screwed up steering geometry (1 Viewer)

[chuglife]

well its not too serious (stil driveable) but the rims on my 40 aren't the right backspacing, they are 12 inches wide. because of this, the steering arms were swapped from right to left and the tie-rod was shortened... i get a pronounced *clunk* when turning from lock to lock (not too big of a deal) but the truck is not insured, and when i tow it the wheels will not stay straight, they slam to one side or the other... for this reason, while towing i have to have a bungee holding the wheel straight... what should i do about this? invest in new rims and a new tie-rod? or is there another fix?

on a sadder note, we towed this truck from alberta to here a couple weeks ago, and had to have the wheels straight the whole time, took a lot of miles off my tsl's :'(

this pic will be really crappy, but hopefully you guys get the idea

 

[woody]

yeeouch...I sometimes hate PO's....

Unfortunately, they likely changed enuf things that it will take a bit of $$$ to get it right.

1) different rims with 3.5" backspacing
2) swap the steering arms to their proper side (PO switched them)
3) different tie rod and likely different drag link
4) 2.5* or 4* shims for the front axle, to tip the pinion down and add caster (might not be needed, but likely)

 

[chuglife]

well, i dont' want to complain about the PO too much, because it was my dad

well, i knew the steering arms were switched but i didn't think i would need a new drag link... shouldn't be too much though, i'm just riding on cheep steelies and i'm hoping to get a tie rod from the local cruiser shop... does it look like i need shims (or that i will after fixing the tie-rod etc?) thanks for the quick reply woody

 

[woody]

once you've done #'s 1-2-3, then take for a test-tow....if the problem arises, and you've eliminated anything else loose or not correctly set in the suspension/steering, then the shim may be needed to kick your caster back to +1* (stock) or more.

 

[cruiserdan]

Caster is the thing that gives "return-to-center". You'll need it to be able to flat tow and have it track properly.

Woody, do you think a bit more caster than stock would be better for flat towing? It seems to me that it may be.


Dan.

 

[woody]

[quote author=cruiserdan link=board=1;threadid=4402;start=msg32984#msg32984 date=1061233993] Woody, do you think a bit more caster than stock would be better for flat towing? It seems to me that it may be. Dan.
[/quote]

yes...that "return to center" feel helps a ton when flat-towing. I never measured the caster during my flat tow days, but with the shackle reversal (BTB), 2.5" Skyjacker springs, and 2.5* shims, I could u-turn from a standstill with the towing rig and the Cruiser followed along perfectly. In 3 years of flat-towing, I never once had a problem with it tracking in all sorts of road conditions, including snow.

However, I did have other issues, including some gear inside the Cruiser "landing" on the t-case lever, throwing the Cruiser into 4wd, and the t-case exploding....never knew until I got home and grabbed the lever...only to have it come thru the hole!!! (oops!) Waste of a perfectly good transition-series 74 case/gears....

 

[chuglife]

[quote author=woody link=board=1;threadid=4402;start=msg32985#msg32985 date=1061234989]

However, I did have other issues, including some gear inside the Cruiser "landing" on the t-case lever, throwing the Cruiser into 4wd, and the t-case exploding....never knew until I got home and grabbed the lever...only to have it come thru the hole!!! (oops!) Waste of a perfectly good transition-series 74 case/gears....

[/quote]

thats kind of how i lost some tread, there was no master cylinder when i got the truck (before we started towing) i took it for a quick boot around the block with no brakes, and when i parked it i put on the e-brake and we towed it for a good 50 feet with the e-brake on :-[ my fault


i noticed it didn't really track well (although i only got it up to like 10mph) so i guess i know what to expect when i start driving it :-\ i'll take your guys' advice and get some shims
i think i'm in luck though i just read on PBB that if you buy new tie-rod ends you get a whole new tie-rod for free