alignment
 

What is the best driveway method until I can get to an alignment shop. Its pulling to the right pretty good. Its my 61 4x4. Thanks, Jeremy.

Re: alignment
 

Make sure the right front brake shoes are not too tight against the drums, check the king pin bearings and measure the toe. Measure the toe by first making sure the front tires are facing straight forward, then measure across the front of the tires from a point in the tread. Do the same on the rear of the front tires from that same point in the tread. Adjust the front tie rod until you get the same measurements.

Rob

Re: alignment
 

You know yesterday when I had the tires off, the right front drum was hard to turn. Well looks like I have something to look at today. Thanks for the info!! Jeremy.

Re: alignment
 

You'll actually want the front measurement to be about 1/16 - 1/8" less than the rear measurement. We aligned my buddies van like that, and he never did take it in to the shop, and the tires lasted a long time.

Re: alignment
 

Do a quarter inch toe in (1/4 narrower in the front). Don't worry about caster/camber in the driveway, can't do anything about that there. Measure from abou the same point on the inside of the tires as high as you can against the frame.

Re: alignment
 

The weight of the truck has to be on the ground right? Not up in the air on jack stands?

Re: alignment
 

Jack it up to set the toe in. If you measure while on the ground, the tires may be distorted after you turn them in/out and give you a false measurement.

Re: alignment
 

Thanks man!!

Re: alignment
 

With a straight axle four wheel drive the only thing that you should have to adjust is the toe. The amount of toe-in is largely determined by tire diameter. With really big tires you need a little more toe-in if you are measuring at the tread, mainly due to the fact that the diameter itself causes the same adjustment to measure a greater distance because you are measuring further from the center.
The caster and camber are built into the axle and "theoretically" can't change.
Camber can really only change by wear or damage. (If the ball-joints are very warn or the axle housing itself is bent)
Caster really can't change unless someone physically alters something. Shims under lift kit springs, extremely long shackles, etc.
Assuming that your tie-rod ends are sound there really is no reason for the toe to need adjustment either. The only time you would need to is when you are actually replacing any of the above mentioned "wear items". (Tie rod ends, ball-joints)

Re: alignment
 

Um, well...kinda, This is not a perfect world. We have pot holes and rough trails that can bend things, and normal wear on parts that are not even worn out yet can change toe in. For example: A little bit of change at the tie-rod end is magnified at the leading edge of the tire by distance from the source of the variation. No two set of tires will align the same either due to manufacturing differences and construction variations.

It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your tires for wear, and to check your alignment a couple of times a year.

Re: alignment
 

Not so...If something is bent, it should be replaced, not adjusted to compensate for the bend. If ball-joints are warn enough to "move" they are warn out. And finally, alignment is not based on tires at all. It is really based on the relationship of the bolt flange area of the hub to the ground and the arc in which it moves. It is just easier to measure from the tire, which you really shouldn't do. The tread blocks of large off-road tires can vary quite a bit. The most accurate way to measure toe-in from the tread is to make a mark on one tread block on each side at the front, take your measurement. Then spin the tires so that the mark is in the back when taking the measurement there. This takes any tread variation out of the equation.

They even make tapered shims that go behind the spindle to compensate for camber issues...........but this should not be done. Camber can only change if something is bent (axle housing, spindle). It should be fixed properly, not masked. Steering and braking are serious saftey issues.

Re: alignment
 

No body said you shouldn't replace worn or bent parts , man.

Alignment absoloutly has MUCH to do with tires, (that is why you should have your truck aligned each time you get new tires)

Ball joints DO move (that is why they were invented to begin with).

The most accurate way to measure alignment doesn't have squat to do with a measuring tape.

Oh well,

I'll let you win;)

Re: alignment
 

Yes you did.

Alignment has nothing to do with tires as far as measurement goes. Putting a different tire on your truck doesn't affect the alignment at all.

Ball-joints "rotate" ........they should not move in any other plane. They really don't need to be "balls" at all. They could very well be a straight shaft like the old "kingpins". In fact Dana 60 axles (and closed knuckle 44s in early jeeps among others) use a tapered roller bearing at the bottom and a similarly shaped bronze bushing on top. Any movement of ball-joints requires replacement.

The only thing we are measuring here is toe. None of the others need "measuring" on a straight axle 4x4.

Re: alignment
 

Any way, I did the toe in with a tape. It was good, so I didnt have to move it. But it still pulls to the right. I guess I'll wait to bring it to the alignment shop after I change the axle to a open knuckle . Thanks for all the help!! Jeremy

Re: alignment
 

All in all, your problem is still most likely in the brakes. Not necessarily just the fronts either, a dragging drum anywhere can cause drifting/pulling.

Since you say that it pulls to the right, it could also be in the wheel bearings. If the adjustment nut/washer pack is not properly installed, the right side can tighten itself.

Jack the truck up and try to turn and or wiggle everything....wheel, tie-rods, drag-link,etc. If you find the right wheel stiffer than the left....more investigation is going to be needed.

This of course assumes that you have the same size tires on each side of the front wheels and that the inflation is at least close to equal.