There are three main front axle adjustments when it comes to alignment: toe-in, caster, and camber. Toe-in is how much the tires point towards each other when aimed down the road. Caster is the angle which the steering angle is tipped forward or backward from straight vertical. Camber is how much the tires are tipped from vertical when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Camber is not affected when a straight front axle rig is lifted, but camber is directly affected when a Ford Twin Traction Beam (TTB) front suspension is raised. This configuration uses two long suspension beams that pivot from fixed points. Whenever lift is added, the beams drop downward at an angle and camber is increased positively. That is, the top portion of each tire will lean out further away from the vehicle than the bottom will. The Ford TTB suspension uses camber bushings on the top of the upper ball joints to set this angle. Any competent alignment shop should be able to correct your camber. If you want to do the adjustment yourself, you can at least get it close to spec, or certainly correct extreme camber angles to restore the suspension to decent handling. Generally, if you change camber bushing angle, you’ll also need to adjust the tie rods to correct toe-in. There are several ways to get a fairly accurate camber reading on the front end. An angle finder can be placed on the brake rotor or the outer knuckle face with the weight of the truck sitting on the suspension.There are several ways to get a fairly accurate camber reading on the front end. An angle Use of a two-jaw gear puller and a liberal soaking of penetrating oil can be a great help in getting a bushing freed without removing the complete outer steering knuckle. A few whacks with a hammer on the side of the knuckle and bushing can help the bushing pop free. When installing the new bushings, you can coat them with some anti-seize compound or a little grease to help prevent them from sticking.Use of a two-jaw gear puller and a liberal soaking of penetrating oil can be a great help The bushing on the left is a factory zero degree piece from an axle. The center and right ones are two styles of aftermarket camber bushings. These are available as fixed angle bushings in fractional degree steps up to about 3 to 4 degrees. There are also adjustable bushings that allow a range of movement, and the bushing is then locked in position. Adjustable bushings affect caster angle as well if the bushing is rotated to some setting other than the maximum angle.The bushing on the left is a factory zero degree piece from an axle. The center and right Each camber bushing sits on the top of the upper ball joint and is held tight with the ball joint nut. The outside the bushing fits into a bore in the TTB knuckle and the inside of the bushing is tapered to mate to the ball joint stud.Each camber bushing sits on the top of the upper ball joint and is held tight with the ball joint nut. The outside the bushing fits into a bore in the TTB knuckle and the inside of the bushing is tapered to mate to the ball joint stud. By Jay Kopycinski Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
