i just got a 1996 f150 ext cab long bed thats lifted 9" and has 37s on it. the tires lean in and when going down the road it pulls. the tires are getting bald which may be some of the problem but wanted to know if anyone knew why the tires lean in. any info is appreciated thanks

 

all TTB ford fronts lean one way or the other, and running 37's is not going to help the front any either, take it get in aligned if they will do it with that large of a tire, and in a couple of months take it back and again and again and again, lol

oh and everytime you go off road or mudding you might as well stop by the shop and get it aligned again.

these front axles are known again and again for the extream lack of alignment

 

Thanks i was wondering how hard it would be to convert it to straight axle.

 

Go somewhere that offers lifetime alignment, you WILL get your moneys worth with a truck that big

 

What are the condition of all your bushings and such? I know mine were in pretty bad shape. Replaced a bunch of stuff along with taking off the 37" boggers and dropping down to 35" KM2's- makes for a much more pleasant ride.

 

we jacked it up and nothing is loose. everyone says ball joints but theres no play. the tires lean in on the top. 35s just wouldnt look right it could go bigger lol

 

Is there any side to side play?

I agree, get a lifetime alignment. Tip your mechanic every time. Any lifted, dropped, special specs, performance alignments can be a real pain and once your going in there often the techs will just get annoyed of you. If you tip em, they will help you out. Iv never worked in a shop where a big truck pulls in and everyone says "not it!", or everyone clocks out to go to lunch, or makes the oil change in front of you last one hour. Trust me, nobody "wants" to work on your truck, thats why the shop seems empty when you(guy with giant truck) walks in. Also, dont stand there and watch them work on your truck, no matter how nice they may appear, they hate it, even if they are confident in their work and know exactly what tey are doing. Trust me on this, im a tech.

 

yeah there is side to side on the highway but on the back roads it does alright. just when i turn one way it tries to keep going that way.

 

you're toed in way too far. My guess would be either your steering ball joints, spindle ball joints. The need for the steering to pull to the side when you are steering says steering box to me b/c our boxes should want to drive 'back to center' when we are not turning. I've got 16" of lift with 41" superswampers, and I HAD to design my own chromoly steering system b/c the stock system does not do good with ANYTHING bigger than a 35"...you loose a lot of the safety in the steering when you go larger than a 35".

Solid axle swap is EASY.
Steering Conversion/Upgrade is EASIER.
The TTB can be very strong if it is backed up with the proper steering, bushings, and geometric measurements!

my 2 cents

 

the reason it does better on the back roads is because you are driving on dirt, your toed in steering doesn't act like a plow pushing your tires together.