On a 1986 Toyota Pickup, I installed Trail-Gear's sas kit. 5" with HD springs. I centered the rear shackle hanger in between the body mounts as said by TG's instructions. I moved the front hanger 3/4" forward. With the OM617 diesel in, the shackle angle looks near perfect. Could welding the rear shackle hangers in crooked cause a lot of problems? I would think the bushings would just go out quicker.

I set the knuckles to 15 lbs of drag with a fish scale. I'm running 33" tires now, but will upgrade to 37" at the next tire purchase.

I had to weld new spring perches on the axle as there were none on the donor axle since it was used in a truck with a linked front suspension. I found the center of the axle, spaced the perches out equally and used the front spring hanger as my guide to determine the distance. The hanger sat down over both perches. The passenger side perch may be crooked (i.e. sits higher on the outside than the inside.) Would the crooked perch wreak havoc?

To determine front to back angle with the perches, I welded them parallel with the holes that the knuckle bearing races sit in. I believe that is the same as parallel with the high steer arms since they come straight out of those holes.

According to TG, the perches are off by 2 degrees. Would 2 degrees of shimming correct this?

Only other thing I can think of is the alignment with the tie rod. It's set at 1/8" closer in the front than the back as per TG's instructions.

SYMPTOMS

The truck starts out fine, but at 20 to 30mph you can feel a grinding/binding. I wonder if this is the knuckle bearings? At 45mph the truck shakes uncontrollably. 60mph was the max speed with the 22R motor. I haven't maxed it out with the new diesel for fear of destroying the axle.

As the truck sits now, the rear is a little lower. I plan to raise it up with some blocks. The 63" chevy spring swap with custom spring hangers didn't quite net me the same lift as the front. The TG rep told me the front diff (mine is a hi-pinion), should be perpendicular with the ground. That is, the pinon flange should be at 90 degrees. Mine right now is pointed up 1 to 2 degrees. Won't this change when I level the rear of the truck? Would crooked springs (side to side) in the rear cause any of this? I was very diligent in centering the chevy spring hangers, but there is the possibility that the springs are not parallel with the truck, or that they're tilted side to side.

I need to get this solved by next Wednesday, so all the help you can guys is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

 

Here are pictures to help.

 

steering stabilizer ? cadron joint by transfer case ok?

 

Not running a steering stabilizer because of oil pan clearance issues with the mercedes and drag link. Plan to run hydro-assist in the future. Never ran a steer. stab. with my old dodge and had no problems.

No front drive shaft yet. Still on the to-do list.

 

What are you doing for steering as of now?
I hope you didnt fashion some stock junk on there...

 

LOL no.... I have TG's high steer on there now. Still using the stock non-power steering gear box, though. Waiting for time this summer to mount a power steering pump onto the Merc. Ther Merc pump wouldn't fit stock with the set up I went with. Steering was still fine with the 22R and 35's, but now it's kind of bear with the diesel's weight up front.

TG called back today and said I should only be 2 degrees off. I'll get the shims ordered and hope for the best!

Anyone have any idea exactly how much the TG springs settle??

 

It depends on the motor.
i know the HDs dont settle too much at all.

 

So in these pictures are you showing us you set the caster at 0° to match the perches, if so there is your problem.

 

Hey Joe a friend of mine had the same problem and it turned out that after doing the swap he forgot to torque the steering arm nuts that hold the high steer arms to the top of the knuckle.

 

Bobby - Yes. The castor should be at 0 I believe. I ordered 2 degree shims from Low Range. Just gotta make sure I install them in the right direction.

 

Caster should be 4-6 degrees. You need to measure it on the truck though at normal ride height. I bet you have too much caster. Likely around 10*+. I have a feeling this is the issue.

Also, crank on the front spring hanger bolts to get them tight. If you see light between the steel/bushings, then you are experiencing "death Wobble".

 

If you're not running a steering stabalizer in the front, then that is your problem. Solid axles came with stabalizers from the factory, and when we add lift at tires, we're only asking for death wobble. Id figure out ow to stuff a stab in there, or hurry up on your hydro assist. make sure yout tires are balanced too.

 

I have the same T-G set up and am not running a steering stablizer and have no death wobble..

 

Ok... well he does.
PyroJoe, A steering stabalizer can only help your situation. I know its a snug fit with your oil pan, but you should be able to squeeze it in between the front of the center of your housing, and your hi steer arm. You have to mount your hydro assist actuator there soon anyways.
Ive had mystery deathwobbles evade my on 1-ton mud trucks, where Tow, caster, and camber were all spot on. but still the truck would try and tear itself apart over 45-50 mph. Once adding stabalizers, and rebalancing the front tires, they rode like a dream.
I run hydro assist on my rig, but have brackets for, and carry a spare stabalizer incase something happens to my ram.
Let us know what you end up doing.

 

Wow, I must have missed the notification for new comments... sorry for the delayed response.

All issues have been fixed. I leveled the rear out with 3" blocks and installed 2 degree shims up front. After measuring, I found out I actually need 3 degree shims to be spot on, but the truck rides just fine now. Ripping the 90 pounds of tape on wheel weights also helped a bunch, but I believe the tires were one of the biggest issues. The truck ALWAYS wanted to pull to the left real hard. Now with brand new and balanced 37" toyo m/t's, the truck tracks straight down the road.

As far as steering stabilizers go, they're just a band aid. Older trucks didn't have them because they were made right. New trucks shouldn't have them either. However, as an engineer, I see how things don't always work exactly as you plan, and throwing in some insurance isn't a bad idea.

Also figured out my angle finder is a POS. So, I wouldn't recommend buying the one in those pictures. Pretty sure that was the one they use on Xtreme 4x4 so that's why I got it.

 

Glad to hear it!