The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Alignment thoughts for a 1956 with stock arms / Tie Rod WITH Power steering

Ok
Read thru a mountain of threads. And found this to be true. Its all over the place both the truck and the threads. LOL

So current setup.
stock arms, axle, tie rod, tie rod ends, spindles, drag link.
Has CPP power steering pump in stock location inside frame rails.

Fat tires compared to stock these are big 265/75/r17 wheels.

Done all the basics when I redid the king pings. All new pins, bushings. made the tie rod ends tight. All greased up.
She steers much smother. starts to return to center now that she is greased. Tracks straight and good on smooth roads.
But as soon as the road is not smooth or need to slow turn left or right lets just say she floats all over.

I have made the steering box as tight as i want to based but it may have a very small adjustment that can be made.

Looks to have the stock shim on axle for caster. (forgot to measure when I had it out for king pin redo)
Plan on taking it to alignment shop to have the actual numbers looked at. But want thoughts before the wrenches start turning.

Thoughts on increasing caster and toe would be appreciated with this setup with power steering. I have read where a increase of caster with power steering helps on the road wander.
But have seen everything from 2.5 to 3, to not over 3 or it worse, to 5 to 7 on all the thread i have read.

Anyone running setup that i have that has measurements.

Fire away>

Power steering caster can, and should be much more positive than manual steering. If the manual spec is 3, for instance, start by doubling it, and add more if necessary (top of the king pin pointed more toward the rear). Trying to make a power steering gear box return to center requires much more effort than the same steering system with a manual box. Turning away from center lifts the front end of the vehicle, and the weight pushing down on the spindle is what causes the return to center. Power assist makes the "lift" easier, so much more return force is available with increased caster.

There's a problem called "caster scrub" that happens when excessive caster angles are reached. Its symptoms are increased tire wear with a feathery appearance of the tread. It takes LOTS of caster to do that, however. I've seen that problem on European cars such as some big Mercedes models where the specification is +9 degrees or so.
Jerry

Hotrod you always have the good input.
Stock say the manual is 1.5 Degree Caster and based on the shim in there most likely is what it will be.
Toe 1/8 to 7/32 and i doubt its where its supposed to be.

You can't adjust your camber angle but you need to know what it is before you adjust your toe-in. Your camber angle was set when your axle was made. Usually 1 degree but there can be minor differences so you normally get a .5 degree +/- factor. If your camber measures differently on each side, have the shop rotate your wheels 45 degrees and check again. If the measurement is still off, swap front left and front right wheels and check again. As you already have figured out, camber is a small measurement (in degrees) but sensitive. If your camber measures .5 degrees, use the smallest toe-in measurement (1/8 in this case). If it measures 1.5 degrees then use the high end (7/32 in this case. If it is right on 1 degree, then use right in the middle of 1/8 and 7/32...11/64 if my quick math is ok. If your camber measures something like .8 degrees, you'll need to do some calculating.

If you want an easy view on what your camber might be, get a good 9 inch level, set it against the lips on your brake backing plates (behind the axle) hold it as vertical as possible and see where the bubble sets relative to the little line in the glass. It ought to be the same on both sides and usually is. A bent wheel will mess up some alignment machines...the ones that clip onto the rim of your wheel. Good luck!

I have a '49 3100 which has a 350 in it and the CPP power steering kit on it and started out with the stock caster shims (1.5 degrees I believe). The truck made no effort to go back to the straight ahead coming out of a turn whatsoever. I bought a set of 5 degree shims and it now comes back to the straight ahead position better. I think that 6 or 7 degrees would bring it back to straight even better, but if you go that far, you'd better have brand new, tight spring shackles and pins.
With the 5 degree caster shims, those spring shackles and pins receive a lot side torque on them that you can see while someone turns the wheel for you when the truck is stationary. I think i'm good with the 5 degree shims.

Jon, I've adjusted camber on straight axles several times- - - -a piece of 8 inch H beam, some heavy chains, and a 20 ton jack makes the axle react like a piece of limp spaghetti! It's usually necessary to go just a bit past the desired angle, to allow for "spring back" as the bending force of the jack is removed.
Jerry

I missed this in my current setup. All new springs and shackles etc already on it.