The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk "Dog tracking or weaving" - a little scary

Hi,

My 47 1 ton weaves and dodges at will down any road with wheel ruts worn into it. I've always assumed the king pins and/or steering box were loose and/or that radials on the front would cure this bad, slightly scary habit. But in a post down a few pages about installing a Mustang II front end it was suggested that this is just the "old truck feel" and that a IFS would rob you of this joy.

So, here's my question(s): Is uncontrolled weaving a vintage truck "challenge?" Can it be cured by radials? (Please say yes). Or is this why people put in Mustang II's?

Thanks for your insights,

Wilber

Having tight kingpins and a properly adjusted steering gear will welp greatly to correct the wander, correct alignment is a must, too. You might even consider seeing if the axle can be shimmed to give a bit more caster for more stability. Radials will also help, but do all 4, not just the fronts. Mismatched tires can cause more problems than they'll cure, especially mixing construction types.
As to the mustang 2 ifs, it really has more to do with getting a car type ride, and perhaps better handling over the stock I beam axle.

My half ton has completely stock suspension but with 15" radials, and it does not exhibit this issue. I have completely redone the king pins, tie rod ends, and spring shackles and bushings. The spring shackles make a bigger differance than you would think. Don't neglect the rear end, either, the spring eyes and the motor mounts matter if you still have a torque tube. They are what locates the axle in respect to the frame and any wear gets amplified by the springs and turns into bump steer and wandering. Except for the stiffness mine steers quite well. It's a bit numb feeling, but it goes exactly where I point it and it handles bumps pretty well. The best upgrade you can do is a set of sway bars and good shocks.
I'm picky, too, my daily driver is a Mazda RX-8 sports car.

I too had a serious weaving back and forth on the road with my 46 half ton. Was pretty scary to drive especially whenever I ran across uneven road surfaces. Lucky for me the front end and kingpins were tight. All I did was adjust the sector gear on the steering box and the problem amazingly vanished!! The slop in the steering wheel also was eliminated. I also filled the steering box with fresh grease since I could see after removing the lubrication plug that it was low. It now steers much easier.

4onthefloor is right on the money on this one.
Spring and shackle bushings having wear in them let the axle move fore and aft on either side and that is the same as turning the wheel. You will constantly be trying to keep up with it on rough, rutted or uneven roads.

Richard

I had a bad tie rod end and now mine steers much tighter and stays straight over a bump so check those and the drag link.
15" radials.

I agree 50Deluxe and 4onthefloor! I'm sure I could improve my steering control even further with new spring shackles. Mine are worn and need replacing. I've also got one front spring that should be replaced. A pair would be in order I suppose.

I'm new at this restoring and am learning alot here at the Stovebolt. I was so excited when I adjusted that sector gear and I got a positive response! There will be more to learn and discover here as I too walk through addressing all the problems, due to neglect, on my truck. I'm so thankful that this website exists and that there are so many who want to help!

The guys have just about nailed it with their suggestions but I'd like to add a couple more. My 54 straight axle, radial tires at 32 psi, with slightly loose king pins, tracks straight as an arrow and is a pleasure to drive at 65-70 mph. The spring bushing fit is critical and if everything else is tight I'd consider a check of the toe-in. I added a tad extra toe and a steering stabilizer (shimmey dampener). I run no caster shim. Just want to clarify that slightly worn king pins are not necessarily going to cause your truck to bump steer and wander. Replacing the king pins isn't necessarily going to cure the problem! It doesn't cost anything to add a little toe and if your spring bushings are in good shape you might just eliminate the issue.

Dave

I have finished rebuilding my 51 1 Ton and it steers just fine. I am running 16" radials with a 5 1/2" tread width. All the suspension parts on my truck have been redone.