Hey new f150 owner here and have a question...

At my local 4 wheel parts store I was talking to them about a leveling kit for my 06 fx4. I was told that they wouldnt be able to align the truck after the leveling kit because fords didnt come with a cammed washer so they would have to be added. So I started looking at the Cam bolt kits made for this and everyone 4 wheel parts stocks says will not fit 2006 f150......any ides on this? The store manager was saying they tried a few f150's with leveling kits and tried getting the alignment as close as possible before they had the cam washer assemblies available and said the trucks were weaing out tires in a few months because it couldnt get close enough.....

whats everyone else doing with their leveling kits?

 

I installed my kit, took it to get alligned... was 4.8 out on one side, 5.0 on the other. was alligned in less than 10 min with no issues....Try NAPA though.. that's where I got the allignment cams for my 99 expedition...28 per side....

 

hey thanks for the reply...so it is true I will need the cam washers for the alignment? I just cant figure out why they would have 5 different manufacturers and all of them wont fit an 06 f150?

 

the only allignment that was needed for mine was the with the tie rods... whick is only a twist.. not cams were needed, everything else is factory...it was just to fix the toe...so the outside edga of the tires didn't get wore off from the tires being pegion toed / \
l l

 

well thanks for the tip I called Napa and they same the camber and caster kit for 55 a set so I can do the whole front of the vehicle for 110...4 wheels parts was charging 80-90 bucks a set and it required 4 so almost 350 bucks there...4 wheel parts may have better quality stuff but I dont offroad mine so Im not too worried about the strength so much.

 

Not sure what you are referring to, but the frame is slotted for the lower control arm to adjust for caster/camber, unlike most vehicles that use the upper control arm to adjust caster/camber. You should not need any "kits"

Take it to a different alignment shop, they are real easy to align.

 

Ill have to call around but the manager was saying that they werent able to get the fine adjustment needed without the camber/caster set....He said ford was a set height front end or something to that effect and that when you level them they had to have the camber/ caster washers and bolts on the lower arms or it wouldnt be able to be aligned correctly and it would just wear the tires out. I dont have any reason to not believe him because Napa even sells a camber/ caster kit and knew what I was talking about when I called and asked.

 

The kit that I see Napa sells appears to be a kit in case you cant adjust the stock setup enough, the bolts have a flat side that allows for more adjustment. However you can just open the slots up a bit if needed and save $110

Here is how Napa words it - Camber Plus or Minus 1 Degree Plus Or Minus 3/4 Degree Caster

If you needed them, the truck would come with them, ford does align them when they come off the line.

Like I said before, take it to another alignment shop, its not rocket science.

 

ok here's the skinny....it CAN be alligned without the washers.... the allignment places RECOMEND the use of the cam washer/bolt set cause it HELPS lock in the adjustment and leaves less room for movement down the road , leading to more allignments.... so in a way they are doing themselves a dis service cause they don't get to charge you again later...but in 3 months after a few potholes you wont be back saying the allignment is bad. there are two tab that come off the frame and the cam sits between the washers... the turn the head of the bolt and it dials in the adjustment, the big washers(twice the size of the stock bolt heads) put more pressure on the frame when tightened... holding it better. I had my 99Expedition done... not lifted... jut 33x12.50x16.5's but the guy told me that the truck couldn't be alligned cause it was MISSING parts.... I had just replaced the upper ball joints (whole upper arm part) and the lowers... installed the FACTORY parts again, them they tell me I'm missing parts when it was back like factory....... The 2wd expys have the adjusters from the factory... the 4x4's don't... ford dosen't even show them in the book for the 4x4.. so NAPA specialty parts is where I got mine... the allignment shop wanted 98.00 per side to install them... I said off and installed them in my driveway in @ 15 min.... didn't even take the tire off!! took it to the allignment place next door to them and it was done in less than 15 min....

 

the truck doesnt come with a leveling kit so it wouldnt matter if ford aligns it off the assembly line it may need them after the level kit is installed.

Im taking it to the alignment shop to have them look at it and tell me if it will need it after the leveling kit is installed.

Im assuming 4 wheel parts says it needs it because once the leveling kit is added and the lower control arm is pushed further down it could run out of alignment adjustment which is why you would need the additional degrees of adjustment as well. I was reading on a few of the lowered trucks they were having to install these because they were running out of adjustment.

We'll see what the alignment shop says tommorow.

thanks for the help