wandering bronco

[jwhit]

Is the pull to the right constant now or only under braking or deceleration (coasting)? Glad it's getting better!

pull to right seems constant and under light bracking it seems to favor right but hard quick braking seems to stay straight

 

[Hozr]

Sounds like a toe issue still. You can check toe fairly easily (and somewhat closely) on a flat surface with a tape measure, masking tape, and a marker (and a friend)

 

[BroncoKelley]

alingment shop numbers
here are results
caster left 6.98
caster right 4.14
camber left .47
camber right .23
toe left 1.77
toe right -1.25
total toe .52
i cant get toe in correct unless i had adjustable tie rods on both ends and or drag link? unless you think i could remove driver side spindle and add shim that would correct? what would you do at this point

thanks


rear numbers just in case you wanted
camber left -.64
camber right -.65
toe left .39
toe right -.26
total rear toe .13
thrust angle -.33

The vehicle will always pull/drift to the side with the least amount of caster. Just by looking at the specs your Bronco has almost a 3 degree caster split and if you add road crown in the mix I can tell you that it probably pulls right pretty hard!! I like to see caster even on both sides, if not slightly more caster on the right to accommodate for road crown. I would say if you can get the caster straightened out all your troubles will be history. See if you can get another alignment shop to measure the Bronco out to get another opinion and at least get the total toe set. If you're close to York Pa I'll get her straightened out for you!

 

[jwhit]

sounds like a toe issue still. You can check toe fairly easily (and somewhat closely) on a flat surface with a tape measure, masking tape, and a marker (and a friend)

running 1/4 toe in now

 

[jwhit]

just by chance. i saw this week end that the rear of bronco looked higher in rear on pass side( i normaly have it backed in shop so i never see the back end ) it is about 5/8- 3/4
taller which in my mind could be part of caster differnce side to side on my truck
any body agree or disagree if this could be the case?

 

[motoman]

When the Che*y disc brake conversion was done did they clearance the back of the caliper by the knuckle? This could cause issues under braking and create drag.....

 

[jwhit]

When the Che*y disc brake conversion was done did they clearance the back of the caliper by the knuckle? This could cause issues under braking and create drag.....

yes i am good on clearance i didnt have to grind any on my caliper
just a little on knuckle

 

[jwhit]

update
i have front axle out of truck now and in process of cutting welds to fix pinion angle and caster issue left side is 2 1/2 ° degree differnt than right i will give update after im done
i hope i can make this work?my plan is to drill out plug welds in center pumkin that holds axles in and twist axles in housing about 10° to fix pinion angle issue and then make both sides match to fix the caster issue i have had this whole time

 

[Justafordguy]

Wouldn't it be easier to just cut and re-weld the knuckles for caster and put 0% bushings in to fix the pinion??

 

[jwhit]

i dont think so since on 1 side i would need to cut off c and wedges also

 

[DirtDonk]

Does not work that way normally jwhit. Not sure why you said only one side would need the bushing wedges though. Does this mean that on at least one side the wedges are already removed? Sorry if this was already discussed, but I couldn't remember.

Unless this is the case, cutting the tubes loose from the pumpkin can't work, as the C-wedges rotate with the tubes and the outer/inner C's, or steering yokes. This means that when you try to attach the radius arms again, they won't line up and you end up rotating the whole assembly back so as to let the C-caps fit over the wedges and bushings. And results in the same caster, but with your pinion angle potentially all out of whack.

The only thing you can change with this method then, is the pinion angle. To have any permanent effect on caster you MUST rotate the yokes on the outer ends of the tubes only.

Paul

 

[broncoitis]

I know that this would be a PITA to do but it would seem that the right way to do it you would be cutting the welds at the centersection and the knuckle and putting in the stock C Bushings! Install the stock C Bushings and get the Pinion where you want it and weld it back up. Rotate the knuckles to get you the proper caster with the stock C Bushings installed.

I think that the front ends on the trucks are a PITA. Mine is decent but could be a little better like most on here! Gonna try the BFH Ball Joint Trick on mine and see what that does and definitely gonna go extended radius arms because I don't really like the look of the drop brackets!

Ultimately this tinkering in a lot of respects is part of the joy/agony of owning an early bronco and getting it right! ;D

Looking forward to hearing how your axle mods turn out. I am sure that you will get it right because you definitely seem determined to do so and it is difficult to stop determination. Good Luck!

 

[DirtDonk]

Ain't that the truth! While these rigs will definitely tax your reserves of determination, you will usually win out.

A pain yes, but can be worth it if you really need it. Luckily for 99% of us, the pinion angle on our stock front axles is not an issue and even has a fair amount of leeway given that it is held pretty rigidly in place by the C-bushings and arms. So there is not the pinion climb/drop (axle wrap) like we have in the rear. Get it "close enough" and you're good almost every time.

Usually a pair of 2° poly C-bushings cures all pinion/u-joint concerns, and turning the steering yokes/C's takes care of the caster that is at the heart of the issue.

I still recommend the 2 degree poly over the zero degree stock rubbers though, simply for their longevity and, more importantly, their side flange retainers that keep them from getting spit out under hard use.

Rubber might have a slight advantage in the isolation department (not that most would notice), but it's not enough in my mind to overcome the advantages of poly in this case. Even those that squeeze out a little!

Paul

 

[jwhit]

FIXED AT LAST
to reply to what dirtdonk was saying about normaly not working
well nothing has been normal on this pita but here is what i did
took front end out setup on my fixture table (i do metal fab work for a living)
and discovered that the c on right side was off 2 3/4° form left side
i am not sure if at some point somone hit somthing or what but it was off
so i drilled/milled plug welds out on pumkin on both sides so not only could i fix
caster difference put to also correct my pinion angle which was terrible.
did alot of driving sunday after church and my pulling to the right problem is gone
truck drives great ,then i locked in front hubs and tested 4wd at higher speed
60mph no vibrations to speak of. life is good again .
i would give warning to anybody who wants to try drilling welds on pumkin
it anit no fun the weld was done with nickel rod and i went thru a few endmills
finaly put it on the cnc mill with carbide cutter.these were the hardest welds i have ever seen.
thanks to all for the input
i wish i had pulled front axle out and checked before i spent all cash on new parts

 

[DirtDonk]

Best news ever! So did you equalize the angles of the yokes, or leave a slight variation between the two?

Did you note at what angle the radius arm/C-bushing pads were oriented too? Wondering if they were also off by the same amount as the yoke, or if they were consistent side-to-side, and only the yoke was off so much.

What is your caster reading now? Other than closer to the other side, wondering what the total is.

Good work and most of all, happy driving.

Paul

 

[jwhit]

I know that this would be a PITA to do but it would seem that the right way to do it you would be cutting the welds at the centersection and the knuckle and putting in the stock C Bushings! Install the stock C Bushings and get the Pinion where you want it and weld it back up. Rotate the knuckles to get you the proper caster with the stock C Bushings installed.

(1)if i could start over i would never have done the 4" drop brackets seem like a easy fix at the time ,but who knew the front axle housing was not the same
so if i was to do over i would have used stock c busings in stock arm mounts
cut center loose and the c knuckle mounts and weld back to get pinion and caster angle correct . hind sight is 20/20 but i did learn alot and also few new words for these front ends

I think that the front ends on the trucks are a PITA. Mine is decent but could be a little better like most on here! Gonna try the BFH Ball Joint Trick on mine and see what that does and definitely gonna go extended radius arms because I don't really like the look of the drop brackets!

(2)i would agree i hate my drop brackets

Ultimately this tinkering in a lot of respects is part of the joy/agony of owning an early bronco and getting it right! ;D

Looking forward to hearing how your axle mods turn out. I am sure that you will get it right because you definitely seem determined to do so and it is difficult to stop determination. Good Luck!

(3)turned out good but i took a while

 

[jwhit]

Best news ever! So did you equalize the angles of the yokes, or leave a slight variation between the two?Paul

(1)both sides are the same now with .1 degree as close as i could get

Did you note at what angle the radius arm/C-bushing pads were oriented too? Wondering if they were also off by the same amount as the yoke, or if they were consistent side-to-side, and only the yoke was off so much.

(2)c mount wedges seem to be match knuckle mounts real close so when i twisted tubes to correct pinion angle and also to make left and right sides match the wedges seem to be within 1 degree of each other those parts are hard to get a good reading off of with my digital gauge

What is your caster reading now? Other than closer to the other side, wondering what the total is.

(3) i have not gone to alinment shop and dont think i will with my gauge it looks to be around 6 1/2 degrees and both sides are the same.i also back toe in off a little i am at 3/16 total toe now and truck drives nice.i have some bump steer that i guess all broncos have

Good work and most of all, happy driving.

thanks

 

[savage]

What drop brackets did you use? Fixed or adjustable? I have the Duff adjustable and like the adjustability. Great that you got it figured out, these old girls never make it easy.

 

[jwhit]

What drop brackets did you use? Fixed or adjustable? I have the Duff adjustable and like the adjustability. Great that you got it figured out, these old girls never make it easy.

wild horse fixed bracket