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Old Aug 25, 2018 | 07:44 AM
  #1  
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From: Beautiful Beaufort, SC
Default Let's visit Camber again

My 93 2wd has ALL new components underneath; bushings, tie rods, links, ball joints, u-joints, etc. ad nauseum. ALL new from front to back. The truck has a negative camber condition when moving in reverse. I refuse to accept that it is "just the way it is"; the truck did not do this when new. As usual, when rolling the wheels 1 revolution forward, the truck resumes it's traditional factory stance and all is well.
The coil springs are the correct weight, height, and new and the shocks are what is called for. The radius arm bushings are new, rubber, and torqued to100 lb. ft.
What component(s) should I check to correct this condition of negative camber?
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Old Aug 25, 2018 | 01:25 PM
  #2  
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"New" & "ad nauseum" don't tell us anything useful about how your truck is built. What brand, PN, & source for each "new" part? Why exactly was each one changed? Did the replacement pass the same diagnostic test that the previous one failed? And if you don't list each one (ad nauseum), we can't know what ELSE might need attention, or what you might have overlooked in your diagnosis.

But why do you care what happens when backing up? If it's aligned correctly going forward, that's good enough. You're not going to be worrying about camber or handling in Reverse because you can't go fast enough for it to matter, and you won't drive that way long enough.

But I don't recommend rubber for any suspension components - I find black Energy poly to be vastly superior.
https://www.energysuspensionparts.co...cri=8,1&filter
http://energysuspension.com/parts-search.html


(phone app link)


What equipment was used to align the truck? It's very difficult to find a shop with the right equipment AND someone who actually uses it correctly AND cares enough to put the time into these old trucks.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 08:01 AM
  #3  
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Originally Posted by Steve83
"New" & "ad nauseum" don't tell us anything useful about how your truck is built.
I bought this truck in June of 2017 from the Original buyer's Nephew and have performed all of the work before July 15th; 2018. The truck is being rebuilt in the tradition of As-manufactured practical restoration; not concours/show level or mark and numbers matching stuff. I am using new-in-the-box, OEM grade/spec parts of better quality or Made in USA if I can find them, without buying exclusively NOS Ford branded parts in original packaging. I used no junkyard or used parts in this work-save the leaf springs (which are replacements that are verified by me to be OEM spec by Mfg & pn). Suffice to say, factory spec is the target and intent of the ride quality and work I am putting in.
Originally Posted by Steve83
What brand, PN, & source for each "new" part?
Tires are door-post sticker sized Goodyear Wranglers with under or approx. 10k miles. Regrettably, they are Passenger spec not Light Truck. They were on the truck when I bought it in June of '17 and recent, with a long service life ahead. I estimate 10k miles of use; I have put 8700 miles on them. I rotate front tires straight back and rears to opposite front every 5k miles. Call it a sickness. Don't judge me.
Cab and Core Support bushings - Energy Suspension, Black, p/n 44107G - Rock Auto
I Beam Pivot bushings - AC Delco p/n 45G12018 - Rock Auto
Front Coil Springs - Moog p/n CC822 - Rock Auto
Leaf Spring bushings - Energy Suspension, Red p/n 42122 (Black weren't in stock) - Rock Auto
Leaf Spring Shackle - Moog p/n K150409 - Rock Auto I had to replace a replacement shackle; has rubber bushings as Poly bushings won't fit the replacement shackle's smaller bushing bore.
Radius arm bushings, rubber with spacers, cups, and steel washers, Torqued to 100 ft. lbs - Moog p/n K8361 - Rock Auto
Tie Rods L Outer - AC Delco p/n 46A0349, R Outer - AC Delco p/n 46A0348, L Inner - AC Delco p/n 46A2026, R Inner - AC Delco p/n 46B1040A - Rock Auto
Tie Rod R Inner again; changed brands due to Quality classification 46A vs 46B - MevoTech - p/n GDS1138T (Broken ball joint by improper adjustment during an Alignment) - Rock Auto
AC Delco Ball Joints, Upper - 45D0061 and Lower 45D2132 - NAPA
U-joints (2) - Dana p/n 51330X - Advance Auto Parts
Rear Air Shocks - Monroe p/n MA771 running 10lbs of air pressure - Rock Auto
Front Gas Shocks Monroe p/n 59031 - Advance Auto Parts

Originally Posted by Steve83
Why exactly was each one changed?
Exactly? The truck has 182k+ miles and a few parts were changed but not all and nothing appeared to be changed in pairs. The work appears to be of the Shop type rather than driveway shade tree. I want a rebuilt undercarriage with a known date for when these items were fresh. I recall your practical wisdom about replacement once broken; I ain't getting any younger and don't have a lift or money for Labor.
Originally Posted by Steve83
Did the replacement pass the same diagnostic test that the previous one failed?
With suspension parts, I wanted rebound, ride height, and the factory performance. The air shocks on the rear were a replacement of the parts on the truck when I bought it and I replaced them to try them. I have never used air shocks. My goal is to tow a 22'-26' camper. I have 10 psi in each shock at the moment just to keep the shocks from resting on the packing.
While I was under there changing parts, I cleaned and inspected all mounting surfaces, pads, buckets, brackets, and tabs.None were defective, bent, or in need of replacement. The radius arm bracket rivets are tight and complete and the spring and shock buckets showed no sectional loss due to rust. The only place I found a concern was at the driver's side core support area on the top side. A lot of sand, pine straw, and leaves had accumulated around the nut but thankfully did not stay moist to promote rust beyond surface rust. I will continue to remove any debris and keeping a watch there during routine maintenance.
Originally Posted by Steve83
And if you don't list each one (ad nauseum), we can't know what ELSE might need attention, or what you might have overlooked in your diagnosis.
Please peruse the list I have provided. I have also rebuilt the rear drum brakes with hardware kits, shoes, and drums and inspected the cables and parking brake components, serviced the front disc brakes by cleaning the piston bores,changing the fluid and the caliper assembly pins, inspected the hoses and lines and installed new mid-level pads, changed the pump, tailshaft, and pan seals in the tranny, engine rear main and oil pan seals, and stopped coolant from leaking.

Originally Posted by Steve83
But why do you care what happens when backing up? If it's aligned correctly going forward, that's good enough. You're not going to be worrying about camber or handling in Reverse because you can't go fast enough for it to matter, and you won't drive that way long enough.
I care for 2 reasons. The first is because I back in when I park and it's a "thing" to look out and see the negative camber. But is does afford guys a chance to talk trucks in parking lots, church, etc. The other reason is parts quality or did I miss a part that is causing the camber sag? The truck didn't have negative camber stance resulting from backing when new. Is it a torque spec or a part quality issue?
For the record, I do not have stabilizer bars.

Originally Posted by Steve83
But I don't recommend rubber for any suspension components - I find black Energy poly to be vastly superior.
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/products/ford_f150_4wd_1993?scri=8,1&filter
http://energysuspension.com/parts-search.html


(phone app link)

I was selective in using rubber for certain assemblies from the experience of using poly on my Son's truck. I used rubber radius arm bushings on my truck because of the perceived cushioning effect vs the solid poly, trading cushioning for replacement cycles. It really isn't that difficult, but again, I ain't getting younger. On my truck, I should have used rubber body bushings because of the transfer of vibration to the cab floor and seat mounts. With a 20 year replacement cycle on the rubber parts, I shoulda made that call. I chose poly leaf spring bushings because of cost despite the damn squeaking. The poly bushing pack was 1/3 less than the rubber components sold individually.
Regarding Black poly vs red: is there a difference in strength, performance, or specification? Or is it simply color of the material? I didn't want the red color peeking out but it does on the leaf spring bushings.
Originally Posted by Steve83
What equipment was used to align the truck? It's very difficult to find a shop with the right equipment AND someone who actually uses it correctly AND cares enough to put the time into these old trucks.
As far as an Old Skool alignment, I talked to several 9th Gen Junkies with whom I consort and discovered an "experienced", privately-owned shop called Jackie's in the county that "knows" these trucks and alignment nuances. I haven't gotten the truck to that shop yet. I am working out of town and am wanting to ensure the Mechanic has a properly repaired/prepared (including recent tire rotation) vehicle to align. Hence my questions and search for the part(s) causing the negative camber condition.
As far as NTB's or Jackie's Alignment equipment brands, I have no idea of brand or if it is optical/digital or mechanical/analog.
My only unknown on the truck is what degree the caster adjusters are. I removed them when I did the ball joints but do not remember the markings on them (or looking to know, for that matter). From the word I got, the Technician at Jackie's will check and recommend or change the parts to facilitate the proper adjustment. The truck was owned by a professional Carpenter and laden with his tools. I can only assume that the caster had been set with that weight using the correct parts. I will advise the Tech of this and ask that it be verified and adjusted for the set-up now; i.e.: unladen.

Last edited by stxlt; Aug 26, 2018 at 11:18 AM. Reason: To prevent site time-out
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 09:00 AM
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Yes even when new that truck exhibited that very trait. Something about the suspension geometry makes them do that. I've aligned hundreds of them and they ALL did it. Just parking brand new ones right off the transport truck, turn around and look and they did it. Your concern is unfounded.
.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Rnlcomp
Yes even when new that truck exhibited that very trait. Something about the suspension geometry makes them do that. I've aligned hundreds of them and they ALL did it. Just parking brand new ones right off the transport truck, turn around and look and they did it. Your concern is unfounded.
.
I don't remember seeing it years ago, not to argue or deny what you know. I also don't recall hearing this as another reason Dodge and Chevy lovers dog Fords.
From a mechanical view, what moves or releases to allow the camber to sag? I checked the radius arm nut torque thinking the backward (toward the front of the truck) forces compressed the rubber bushings enough to allow the sag. That isn't the cause....I tore the suspension down to check the U&L ball joints; wasn't that either. If this negative camber thing is "natural", oh well. I simply want to have the truck aligned with no call for parts or excuses.

Last edited by stxlt; Aug 26, 2018 at 10:58 AM.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by stxlt
I don't remember seeing it years ago, not to argue or deny what you know. I also don't recall hearing this as another reason Dodge and Chevy lovers dog Fords.
From a mechanical view, what moves or releases to allow the camber to sag? I checked the radius arm nut torque thinking the backward (toward the front of the truck) forces compressed the rubber bushings enough to allow the sag. That isn't the cause....I tore the suspension down to check the U&L ball joints; wasn't that either. If this negative camber thing is "natural", oh well. I simply want to have the truck aligned with no call for parts or excuses.
I've been doing alignments for almost 40 years, 11 exclusively at a Ford dealer, yes it IS natural, there's nothing moving in the sense that something is loose, it's just the way the suspension and steering linkage settle into in reverse. Back up, walk away and turn back, yeah it looks funky, now go back and pull the truck forward a few inches and stop, look again. It use to give me headaches trying to figure out what was loose just as you are now and I actually cornered one of the Ford suspension experts while at school for Ford. He couldn't explain it to me any better than how I'm explaining it to you, matter of fact it's exactly how he explained it to me. That was 30 years ago.

If your alignment tech knows what he's doing the truck will drive perfect and the tires will wear normally, unless you plan to drive in reverse for long distances lol.
.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 12:04 PM
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Nah, none of that Stunt show stuff anymore anyway.
Guess I'll accept the quirkiness. Mt biggest concern is the way the tires scrub the asphalt when backing up; makes a shearing/tearing sound that sounds like new tires soon! I also noticed the steering got some resistance to it while backing. I sure don't want Sweetie driving the truck and hafta go fetch her from some store or worse because something gave out.
Did the 8th generation trucks do this or is it just these 92-97s?
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by stxlt
...factory spec is the target and intent of the ride quality and work I am putting in.
...
My goal is to tow a 22'-26' camper. I have 10 psi in each shock at the moment just to keep the shocks from resting on the packing.
The factory didn't build it to tow that large or heavy, and nothing you can do to it will make it safe for that purpose.
Originally Posted by stxlt
Tires are door-post sticker sized Goodyear Wranglers...
Not among my top 200 tire models. For decades, Wranglers were Consumer Reports #1 for highest price & worst performance.
Originally Posted by stxlt
Regrettably, they are Passenger spec not Light Truck.
The originals weren't, either. An F150 is a passenger car with a bed instead of back seats & a trunk. It's not much more a "light truck" than a Ranchero was. Some Rancheros actually had a higher cargo capacity than their contemporary F150s.
Originally Posted by stxlt
Don't judge me.
You're doing better than I am.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...Poly bushings won't fit the replacement shackle's smaller bushing bore.
Energy makes both sizes.
Originally Posted by stxlt
MevoTech
That's among the CHEAPEST brands available. I found MotorCrafts on eBay for less than local stores wanted for cheapos.


(phone app link)
Originally Posted by stxlt
Broken ball joint by improper adjustment during an Alignment
That's impressive. I've WAILED on some BJs, and never broken one. Did you see it happen? I'm curious how it was done.
Originally Posted by stxlt
The truck has 182k+ miles and... I want a rebuilt undercarriage with a known date for when these items were fresh. ...I ain't getting any younger...
Then you shouldn't be putting cheap unknown parts on the truck - stick with the originals that have lasted this long, and aren't worn-out yet. That's why I prefer putting JY (OE) parts on my vehicles - I know how good they are; even compared to new Ford/MC parts.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...I cleaned and inspected all mounting surfaces, pads, buckets, brackets, and tabs.None were defective, bent, or in need of replacement.
You're still using words like "all" and "none", which don't tell us anything useful. Did you check everything listed in these TSBs?


(phone app link)



(phone app link)



(phone app link)


Are the U-bolts torqued?


(phone app link)


Are the spring tip liners in-place, OR are the springs greased?


(phone app link)


How much lean does it have?


(phone app link)


At least one of the radius arm brackets is bolted on at the factory; if the bushings have ever been replaced, the other should be bolted, too. Make sure it's done this way:


(phone app link)
Originally Posted by stxlt
I have also rebuilt the rear drum brakes ..., serviced the front disc brakes...
I didn't see you mention GREASING the brakes anywhere in there - it's critical (but won't affect reverse-camber):


(phone app link)



(phone app link)
Originally Posted by stxlt
...stopped coolant from leaking.
Huh? What was leaking, and how did you stop it? Did you repair something, or replace something, or just tighten something?
Originally Posted by stxlt
But is does afford guys a chance to talk trucks in parking lots...
That's the worst reason you've mentioned so far. I could give a crap what anyone thinks or says about any of my old beaters. Most of the ones who talk $#!+ to me about them have asked me at least once (usually several times) to pull them out, or help when they've broken down in their newer, nicer, ex$pen$iver vehicles.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...the perceived cushioning effect vs the solid poly...
Everyone (including me) who rode in my truck before & after I switched to poly commented how much smoother & quieter it rides with poly.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...the damn squeaking.
Then you didn't install them correctly. If they're greased (as instructed & supplied), they're silent. All mine are.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...is there a difference in strength, performance, or specification?
All 3. Black Energy poly is the only poly with graphite mixed in (which is why I assume the black PNs all end with "G" instead of "B"-black). So like cast Iron, it self-lubricates as it wears away.

(Too many pics for 1 reply - I had to break it into 2...)

Last edited by Steve83; Aug 26, 2018 at 01:51 PM.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by stxlt
I haven't gotten the truck to that shop yet.
...
I can only assume that the caster had been set with that weight using the correct parts.
So let me see if I've got this right: you've replaced a BUNCH of suspension parts, including R&I-ing the camber cams, and you HAVEN'T had it aligned since, and you don't understand why the alignment is out enough to cause a reverse-camber shift?
Originally Posted by stxlt
Is it a torque spec or a part quality issue?
Even if you ONLY changed a ball joint, it would need alignment. Period. Don't expect it to track correctly (forward OR reverse) until it's fully-repaired & -aligned.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...I have no idea of brand or if it is optical/digital or mechanical/analog.
I'd make sure it's optical (preferably Hunter), no matter where you have to take it.
Originally Posted by stxlt
...what degree the caster adjusters are. I removed them when I did the ball joints...
Did you reinstall them in the same direction you found them? Rotating them changes camber AND caster. Buy a pair of these before you drop it off:


(phone app link)


And depending on time & weather since they were last removed, it may be necessary to pre-loosen the current cams before you drop it off:


(phone app link)
Originally Posted by Rnlcomp
Something about the suspension geometry makes them do that..
It's the fact that each front suspension arm (I-beam PLUS radius arm) does NOT pivot along an axis parallel to the vehicle centerline. It pivots along the axis between the "axle pivot bushing" (at the front, but on the opposite side of the truck) and the radius arm bushing (rear, same side). That causes any force parallel to the vehicle's centerline (acceleration & braking) to act as a torque moment on the front suspension. Alignment specs & steering geometry are set up to control that moment during forward travel; not rearward.

Later F150s use twin A-arm front suspension, which pivots (virtually) parallel to the centerline, and doesn't experience that torque.

Last edited by Steve83; Aug 26, 2018 at 02:00 PM.
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Old Aug 26, 2018 | 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by stxlt
Did the 8th generation trucks do this or is it just these 92-97s?
As I recall, every truck with I-Beams did it 96 being the last year. 97 forward went to an upper/lower A-frame config deleting the i beams.
.
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