Spindle and front end questions...

[coyote killer]

I bought a 71 that I noticed sat a little low in the front and didn't steer well because the ackerman angle was off. I have rebuilt the entire front end including the steering box and front springs but the ackerman angle is still off and she still sets low in the front.

The only thing that I haven't changed is the spindles. I have bought a pair of 69 spindles to install. Does anyone know if that will fix the problem? I figure the spindles must have been swapped before at some point with the wrong spindles. Thanks!!!

[jsbgump]

The 69 spindles will not work with the 71 disk brakes. I don't know what an ackerman arm is. I know of the pitman and idler arms.

[coyote killer]

I was wrong, I have 71 or 72 spindles because they have disk brakes.

The ackerman angle is the amount each wheel turns when you turn a corner. A correct ackerman angle turns the outside wheel slightly more than the inside wheel. If both wheels turned the same amount the tires would squall every time you turned the steering wheel.

[71/454]

I have run into this when someone changed th tie rod ends but did not thread them in the equal amount on both sides so it would turn more to one side than the other, Is this the problem you encounter. The guy who did it assumed the alignment shop would balance them out but all they did was adjust for tow in

[LONGHAIR]

The Ackerman angle is built into the spindle itself and there is no way to adjust it. It is based on the off-set of the tie rod's mounting point and the pivot line between the balljoints. You would assume that the drop-spindle manufacturers would duplicate this part of the casting just as the factory units were made as closely as possible. It may be worth comparing them though, just to be sure.

By the way, you have it backward.........the inside wheel turns more (tighter) than the outside. The inside is a smaller circle, if the outside turned more than the inside, it really would squeel. You would have a condition where the front wheels would "plow"......(go straight even with the wheels turned)

To get back to the original point, if you have some alignment problem, it is not likely to be an Ackerman issue. Caster, camber and toe can all contribute to odd feeling steering. Centering the tie-rods really only moves the steering wheel in relation to the tires. This is how you get the steering wheel centered while the vehicle is going straight.

[coyote killer]

Originally Posted by 71/454

I have run into this when someone changed th tie rod ends but did not thread them in the equal amount on both sides so it would turn more to one side than the other, Is this the problem you encounter. The guy who did it assumed the alignment shop would balance them out but all they did was adjust for tow in

Did this cause your outside front wheel to squall or plow on dirt?

[coyote killer]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

The Ackerman angle is built into the spindle itself and there is no way to adjust it. It is based on the off-set of the tie rod's mounting point and the pivot line between the balljoints. You would assume that the drop-spindle manufacturers would duplicate this part of the casting just as the factory units were made as closely as possible. It may be worth comparing them though, just to be sure.

By the way, you have it backward.........the inside wheel turns more (tighter) than the outside. The inside is a smaller circle, if the outside turned more than the inside, it really would squeel. You would have a condition where the front wheels would "plow"......(go straight even with the wheels turned)

To get back to the original point, if you have some alignment problem, it is not likely to be an Ackerman issue. Caster, camber and toe can all contribute to odd feeling steering. Centering the tie-rods really only moves the steering wheel in relation to the tires. This is how you get the steering wheel centered while the vehicle is going straight.

Something is definitely causing a problem with the ackerman angle because my front end plows trenches when turning on dirt roads and they squall on pavement.

[Robznob11]

1st thing id do is center the wheels and pull a mesuremet across the front of the tires and then one across the back side of the tires to make sure they match sounds like they have too much toe in to me... a tape mesure and a few simple tie rod adjustments could fix it at the house...most people put the tie rods to the same place as the old ones they took off to save hassels. but if you did that and they were adjusted wrong that would explain why the new frot end is the same as the old. you shure they did not put a newer front end on it with 73 up a-arms...?

[coyote killer]

Originally Posted by Robznob11

1st thing id do is center the wheels and pull a mesuremet across the front of the tires and then one across the back side of the tires to make sure they match sounds like they have too much toe in to me... a tape mesure and a few simple tie rod adjustments could fix it at the house...most people put the tie rods to the same place as the old ones they took off to save hassels. but if you did that and they were adjusted wrong that would explain why the new frot end is the same as the old. you shure they did not put a newer front end on it with 73 up a-arms...?

It has had a computer wheel alignment done to it and is aligned perfectly.