truck "wanders" when driving

[rbeck204]

I have a 65 F100 and have changed everything on the front end of this truck. It has new PS box, new king pins with brass bushings, all new tie rods, links, and arms, etc. I have exchanged the steering box twice, I have had it aligned, and re-aligned. I have not been able to find anyone that can identify why the trucks "wanders" when I drive it. Anyone have this experience before? I have run out of things to try.

Any help would be appreciated.

Rich

[bossford65]

Rich, make sure your king pins are well greased. Take all the weight off the front wheels and see if you can move them back&fourth. My 65 wandered after it was stored for two years. Hope this helps james

[R Pope]

Tires. My '66 was terrible with Hankooks, swapped to some old Goodyears and it steers great!

[ICEMAN6166]

tires definitely can be an issue.
one of my front tires developed a small tumor and the truck steered badly
bought a brand new set and no more problems

loose or unevenly adjusted wheel bearings can affect steering as well

[William-in-St George]

Check the rear springs and bushings. Worn rear shocks can also cause issues like those you describe. Oh yea, tire pressure.

[Toyz]

Rich. if you want to try swapping wheels/tires to see if there is any improvement , just let me know.
Paul

[ICEMAN6166]

what about your radius arm bushings

[rbeck204]

Guys, thanks for all the tips. I have new Cooper tires ands all new bushings, etc. front and rear. I'm still baffled. I have DJM dream beams and those are the only non-ford items on the truck. I wonder if the dropped beams could contribute in some way? The alignment guys told me the caster/camber was within specs but now I am grasping at straws.
Rich

[bruceandersson]

I'd second the checking how free everything moves. A tight kingpin can cause the truck to steer funny.

[rbeck204]

I will check the king pins today. Thanks
Rich

[Country]

I think I have an answer: recheck all tie rod and drag link fittings.
Had this happen to mine and thought it was the original steering box everything underneath was new when frame off was completed. Found that the tie rods were nice and tight except the drag link connected to the steering arm was loose. I had tightened the nut past the hole and it felt and looked tight... placed the cotter pin in the hole and it all looked felt good. Alignment shop said truck checked out fine but for six months the dang thing wandered all over the place. One day by pure luck I was checking the oil (240 six) and a friend of mine moved my wheel in the cab. I noticed that the steering arm was moving and the drag link was not. Went under the truck and re tightened the drag link down.... not just to torque specs. After doing that I found that the cotter pin hole was about less than a quarter inch to high. I placed a large grade 8 washer under the castle nut replaced cotter pin and re secured everything. Took it for a drive and it drove great. So much for remain parts. 1966 ford f 100.

[ICEMAN6166]

I found that the cotter pin hole was about less than a quarter inch to high. I placed a large grade 8 washer under the castle nut replaced cotter pin and re secured everything. Took it for a drive and it drove great. So much for remain parts. 1966 ford f 100.

i have actually run across this issue before
whether the hole is off or the castle nut is too thin remained a mystery but i did the same as you

[Holly100]

Are you sure they aligned it correctly? The reason my truck wandered so much when I got it was the front tires were toed out, pretty bad. I made them parallel and it wasn't that great either. I added just a little toe in and positive camber via a small shim and the truck handles great now. Now, my truck is a 64 with dropped straight axle but I would think the same applies to an I-beam. I set my own toe by marking the tire then measuring with a tape measure from the front then from the rear. I think I give it about a 1/4" to 3/8" toe in.

[ICEMAN6166]

toe in is supposed to be 1\8"

[Sportinlife]

Here's another take on your wandering problem: If the tie rods are no longer parallel to the road, ( because of the outer ends bring raised by the drop beams) the static wheel alignment can be perfect but the truck will have a lot of bump steer and will wander just like you described. Bump steer is toe change with wheel travel.

[Toyz]

Missed the Dream Beam info! As Sportinlife said, that will cause bump steer. It also can add to a change in "road feel" due to the non-parallel movement of the tie-rods at center. DJM should be able to shed some light and insight into a solution. Original alignment specs on the early twin beams allowed much latitude while being "in spec" With the lowered suspension, actual caster may now be in-sufficient. It's a fairly long drive, but if no satisfaction is forth-coming from DJM, I would recommend Benson's Alignment here in Webster. I am nor certain they are still set up for beam correction, but they are, and have been for decades, as good as it gets for alignment and knowledge. Dale's truck will be in their hands shortly to tweak the caster for the new lower altitude.
Paul

[rbeck204]

Paul,
I did contact DJM and since I used their tie rod end extensions (to eliminate bump steer) and toed the front in about 1/8", they could not offer any more advice. I re-greased the new king pins and checked all the new tie rod ends, etc. Also, both alignment shops said the caster and camber were almost exactly in spec.

I am still coming up short on ideas. I will be back in Sacramento in about three weeks and I will start looking again.

Keep the suggestions coming in and thanks to all.

Rich

[bruceandersson]

I wasn't clear enough about how to check the king pins. Put it up on jack stands, you should be able to grab either wheel and move the steering through its range of motion. There should be some resistance, but it should move smoothly without excessive effort. You might want to check around and see if any of the 'hot rod' shops in your area which do steering mods would take a look at it. They might have the full understanding of how the steering geometry works. I suspect most alignment shops only know how to read the numbers from the machine. Very few alignment shops will even mess with either an I beam or twin I beam truck. The only way to align these is to use heavy duty hydraulics to tweak the beams.

[Toyz]

In my experience, most otherwise capable shops will refuse to "tweak"'Dream Beams. As far as checking king pins, my preference is to check under loaded conditions, something which is normally with the turntables as part of a competent alignment procedure. I am not familar with the DJM extensions, but would assume they have worked for others. My thought would be that this represents another area worth checking.
Paul

[chris401]

I have no input on Dream Beams but I saw you replaced the gear box twice. Moving 5-10 mph and turning either direction and letting go of the steering wheel, does your steering wheel return to center on its own? A box adjusted too tight won't return all the way or not at all also causing a wandering condition driving.