Camber Bushing question

[fishinsam]

Hi all, im new to this forum and joined because of some problems i've been having and would like to fix. one of them is a camber issue. i bought the truck used just over a year ago and it seems like a lot of home work has been done to it. i know it has drop brackets for both driver and passenger side and lift springs, although im not sure what size. When i took it to the tire shop, they wanted $280 to fix my camber issue. im hoping i could buy and install the part and have the tire shop fine tune them. i understand i need a new caster bushing or shim my spring with washing to fix my camber issue. it has a -1.6 degree right front camber, a 6.1 degree right caster, and .14 degree right toe. for the left it has -.8 degree camber, 5.8 degree caster, and a .14 degree toe. i'd really appricate some help on what bushing i need to buy and how to best fix my problem. the inside of my tires are heavily worn and the outside is barely touched. thanks in advance, i've already gotten tons of help from this forum.

 

[doorgunner]

Hi all, im new to this forum and joined because of some problems i've been having and would like to fix. one of them is a camber issue. i bought the truck used just over a year ago and it seems like a lot of home work has been done to it. i know it has drop brackets for both driver and passenger side and lift springs, although im not sure what size. When i took it to the tire shop, they wanted $280 to fix my camber issue. im hoping i could buy and install the part and have the tire shop fine tune them. i understand i need a new caster bushing or shim my spring with washing to fix my camber issue. it has a -1.6 degree right front camber, a 6.1 degree right caster, and .14 degree right toe. for the left it has -.8 degree camber, 5.8 degree caster, and a .14 degree toe. i'd really appricate some help on what bushing i need to buy and how to best fix my problem. the inside of my tires are heavily worn and the outside is barely touched. thanks in advance, i've already gotten tons of help from this forum.

This method will get the wheels roughly corrected:

1. Buy two Zero degree camber bushings and install them (this will give you a good starting point in order to select the correct degree camber bushings)....air all 4 tires up to the correct pressure......then drive the truck for a few miles to "settle the suspension".

2. Park the truck on level concrete with the steering wheel centered (DO NOT let the truck roll backwards).

3. Stand in front of the truck near the driver's side....if the wheel looks like it's "aiming" outward----adjust the tierod until the wheel looks like it's "aiming" straight ahead.....double-check the way it looks now.

4. Use a tape measure to make sure the PASSENGER"S wheel measures the same on the front tread and rear tread of the tire from the drivers wheel tread------adjust the PASSENGER"S tie-rod until the measurements are the same.

5. Drive the truck for a few miles to get the suspension to "settle down".

6. Use a carpenter's level to check the camber (UP & DOWN LEAN) on the drivers wheel RIMS.....write down if the top of the RIM is leaning "out" or "in"...eyeball the wheel also and write down what you see.

7. Do the same thing on the passenger's wheel RIM.......eyeball the wheel also & write down the info.

8. Post your info in this thread so the members can help you get the wheels aligned better. Post pics if you can!

The directions that I gave you were basic.....you will need better TRS directions to get everything lined up so a REAL alignment shop can fine-tune your suspension for around $50 to $80---depending if they have to install different camber bushings

 

[Insanejughead]

You can do your own alignment in your driveway over the course of an afternoon.

Just to be sure that we can help you out in the best possible way, are you working on the 1997 ranger that you have listed under your name?


The bushings you'll need to do your own alignment are really simple and cheap. Once you get the bushings installed, all you have to do is turn the bushing so that the ball joint is moved towards the outside of the truck.

Positive camber pushes the upper part of the tire out, while negative camber pulls the top of the tire to the inside of the wheel well. Your truck needs to be more positive (haha).


By using a bubble level vertically on the brake rotor, you can get a pretty good idea of how vertical your alignment is. Of course, for this to be as close to accurate as you need, the suspension will have to be supported under the I-beam, and just barely above where you were able to get the wheel off. The spindle has to be as close to the normal resting position as possible.

Let me know if this is making sense, and I'll help you out some more in a bit. I am going to get some lunch for now.

 

[doorgunner]

Wax on.....................................Wax off!

Wheel on...................................Wheel off!

 

[fishinsam]

Thanks for the info. To answer your question "Insanejughead", yes it is a 97' ranger with the d35 ttb suspension. i'll attempt to attach some pics to this. i drove it around and then parked it and took some pictures. If you look at the pictures where I held a tape measure to my hub and then to the drop bracket where the axle pivots, i am trying to see if i should have a taller spring (or spring spacer). From reading on the forum, i believe the axle pivot is supposed to be 1" higher than the center of the hub. As you can see from the picture the pivot point on my axle is 3/4" lower than the hub. does this mean i should put in just over an inch of spacers under the coil to raise the truck about 1 3/4" before i adjust my camber? I also took pictures of the paperwork the alignment shop gave me, as you can see it has a part number for a new camber bushing, but wont it be a different degree camber bushing after the proper ride height is achieved. I also wouldn't mind it being lifted more (to give my front diff a bit more height) as i do some mild off roading.

 

[Insanejughead]

It's up to you whether or not you want to get the hubs lower than the pivot point. If the truck sits lower in the front, and you want to raise it up, then go for it. Do all that stuff before getting your camber adjusted, though. Otherwise the work to adjust your camber will be wasted if you adjust your springs afterward.

Oh, and it's best to get some 2 degree bushings. As the bushing is turned, it will adjust camber and caster. Caster is not an issue when it comes to tire wear, but you can have it adjusted with the camber eccentrics.

When the eccentric is pointing straight out to the side of the truck, or to the engine, the camber is adjusted, but not the caster. When the eccentrics are pointed to the front or rear of the truck, the caster is not adjusted. The key to a good alignment with the camber bushings is knowing the quadrant that you want the eccentric to point.

By carefully turning the bushing, you can get the camber exactly where you need it, as well as making the caster a little bit less of an issue (although, caster just helps your wheels recenter when you let go of the steering wheel.)

 

[fishinsam]

Last night i started to take things apart to stack washers under my coil spring. i didn't take off my tie rod ends because i could not get it off. i think the rubber bushing thing around my tie rod ends needs to be replaced, but i can't get the ends off. i took out the cotter pin and castled nut. then i tried to get a puller on the end but could not. i also couldn't pound it out. Should i replace those rubber bushings if they are worn? also, am i going to have any steering issues now that my front is lifted about another 1 1/2? ill try to upload more pics soon. thanks

 

[fishinsam]

Heres a few pics