Steering is scary .. Tried everything ..help

[Macmillan]

1971 restoration with steering questions. Have tried everything I can think off to improve. Have spent 400x three shops but still same. I have I believe a three in lift and a two inch body lift. I have new front end , ball joints, tire pressure appears to be correct. Steering box rebuilt and upgraded. New traction bars alignments .. Just changed to 7 degree "c" bushings from 4" and think it is now worse. Its feels like i am driving the truck backwards, almost like driving on rails and when it falls off rail its touchy. Some people say its cause steering wheel is smaller than stock , others say steering box is too close ratio? Please see pictures in my gallery. I can't keep throwing money at this issue . Any ideas ?? Thanks

 

[bmc69]

What caster angle do you currently have?

 

[ilovemaui]

Have you checked the caster? Mine was horrible until I changed to extended radius arms. Can't say that would fix yours but I'm guess the caster is your problem. Changing C bushings doesn't always fix the caster issue. These front ends were not always made to spec so changing bushings may or may not correct it. You can rotate the knuckles but that is a big job. You could also check the toe in. http://www.bcbroncos.com/alignment.pdf

 

[KOBALTBLUE]

Are you sure the *bushings are in correct
Is there any slop at all in the track arm.

If the wheels are tipped froward it will jump if it hits a rut or the pavement joints


Do you have a drop track locator?
Do you have a drop pitmen arm?

The longer a pitmen arm the faster the steering will be, If its just a fast box it wouldnt cause it to be touchy.

 

[bronc50]

Have you checked the caster? Mine was horrible until I changed to extended radius arms. Can't say that would fix yours but I'm guess the caster is your problem. Changing C bushings doesn't always fix the caster issue. These front ends were not always made to spec so changing bushings may or may not correct it. You can rotate the knuckles but that is a big job. You could also check the toe in. http://www.bcbroncos.com/alignment.pdf

Is this the same for all tire sizes?

 

[Viperwolf1]

Can't see your gallery.

Can you describe the effects? Is the steering stiff? Does it want to return to center or not? Does the steering have a bunch of slop where it doesn't seem to be connected to the wheels? Does the steering veer off when going over bumps?

There are a ton of things that can be wrong. Help us help you by pointing us in the right direction.

 

[OPENRANGE69]

1971 restoration with steering questions. Have tried everything I can think off to improve. Have spent 400x three shops but still same. I have I believe a three in lift and a two inch body lift. I have new front end , ball joints, tire pressure appears to be correct. Steering box rebuilt and upgraded. New traction bars alignments .. Just changed to 7 degree "c" bushings from 4" and think it is now worse. Its feels like i am driving the truck backwards, almost like driving on rails and when it falls off rail its touchy. Some people say its cause steering wheel is smaller than stock , others say steering box is too close ratio? Please see pictures in my gallery. I can't keep throwing money at this issue . Any ideas ?? Thanks

Are these "shops" experienced with EB'S or just strokin ya for $?

 

[TN1776]

Assuming at least one of these shops has checked your alignment, what does your caster/camber and toe-in look like? When mine had too much toe-in it drove similarly to what you describe and it was really bad when loaded with camping gear on a twisty road.

 

[bad 68]

Macmillan. In order to help you, you need to post complete details on all things related to your front end.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Let me assure you Classic Broncos with correct steering geomotry drive pretty damn good! Don't loose hope.

 

[blubuckaroo]

You mentioned correct tire pressure but that is a discussion all its own. Tire pressure will depend on tire size, type, vehicle weight, and wheel width. Anything over 28 PSI in my front tires will make the car dart like crazy. It's something you'll have to play with to know what's right.

 

[Apogee]

You could have several issues with your steering, and probably do, but as stated above, you're going to need to provide more details and be willing to walk through things step by step to make sure you haven't missed anything. I'd be willing to bet that there is more cummulative knowledge on this board about EB steering than anywhere else in the world, so if you're patient and methodical, you can have a safe rig in short order, but it's entirely up to you.

Tobin

 

[mxer]

i have 7 degree bushings and still had to drop radius arms 4" get it to drive good just a 3.5 lift.

 

[Broncobowsher]

As others have pointed out, these rigs can drive great. Even with a lift. But the cause and the fix can be any of a dozen plus things and often a mix of several. So there is no single correct answer. But we can still help. You have had alignments done, you should of had a printout of the alignment numbers, post those (or a clear photo of the printout). Second is a picture of the front end. Tire to tire, ground to bumper. We are looking at the total picture of the steering and track bar layouts. There are various ways this could have been altered to fit the lift. Different alterations require different approaches to fix.

Be prepared, answering one questions may lead to other questions. Think of it as an interview. After a few rounds back and forth we will get it narrowed down.

 

[DirtDonk]

In addition to all that, measure your lift so you know exactly. Put a tape measure between the front axle tube and the frame rail. Stock is roughly 7", so anything above that is your lift.

Paul

 

[asinor]

If it got worse after going from 4deg to 7deg bushings, you may have put the 7deg in upside down.

 

[DirtDonk]

x4.
Even seasoned pro's put them in backwards once in awhile. Well, more than once in awhile!

Easy to see though. If your front diff's pinion angle is straight into the driveshaft, or even a little above, then the bushings are in backwards.
If the pinion is pointed well below the centerline of the driveshaft, they're in properly and it's on to the next item.

And speaking of the next item... In all this, did you perform "the test" with a helper?
That's when, with the full weight of the rig on the ground, a helper saws the steering wheel back and forth just enough to make the wheels wiggle a few inches. No need to do full lock-to-lock turns in the beginning stages of this test. But later it helps in further diagnosis.

While they're doing that, you're watching everything from the steering shaft, to the box, to the tie-rod ends and everything else all the way out to the ball joints.
You're looking for anything that has movement that shouldn't be there. Including things like cracked frames behind the steering box that only show up during this test, but are otherwise invisible.

Any side-to-side movement that isn't part of the steering wheel input is bad.
Ditto what they all said about angles, additions, and air pressure. And add tire wear to that mix too.

Paul

 

[12-Pack Jeff]

I know this may be odd, but I think maybe you experienced the same thing I did when I first got my bronco. My steering is VERY smooth and VERY quick, feels NOTHING like a new vehicle. For the first few months I had my bronco I thought there HAD to be something wrong with ti. It drives straight, I have minimal bump steer, or at least what I feel is minimal for a lifted offroad truck. Now that i've had the truck for 4 years I'm comfortable with it and enjoy the way it drives. I've let other bronco owners drive my vehicle and they also agree the steering is VERY easy which is unlike any others I've ever driven too... not sure what makes mine special, but maybe yours is in the same boat. I've got a Saganaw pump w/ stock steering box sittin on 35's.. 3.5 inch lift w/ progressive duff springs (sagged down to a 2-2.5" lift) not sure what size C bushings.. whatever the blues are.

good luck
12'r

 

[spap]

Are your tires good, old tires that look good can always be an issue at least rule it out

 

[DirtDonk]

I know this may be odd, but I think maybe you experienced the same thing I did when I first got my bronco. My steering is VERY smooth and VERY quick, feels NOTHING like a new vehicle. For the first few months I had my bronco I thought there HAD to be something wrong with ti...

There's a true statement right there! Glad you mentioned it, because these things are new to a lot of people. Especially nowadays when your other experiences are much less likely to have been with at least similar vehicles.
The old "they don't make them like they used to" used to be used strictly as a curse, but now it's also a complement!

If your lock-to-lock turns of the wheel are less than 4, it can be very twitchy to someone new to lifted short wheelbase 4wd vehicles.

Paul

 

[Macmillan]

Thanks everyone for you help so far . I will get all the info requested and try to post tomorrow.. Thanks again