spring assemblies

[ggdad1951]

does anyone have a better assembly picture of the front and rear springs and the associated parts? My parts manual isn't the same as the parts I took off my truck. I've got these odd wedge shaped spacers on the front springs between the spring and axle and none of the spacers/seats (17-11-34/17-15-4 respectively) as shown on the rear spring set assembly as shown in the parts manual.

[MBF]

Those are most likely wedge shaped shims that are used to adjust the caster of the front axle. The purpose is to change the angle of the king pins to make the vehicle track properly going down the road. Mike

[ggdad1951]

so they make the kings more vertical then? That makes sense....now to find some.....

[Dave72dt]

The caster is the forward or rearward leaning of the kingpin. You wantr it leaning rearward. I hope you took notes on which side and which direction they went in. Putting them in the wrong side or backwards will drastically change the way the truck goes down the road.

[ggdad1951]

better, I have PICTURES!

[MBF]

If you need some (they come in different angles and sizes) an old alignment shop or garage should have some in inventory. Mike

[Vet Doc]

An old thread, but appears to be exactly the subject I have run up against.

 

I have lost my reference as to which direction the wedges were under the springs.  I am trying to think it through, but am looking for reassurance.  I am thinking to get the caster more to the rear/lean the kingpins back, the thicker part of the wedge should be to the front? Is there any way to do any measurement prior to putting the axle on the frame?  The wedges can’t be changed without dropping the whole front beam, I don’t think.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Todd

[Dave72dt]

Seeing as they go between the axle and the spring, thicker part of the wedge goes to the back.  That should lean the kingpins back when the u bolts are snugged up.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Dave72dt
spell

[ggdad1951]

and this is EXACTLY what I had wrong in FEF.  He drove fine, but had way uneven tire wear.  I'll confirm what the wheel and frame guy did on FEF tonight for ya (as I had them backwards).

[John-T-53]

I never encountered any shims between the springs and axles. Maybe this was an optional thing depending how the axle came out of the forge.

[Vet Doc]

15 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

and this is EXACTLY what I had wrong in FEF.  He drove fine, but had way uneven tire wear.  I'll confirm what the wheel and frame guy did on FEF tonight for ya (as I had them backwards).

Thanks for checking and it’s always good to know I’m not alone.

10 hours ago, John-T-53 said:

I never encountered any shims between the springs and axles. Maybe this was an optional thing depending how the axle came out of the forge.

The wedges in mine appear to be aluminum.  I have not encountered any other aluminum that I can think of and suspect that they are an aftermarket alignment correction.  This pickup has been sitting since 1968 and although it’s been in the family since new, no one knows specific details on service history. ?

[ggdad1951]

FEF's we aluminum as well

[Dave72dt]

Increasing caster will actually increase the steering effort to turn but it also helps the wheels want to come back to straight with less effort and stabilizes the system.  Too little caster may have caused some tire scrubbing when turning, more likely the camber and toe may have been off a bit as well.