Alignment

[brenden84]

Hey guys, my front wheels have a lot of positive camber on them and i was told that the alignment would solve that problem. i went to get them aligned and the guy there said that i need a new pitman arm before he can even begin to align the wheels until i get a new arm installed. i went to my local mechanic and he said that they could do it for almost 100 dollars cheaper. thats beside the point tho. he said it would only fix the camber if the after market adjusts that are on there have enough room left to move. Im getting more and more wear on the tires everyday but i plan to replace them soon with new ones. if there isnt enough adjustment leverage in the cams to fix the camber completely what is the next step to fixing my suspension? he said there was no danger and that the only disadvantage is wear on my tires. whats the next step if that doesnt work? thanks guys

brenden

 

[sweepersrgr8]

Depending on your front end...C-bushings could fix your problem. Daystar, and energy suspension makes them in different offsets. If you have Coil springs...Sping blocks also will help.

When I bought my truck, the spring blocks were already there. I have no lift, so I assume this is a factory flaw.

 

[sweepersrgr8]

P.S. If you don't have a lift..why do you need a new pitman arm. They dont wearout. Is it broke? If so, there is a danger problem...you could lose steering!

 

[Broncoholics]

He probably meant you have to replace the tie-rod end that enters the pitman arm which is the drag link. I couldn't imagin a pitman arm going bad unless the taper of the hole is worn out or its bent.

Are the tires sticking out at the top? If so you can get adjustable shims for the ball joints to bring the tire level.

If the tires are pointing inwards towards each other or away, adjust the tie rod ends so both tires are even using a tape measure. Measure from the center tread on the left tire to center tread of the right tire on the front and back side to know they are equal with each other. Then have someone get in the truck, not running and have them turn the steering wheel back and forth fast. You look under the truck at the tie-rod ends, ball joints, trac bar bushings to look for movement somewhere. 9 times out of 10 you can fix the problem yourself cheap.

 

[Natron]

Funny, I have the same prob. I'm about to buy some cheepo springs from JCW that have camber/caster alignment bushings. THe springs give an additional 1.5 to 2" lift and come with the bushings I need. I'm hoping installation of these bushings will allow me to align the truck. It's a pretty good deal the the price in my opinion.

 

[brenden84]

yeah they point outward at the top, they have positive camber. im pretty sure that i ahve the cam adjustments on there. the problem is i might not have enough to fix the problem completly. i dunno about the pitman arm, it must be a piece of it like u guys said, however he did say that they must replace the whole thing because its all one giant piece.

brenden

 

[Broncoholics]

Call a superlift dealer, they have the ball joint adjustment shims. I don't think the stock ones will adjust enough. But they might get you closer. I ran 1"+coils used for snowplow weight added to the front or a winch with a large bumper. I thought the ride might be stiff but it wasn't since I used a soft shock from Trailmaster. The best shock I've found is Duff's 70/30's. They use 30% for compression so when you hit a bump its soft (using your coils) then on rebound its 70% to control the bounce with the shock. Most shocks are 50/50 so its a stiff ride when hitting bumps. You need more for rebound. Thats why everyone goes with dual shocks to control the bounce. Well it gets stiffer with dual shocks and you can have a nice ride with 70/30. Did I just get off subject? :wacko:

 

[brenden84]

ok thanks, i'll check it out