Deuce Still wandering across the lane

[Ford Mechanic]

That's the thread that I referanced before I did the flip.....

 

[MikeON]

I did the perch flip and didn't like it at all. It did fix the wander, but rotated my tie rod and Air-O-Matic steering cylinder way down at the back into harms way, and the driveshaft angle looked bad. It also drastically increased the turning radius for right turns, but if you have enough adjustment in the drag link, maybe that could be adjusted out.
I measured my sping perches at 4.5 degrees, so flipping them increased caster by 9 degrees, which is way too much. I like the suggestion of milling the perches to adjust by 2.4 degrees, and will try that.

 

[michigandon]

...what about an angle grinder; maybe a short piece of (rusty)flat stock (to better mark/detect the "high" spots); eventually even a caliper to measure before and after.......?

Nothing that would require high-precision machining, really....

Did mine with an angle grinder with the perch held in a vice. I just eyeballed it and ground the front section down until it was level with the indentation in the center.

The ideal thing to do would be to remove that 5/32" with a mill. Alas we don't all have access to those kinds of luxuries.

 

[michigandon]

Also wanted to add that whilst G's mod made my truck steer and handle significantly better, and it IS tolerable in its current state, it still doesn't feel as "tight" as it did on the OEM NDTs.

Contemplating giving it a try in combination with a 2.5* shim (I had a pair of 4* shims and decided not to use them as they would not allow the aligning pin on the leaf spring to go all the way through into the spring perch.).

 

[sandcobra164]

As for precision, I was measuring with a 1/32" graded square ruler and eye balled it. I got the recommended amount ground off with a bench grinder, took about 30 minutes a perch as far as grinding time. Wear Gloves obviously as they get warm doing it this way. I agree, a mill would by far be the best option for those who have access to one.

 

[Thunder in NWOR]

VOLFE - I cant address the 395 tires and wandering, but I did have a problem with my new-to-me M35A3 that had a persistant pull-to-the-right. I followed the manual for allignment. Did the string method 5 times. Still pulled. On some good advice from a MVCCO club member, took my truck to The Line Up Shop on Sandy and Oak in Portland.
They told me my caster and camber was nearly 0, but my toe was off. The adjusted and off I went - still pulled to right. Swapped the tires side to side, pulled to the left. Put on my new 14.4R20s on the front. Problem solved - 10,000 miles (including the Alaska convoy) and not a bit of pull.
Suggest you get the professionals at the line up shop to do an alignment!!!
Mark

 

[Volfe]

Thunder in NWOR, thank you for the advice, RancherRob and I discussed that this morning in fact. I adjusted the toe in by .25 in, test drove the truck and it was no better. I really don't like the idea of flipping the shims in suspension.. still open to other ideas..

Things done
Deflated front tires to 45 PSI
Toe'd in the tires to .25
Rebuilt the steering gear box (was .006" out of spec, Quite alot of slop when testing the steering.)
tightened drag link

 

[sandcobra164]

Guys, what Thunder in NWOR was experiencing on his A3 was due to a bad tire. He swapped the fronts and the pull went to the other side. He replaced with new tires, the pull went away. The A3's have different spring perches to accommodate the super singles with a slightly different caster rate. Toe in will not create a pull, mis matched or worn tires will, incorrect Caster certainly will. We are discussing A2's that were never designed to run radials with stock suspension settings. We have to alter suspension settings on the steer axle and the way to do it is the Gringletaube suggested method of grinding down the leading edge of the spring perch, preferably as the diagram mentioned, the axle side of it. Incorrect Caster for the type of tires being run will definitely "wander" and follow irregularities in the road. That's the problem with putting radials on a Deuce who was designed with the intent of Bias Ply tires. Follow G's advice or re-engineer the wheel if you wish, I attest that it works and I can prove it to anyone who has a wandering Deuce and want's to make a trip to Leesburg and drive mine. Otherwise, I kindly suggest you try his mod and enjoy the results yourself.

 

[Thunder in NWOR]

sandcobra -
My problem was NOT due to a bad tire.
I did not take the time to tell the full story:
I put 1500 miles on the truck trying many different suggestions from experts. The tires wore down more than 50%.
I then swapped the steering tires with the "as new" rear tires.
Still pulled left - another 1500 miles with wear down to 50%.
After the professional alignment, I did the right/left swap and got the pull the other way.
Then put the new tires on and without additional adjustmests, had success.
I cant speak for the -a2, only relating my own experience with 14.5 michelins on my -A3.
....and by the way, the alignment guy (recently back from a motor pool in the sandbox) told me that in some cases bad toe on those trucks can cause pull as tires wear....

 

[gringeltaube]

To that I can only comment (from my own experience) that 14.5 radials - on a M35A2 front axle - handle AND wear best if kept at zero toe-in.




G.

 

[rrrr]

Worn tie rod, worn drag link, improper adjustment could be issues. I have 3/8-1/2 toe in on my hemmt/395 setup and run 55psi front 50 rear. I had the same issues and a little more toe in made a big difference. I have since also added air o matic steering with no changes. I had to adjust my toe 3 times before I was satisfied. It is very nice now. Make sure your kingpin nuts are tight and everything is well lubed.

 

[319]

I just installed Goodyear G 177s on my M35A2 and had control issues on the freeway, so I did the Gringeltaube modification to the spring perches and now steers and tracks real nice and smooth, and a lot less effort than the NDCCs.
Total time for both sides was about three hours.
Photos of the perch. I used a bench grinder for the rough in, then hand files to do the finish work. It was actually quite simple, an impact wrench made it a quick and effortless job. I wire brushed everything to remove the road grime, soil, and other assorted crud. I cleaned the threads on the U bolts and I reused the nuts, but replaced the lock washers, and torqued to 230 ft lbs per the TM. Repainted everything to minimize corrosion.

 

[rutledge1113]

I think this method is the best and easiest way to correct the wandering with the G177s I flipped mine and spent lots of time locating and drilling holes it did fix the wandering completely and my steering wheel returning to center after making a turn which was really aggravating but after following this thread and seeing comments from others with a better eye for the small details unlike myself and ive been a tech for 30 years professionally I noticed that the driveshaft angle was not good so I got some more deuce perches ground them and installed them with much better overall results and would have been a lot easier if I had done this the first time instead of flipping them just my 3 cents for what it matters.