which runs from the pitman arm to the front of the PS knuckle. Loosen the clamps, rotate the bar, test drive, fine tune and tighten everything back up.

Edit: Sounds like you will need to length the rod to center the steering wheel.

 

[COYS]

Re-centering the steering wheel is done by adjusting the length of the drag link (relay rod in FSM) which runs from the pitman arm to the front of the PS knuckle. Loosen the clamps, rotate the bar, test drive, fine tune and tighten everything back up.

Edit: Sounds like you will need to length the rod to center the steering wheel.

Handier way to look at it is to roll or rotate the bar toward the front to rotate the steering wheel left. Roll or turn the bar clockwise toward rear of 80 to rotate the steering wheel right.

Hopefully this saves someone a little bit of time. Not sure if it works differently on a non LH 80.

Gl!

 

[77mustard40]

Handier way to look at it is to roll or rotate the bar toward the front to rotate the steering wheel left. Roll or turn the bar clockwise toward rear of 80 to rotate the steering wheel right.

Hopefully this saves someone a little bit of time. Not sure if it works differently on a non LH 80.

Gl!

Excellent advice! Us semi-dyslexic left-handers don't have it that easy... we lay under the truck focusing on the left tie rod which is reverse threaded and do the normal righty-tighty which is actually left-loosy, which lengths the rod and moves the wheel to the right.

I would think RHD would be the same, longer rod would move the wheel to the right.

 

[COYS]

Excellent advice! Us semi-dyslexic left-handers don't have it that easy... we lay under the truck focusing on the left tie rod which is reverse threaded and do the normal righty-tighty which is actually left-loosy, which lengths the rod and moves the wheel to the right.

I would think RHD would be the same, longer rod would move the wheel to the right.

Yes, thus the rotate to front or rear of truck reference.

 

[96TrailSurfer]

Handier way to look at it is to roll or rotate the bar toward the front to rotate the steering wheel left. Roll or turn the bar clockwise toward rear of 80 to rotate the steering wheel right.

I have an RHD and I rotated the bar towards the back, which lengthened the rod and turned the wheel left (which makes sense, since lengthening the rod pushes put the left wheel, and which of course drags the right one with it)