I just got a 69 Ford F250 Highboy. I've got a problem with the front drivers side wheels got hella camber problems and I can't figure it out. I've herd king pin bearings and also that the spindle is bent. Any ideas on what I need to fix it and how to do it.
Those closed knuckles have a little roller bearing top and bottom under those caps, so either something is bent, the bearings are completely shot, or it was put together wrong somehow... tear into it and see what's up.
Non taken I've been a member over there for quite sometime I go by FordTruck over there. But my friend said I should try over here and see if I can figure it out.
Bottom bearing is toast at the least... Where'd the wipers go?
Anyways, couple of things... That doesn't look like a highboy, and I "personally" would look for a new axle.
On that axle, the short side tube looks bent in relation to the housing, and in relation to the tie rod... Which is obviously bent. Looks like a dumb kid got a hold of dads farm truck.
I know a guy with that same axle... It's road worthy and straight. I would look for a 60 myself.
Idon't know what happened to the wiper rings they were gone when I got the truck the guy I got it from said something about adjusting something and the bottom of the knuckle under that cover to fix the camber. It's a highboy becasue its an NP435 wiht a divorced t-case.
Those closed nuckle front ends take a bit of upkeep, the upper and lower bearings and the wiper seals have to be changed on a regular schedule, also the drum brakes work great after you redo them, but go down hill quick. While you are in there, there is a bronze bushing in the inside of the spindle that the outer stub axle rides on, that probably needs changing if you keep that axle. If you stay on top of stuff you can get plenty of service out of that axle.
I have never had a problem finding the wiper seals, but your results may vary.
If I remember correctly (it was 1979) I had trouble finding wiper rings for the front end I had because it was a commercial model front end. It had a C molded into the carrier and had a larger ball on the end of the axle and larger u joints, I think it was a 7" ball where most fronts were 5". It could have been a dana 60 I'm npt sure.
Probably not a 60. They had two ball sizes. The bigger ball had the external hub also (the big Spicer hub about 4 inches in diameter). The smaller ball front axle had the internal hubs and a lower GAWR.
I just looked in MR N guide and he called it the "large king pin" front axle. It did have the big spicer hubs (I still have them) but it had the letter c cast into the differential right above the pinion yoke.
I was told that this was a commercual front end and thats the reason for the letter c.
Yea I am not positive on the king pin size or u-joint sizes on the bigger ball front axles. I have no doubt the C indicated a higher GAWR associated with a commercial vehicle. That being said I saw quite a few of them in the early to mid 70's ford pickups of both body styles, usually associated with a big cab over camper on the truck. So they may have been sold back then as a camper special package also.
That axle is a light duty closed knuckle Dana 44 you can tell by the 8 bolts that hold the wipers on the knuckle. A closed knuckle Dana 44 HD has 12 bolts which hold wiper on the knuckle.
So is the wiper kit the same for all closed knuckle 44's depending on the ball size? In other words would Dodge, or Chevy closed knuckle wiper seal kits work?
I figured the guy I got it from was full of shit on being able to adjust the camber. This week I'm going to order the wiper rings and the king pin bearings and see where that gets me.
When you have it apart you can check the spindle visually and with a small square. They usually bend just outboard of the inner bearing surface.
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