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- ALIGNING A SOLID AXLE TRUCK -


STEP 1- CHECK TO MAKE SURE NONE OF THE MAJOR STEERING COMPONENTS ARE WORN. BALL JOINTS CAN CAUSE SOME OF THE BIGGEST                
 PROBLEMS SO MAKE SURE THEY ARE IN GOOD SHAPE.

STEP 2-  GRAB A TAPE MEASURE, TWO MARKERS(LOOSE CHANGE), AND FIND A FLAT SURFACE WHERE YOU CAN PARK AND WALK ABOUT 40 FEET       
OUT IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK.

STEP 2a - INITIAL ALIGNMENT.....  IF AXLE IS TRACKBAR EQUIPPED AND CENTER, OR TRUCK IS DRIVABLE SKIP TO STEP 3.                                                    

FOR A TRACKBAR TRUCK MEASURE FROM LIKE POINTS ON THE FRAME, AND MAKE SURE THE AXLE IS CENTER SIDE-TO-SIDE. YOUR EYES ARE
VERY GOOD AT SPOTTING ISSUES IN THIS AREA, SO IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT EACH SIDE OF THE TRUCK AND PICK SOME REFERENCE POINTS,
YOU CAN EYEBALL-CHECK TO USUALLY WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE 1/8"-1/4". DO THIS IF YOU LIKE AS I DO ALL THE TIME...

IF YOUR TRUCK HAS NEW STEERING COMPONENTS BEING INSTALLED, IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO GET THE TOE TO A DRIVABLE STATE. MEASURE
BETWEEN THE FRONT OF THE TIRES, DO THE SAME WITH THE REAR OF THE FRONT TIRES, AND ADJUST THE STEERING COMPONENTS SO THAT
THE MEASUREMENTS ARE WITHIN 1/8". THIS WILL MAKE THE TRUCK DRIVABLE.

STEP 3 -  GRAB THE SAME TOOLS YOU USE TO ADJUST THE COMPONENTS, AND PARK THE TRUCK ON A FLAT SURFACE WHERE YOU CAN WALK            
 OUT IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK ABOUT 40 FEET. JUST A GOOD WAYS OUT IS FINE. WITH THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING WIGGLE THE STEERING
WHEEL BACK AND FORTH, IN SMALLER AND SMALLER "WIGGLES" STARTING FROM ABOUT 1/4 TURN,  TILL YOU ARE NOT
 REALLY MOVING THE WHEEL ANYMORE. THIS WILL LEAVE THE TIRES IN A NEUTRAL STATE.

STEP 4 -   WALK OUT IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK AND SIGHT DOWN THE SIDEWALL OF ONE FRONT TIRES. CROUCH DOWN, LOOK VERY CLOSE               
DOWN THE SIDEWALL, AND DROP A QUARTER(ROCK OR WHATEVER) AS CLOSE TO THE IMAGINARY LINE AS POSSIBLE. SIDESTEP OVER
TO THE OPPOSITE FRONT TIRE(TRY TO STEP STRAIGHT TO THE SIDE)  AND DO THE SAME THING. MEASURE BETWEEN THE MARKS
 AND REMEMBER THIS NUMBER. LETS SAY IT'S 80 INCHES....

STEP 5 -   WALK BACK TO THE TRUCK AND MEASURE THE DISTANCE FROM OUTSIDE OF SIDEWALL, TO OUTSIDE OF OPPOSITE SIDE SIDEWALL.            
FOR ZERO TOE THIS NUMBER SHOULD BE 80 INCHES, OR THE SAME AS YOUR FIRST NUMBER. BEING 40 FEET OR MORE IN FRONT OF YOUR
TRUCK, IF YOU ARE 2 INCHES OFF, YOUR TOE IS WITHIN .060" OF AN INCH AT THE TIRE. FROM MY EXPERIENCE MOST ALIGNMENT SHOPS
WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THAT PRECISE. FOR MORE ACCURACY HANG A WASHER FROM A STRING, BY EYE HOLD THE
STRING UP TO THE SIDEWALL SIGHT LINE, AND WHEREVER THE WASHER TOUCHES THE GROUND IS WHERE YOU PUT THE MARK. MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS IN THE TIE ROD TO GET THE NUMBERS WITHIN A COUPLE INCHES. I SET ALL MY SOLID FRONT AXLE TRUCKS TO ZERO TOE,
BUT MAKE THE THE MEASUREMENTS BETWEEN MARKS IS ABOUT 3-4 INCHES SHORTER IF YOU WANT A BIT OF TOE.  START THE TRUCK
AND WIGGLE THE WHEEL TO RE CENTER AFTER EVERY ADJUSTMENT.  IF YOU CAN CONFIDENTLY GET THE MEASUREMENTS
WITHIN AN INCH YOU ARE DOING GREAT.

STEP 6 - DRAGLINK ADJUSTMENT -   TO GET THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT, DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD AND NOTE WHERE THE                                           
STEERING WHEEL IS COCKED WHEN THE TRUCK IS GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD.  PARK THE TRUCK AND LEAVE THE STEERING
WHEEL IN THIS SAME POSITION. LEAVE THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION SO THE WHEEL IS FREE, CRAWL UNDER THE TRUCK, AND MOVE THE
DRAGLINK LENGTH ADJUSTERS SO THE WHEEL TURNS TO HAVING ITSELF BE CENTER. YOU'LL MOST LIKELY BE PLAYING WITH
GETTING THE WHEEL PERFECTLY STRAIGHT FOR A FEW DAYS, BUT THIS IS NORMAL AND SHOULD BE THE VERY LAST STEP WHEN
MESSING WITH FRONT END COMPONENTS.




IF YOU GET GOOD, THIS TOE TECHNIQUE CAN BE USED ON A-ARM VEHICLES TOO.

I'LL GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT CASTER AND OTHER ISSUES SOON....







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