Steering Issues - Looking for Recommendations

[richg]

I picked up a '73 about a month ago and am starting to dig in.

The steering on the truck is... sketchy?

I'm going through the front end to address and two things that are still open are the power steering itself and the C-bushings.

It currently has some kind of aftermarket c-bushings in it, is there any way that I can measure the axle or bushing itself to determine what degree they are? I know I can take it to alignment shop for an overall caster measurement, but that isn't going to tell me what the bushings are doing now so I can tell if which bushing I may need to order.

Also, my old '71 had a James Duff saginaw power steering kit circa ~2000. I liked it alot. This '73 has what I think is factory PS (link to pics here https://classicbroncos.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/7429), and I don't like how loose it feels and also do not like the almost 6 turns lock-to-lock.

I see a couple different upgrade options from factory PS to Delphi/Saginaw from places like JBG/Duffs/WH that get down to ~3.75:1 lock-to-lock. Some with different steering columns. Any thoughts/recommendations? 33" tires, disc brakes, no plans for hydraboost or anything like that.

 

[DirtDonk]

Might as well narrow down any and all things that are loose up front since you just got the rig. Although you do have it right that the steering boxes, especially the 6-turn boxes give you lots of movement.

With the wheels on the ground, have a helper turn the steering wheel back and forth about a half-turn each direction while you watch all of your steering and suspension components up front. Up to and including the frame behind the steering box, which can crack under hard use.
Any component that shows side to side movement while steering is too loose. If your tie-rod rolls up and down excessively due to geometry it can also feel like it's being loose.

To your questions about the C-bushings, with most brands once they're installed you can't always see the molded-in numbers because they've literally been wiped off from the friction. The good news is that if they are 7 degree bushings you can see them from the side. I'll look at the pics in a bit to see if there are any there that can show this.

You can measure your suspension height with a tape measure between the top of the axle tubes and the bottom of the frame rails. Anything over 7" in front and 6" in rear is your "approximate" amount of lift.
If you get an alignment check, be sure to get a printout for reference. It'll show you what caster you have, like you said, but even though it does not show the bushing offset, it will still be another data point for reference.
It's probably low, but it's nice to know for sure.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

How about a pic from straight on front to see the linkage angles?
I see a dropped pitman arm and a dropped trackbar bracket. Looks like the bracket might not be welded on. Bolting is good, but welding in addition to the bolting is better.

Things that can promote loose steering feel also include:
1. Oddly worn tires.
2. Loose wheel bearings.
3. Flexy steel wheels.
4. Wide wheels with lots of negative offset.
5. Obviously the usual worn out parts.

The test I described previously will highlight anything that is moving when it should not. Right back to the rear springs!

Paul

 

[richg]

Thank you for the replies. I dropped in some more pics into my gallery (https://classicbroncos.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/7429) for the bushings, steering linkage angles, some measurements, etc.

Lift looks to be ~3". It does have drop track bar mount (you are correct, just bolted on) and drop pitman arm.

Trackbar and drag link angles look pretty good. "Bounce test" on the front end doesn't make the steering wheel turn. Nothing glaring when I check things out with someone moving steering wheel back and forth.

Any guess on the bushing angles based on the pics? Or can I measure with an angle finder to one of the machined flat surfaces on the D44?

Is this indeed factory power steering? If so, what does that mean for what I need to upgrade to a Delphi (and in what situations should I consider replacing the steering shaft)?

Thanks again,

Rich

 

[Jax302]

I had a new to me truck with sketchy steering that seemed to get worse by the day. I was looking at replacing the steering column with a Flaming River unit that eliminates the rag joint but turns out the nut holding the steering wheel on wasn't torqued down and was ready to fall off in my hand when I pulled horn button off.

I still might get that upgraded tilt steering column if new seats don't get the steering wheel up off my thighs.

 

[DirtDonk]

Any chance you can get another pic of the bushings with more light there on the inside where they touch the axle? Raise the camera too, just a bit so we can see the inside area. From here they do look like 7° bushings, but I'm not sure I'm seeing the bulge, or just imagining it. Hence the request for more light.

Your angles are so good that I'd guess you only have 2" of lift. Measuring the drops just gets you the normal info on the parts, which are pretty much what we all use. The drops were originally designed for 3-4 inches of lift, and so it's all we have to use for 2 to 6 inches of lift!
Judging by the overall angle of your draglink and trackbar though, I'm putting you at the lower end of the scale. And that's good from an angle standpoint.
Measure between the axle and frame to get your better information.

Looks like stock steering to me. Right down to the early style pump. So yes, while the pump can work satisfactorily on the street, you can definitely get an upgrade by going to the Delphi/Saginaw design. And quickening up the gearbox from 6-turns to 4-turns will usually make the driver feel better too. Once you get used to it.
You can also try a smaller steering wheel (if you don't have one already) to see how you like the quicker action. It does not change the number of turns lock-to-lock of course. But it changes how much your steering wheel input turns the wheels.

If your VIN happens to have a "Q" in the sixth position, pop on over to Viperwolf1's thread titled "Mind your P's and Q's" in the Chat section. A Q would mean yours is a relatively early '73 model.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

I can't tell from the pics for certain, but it looks like you might have 9-10 inch wide wheels. With larger tires and a lot of negative offset (deeper dish) the tires have a lot of influence on the steering feel. Basically more leverage.
Add to that leverage an older tire that's wearing out, and you can have a lot of wandering and funky monkey feeling going on.

You might check the date codes on your tires. Lots of Broncos get driven very seldom so a "new" looking set of tires could literally be 20 years old. And that usually means squirrely handling.

paul

 

[richg]

Thank you again for the replies.

I had measured 10" from axle tube to underside of frame so that is where I was thinking this was ~3" lift.

I added a couple more pics of the bushings and the wheels (https://classicbroncos.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/7429). I don't have the wheels off the truck right now so not able to measure the offset, etc. But they currently have 33 x 12.5's on them, and visually doesn't look to be a ton of negative offset. But you are dead right on the tires ... I didn't pull the date codes on them but I think they are 15-20 years old.

It does have a smaller steering wheel (and that is what I had in my '71 as well), so I'm hoping to get it back to the handling I had before on my '71. I could cruise comfortably in that at 65 mph.

6th digit in VIN code has an R on it.

Thanks again!

Rich

 

[DirtDonk]

Kind of neat wheels. Very retro (now anyway) but a cool design. They do look to me to be 10" wide with about 3.5" backspace. Interested to hear what they end up being when you get the measurements.
Other than actual looseness of components, those tires are not doing your driving feel any favors. With the bulk of the tires sitting outside of the ball-joints too, that tire issue just has more leverage to add to the mix.

They look like 7 degree bushings to me. Just based on how much of the inner "hump" you can see inside the side flanges. This is the part that pushes against the pads on the axle tubes, and forces the axle to twist the pinion down and the top ball joint back.

Adding more bushing (not possible if you already have 7's) or adding offset arms, only gives you so much more before your front driveshaft u-joint binds up. There is only so much caster correction built into any particular Bronco before you have to go to a Plan-B.
If you decide to go with some new radius arms that already have offset added, then I'd stick with 4 degree bushings or whatever the manufacturer of the arms recommends as the maximum.

It still won't hurt to get an alignment printout. Even though it won't tell you for sure what your bushings are (the 7 comment is still just an educated guess at this point), it will tell you where you have to go from here.
For example, with 3" of lift and 7 degree bushings and you only have 1 degree of positive caster, you're going to have to do a lot more than just add new bushings or new arms.
But if it turns out you're already at something more like +3 degrees, you can put caster further down on your list of things to correct and start looking at other things. Like the steering box and tires.
My '71 handles like a dream at 80mph (but not very often!) with only 2° of caster. So even though more is better (up to a point) you can't always blame bad handling characteristics on sub-optimum caster readings.

Paul