Hot Rods dropped axel/ tire wear

dropped axel, my tires are wearing on the inside on left and outside on right side, all new king pins all parts new........they've been on the car for 4 years while being built but have very few miles, just started noticing wear... any ideas

 

Check the Camber.

 

I agree, but how do you adjust it on a straight axel.......or who can?

 

I know this sounds like a dumb question but have you checked the air pressure?

Were the tires new when you installed them? radials or bis ply?

Have you checked to make sure the wheel bearings are tight? HRP

 

Camber on an I beam is adjusted by bending the axle. If you have a new cast axle you are SOL. If you have a new forged or an original axle you can have it done at a big alignment shop. Probably a place that does big trucks. It will mess up the paint.

 

Heavy truck repair shops can adjust the camber. They bend the axle.

 

tires were new, bearings new, tire pressure checked before each pass, very little street driving,maybe 20 miles total, mostly track time, radial

 

old originsl axel, bought it off someone on here and he dropped it for me, some body out west, cant remember the name/avatar gotta try and find out in old threads.....

 

Take it off and ship it to Sid at droppedaxles.com he can take care of it!

 

Take your car to a place that can do a real 4 wheel alignment. Your car may not be tracking straight and causing the tire wear.

 

Especially since it is wearing outside on one and inside on the other.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Double down.

It is possible that you have camber issues, you can check that with a simple framing square. The tires should lean in/out the same for both sides. Common with early Ford beam axles to use positive camber (leaning out at the top) by about 1º and this would translate out to around 1/4" or so.

More likely is the rear axle is not square with the chassis or you have a pretty severe corner weight bias.

 

This is what I find with trucks. The steering axle is correcting for a rear axle that doesn't want to follow straight. Get the car aligned.

Neal

 

I would find somewhere level and sit the car on it. Measure the frame to the ground from the same point on both sides, front and rear to see if it sits cockeyed. I would talk to the oldest alignment shop around that does truck work.

 

If you suspect alignment, drive it straight in the dirt or through water & then look at the tracks you made. Is it dog-tracking? If so you'll see 4 tire trails instead of two & the rear axle possibly isn't in square.
Could also be a weak spring, bent frame, bent spindle. Lots of possibilities on an old rod.

 

Your tires are noticeably worn after 20 miles ? You DO have problems.

 

20 miles? He said 4 years...

(I think the tires had 20 miles when he installed them 4 years ago.)

 

Still reads like he has 20 miles on them, and is noticing wear.

 

Hmmm.. Track time?

Drag strip? Shouldn't be any front wear at all.

Roundy-round?
Seems like they should be wearin' on the other side unless you're turning right.
Tracks here all turn left.

 

Scares me to post...LOL

 

thanks gentlemen.........finding an alignment shop is on the agenda

 

don't push it...........

 

LOL Even camber's adjustable...some places, on the HAMB...

 

Bobby, make sure any shop you take it to understands that before they even think about which way the wheels are pointing, tthey gotta make sure the front and rear axles are square with the centerline of the frame. Once they get that right, then it's time to be concerned about caster, camber and toe in/out.
Most of the guys in line up shops nowadays will have no clue as to what is needed to square this car up. With a couple of plumb bobs, some chalk, a tape measure, and a couple of guys to help, you can square up the axles and then take a look at the caster, camber, and toe. The amount of wear you're getting iin so few miles isn't from camber being off. Something is way out of square.
Get the car on a smooth and level floor, and jack it up a put stands under axles so load is on springs. Find center of front of frame at crossmember and mark it on floor. Then diagonally measure from outer ends of rear axle to center in front, use a machined surface that you are sure is the same in relation to rear wheels on both sides. I'm betting this is where you're off, but anyway, adjust to square up.
Then do the same in opposite direction for the front axle, at kingpin area, NOT OUT ON SPINDLES.
Once you have the axles square with frame centerline, then you can concern yourself with normal lineup specs like caster, camber, and toe.

 

thanks Dave, sounds like good advice........did find a king pin on pass. side to be a little loose, I have no idea on how to fix this.....but gotta get the car square first.....thanks again BT

 

The loose king pin: How loose? Only way to correct loose king pins is to replace the king pin and the bushings in the spindle, which then have to be either line reamed or line honed to size. Seems to me that somewhere, maybe Speedway, I saw some new type king pins and bushings where the bushings are replaced with needle bearings, but I have no knowledge of how they install or how well they work.
I'm assuming here that you are talking about the spindle being loose on the king pin, but if it's the king pin being loose in the axle, well that's another story, and I'm not sure how it ends!LOL!!!!!!!!

 

Wheel bearings loose ?

 

just got back from the hospital getting a buttalostomy........gonna start checking soon......all good advice thanks friends, the saga continues

 

did the measurement from centerline to rear axel, measured the same 106" did the framing square on the floor, pass. side camber IN at top 3/8, driver side 1/8......axel must be bent wrong

 

If you are pushing a serious load on the car then you may be having all sorts of frame flex going on. Straight line cars with big or extremely healthy motors do that. I have to agree that the front end shouldn't have much going on when you locking up good. It would be off the ground more than on but bites like an airplane when landing. Airplane tires have all sorts of weird wear on them due to touching with the brakes lightly applied or something of that nature. The front tires have to speed up real quick when the front comes back down. Hitting the brakes real hard will flex the axle pretty well too. Do you trailer the car or flat tow it?