Fixing Steering Slop and Doing a Front Wheel Alignment [Cummins Swap Part 27]
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- I adjust the steering gear, replace some tie rod ends, and perform a front wheel alignment on my GMC C3500HD project truck.
OTC Front End Service Set: amzn.to/3CJ1Rkd
Wheel Alignment Tool: amzn.to/3sb1omf
Build series playlist: • Cummins Swapping a GMC...
Instagram: / waldowelds
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![Increasing this Truck's Top Speed From 67 MPH to 93 MPH [Cummins Swap Part 26]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8dRv3hNJGg4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Increasing this Truck's Top Speed From 67 MPH to 93 MPH [Cummins Swap Part 26]](/img/tr.png)
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A front end alignment is a job left to a professional
With that attitude, the Wright brothers probably would never have invented the airplane.
@@WaldosWorld there's people who build helicopters in their garage and I'm sure everyone looking has their egos destroyed as they watch the mechanically inclined fly away
I've done lots of alignments at home and with brand new fancy alignment machines. While I wouldn't try to align a complex suspension system at home, toe alignment is quite easy to get pretty accurate especially if you know what your suspensions scrub radius is. That determines whether your toe should be biased slightly negative or positive.
I aligned my Ford Ranger using similar methods to what he's using here and later on I checked the alignment on a machine and it was completely dead on in all directions. That being said, knowing how all the angles play with each other helps immensely in getting it right at home.
@@mikem5475 im building an airplane in my garage and I approve this message.
@@danielcarlson8898 I hope it goes well for you. Very challenging but very doable
You’re Very Talented. I think TH-cam’s algorithms are committing an injustice with you and your TH-cam Channel by not giving you the credit and advertisement you Deserve. In my own opinion you should have Millions of viewers. But anyway Thank you for sharing your Great Ideas with Us.
Loving the series and can’t wait to see Billy bob being used as a tower
Thank you! I plan on building a gooseneck trailer soon 👍
@@WaldosWorld Just sub’d can wait for a gooseneck trailer build!
What kind of tower? Not very tall
@@mwilliamshs thats exactly how i read it too lol
@@WaldosWorld we will very much enjoy watching that build.
I've always had more success hammering on the side of the tapered bore than hammering on the tie rod end itself ... just my experience anyway! Awesome videos and I love Billy Bob!!!
Instead of pounding on the nut to get ball joints loose, use a nice heavy hammer and smack the side of the arm where the ball joint goes through, usually only a few hits and they pop right out.
Thanks for the tip!
Came here to mention that one too. It shocks the cone shape and forces it outward from its mating. Or the pivoting one in that service kit is also used too.
pitman arm puller does great work for also pressing out tie rod ends, glad to see someone else used a puller to get the job done!
Great job, thanks for showing alignment the old fashioned way.
Thank you!
He did do a great job, but we do this every day. It’s not old yet, it’s still in constant use. School buses, semis, fire apparatus, heavy chassis EMS vehicles: straight axles with kingpins. They aren’t all IFS yet.
Still waiting to see how you are going to finish the bed. Can't wait!
The truck build is awesome but I’m super jealous of how nice your skin is lol. I need to adopt a skincare regimen.
Billy Bob is the most interesting truck on the road. Love your work.
I have seen Kenworth dealer techs doing a toe alignment by spinning the wheels and drawing a chalk line on the front tire tread. They then compare the distance front and back from the chalk line, similar to what Waldo was doing with the plates. Seemed to be close enough.The hunter alignment rack that I learned on required finding the true center line of each wheel by rotating them 180 degrees and zero'ing out the sensors. Wheels are often not quite straight. Since then I've been doing driveway Toe and Camber front end alignment in my driveway for 30 years. Never had tire wear or any handling issues.
Just found your channel, ironically your in NH where I plan to move someday, my best buddy lives in NH and I've spent a great deal of time up there as well. Just came out last year to pick up another truck. Liked seeing you drive on the winding narrow roads of that state. Also the tool that is approximately in the middle of the set is for tie rods. believe it resembles a little bit like a teeter totter in design.
When i first started as a diesel mechanic in 86 we done alignments the old school way too jack it up, grease it good , break the adjusters loose ,spin the wheels and scribe the tire in the center of the tread ,let it down,grab the tape measure ,then grab that 2 ft long pipe wrench ...glad we had a pit ...it made it easier to do the alignments ..on the steer axle,drives and trailer
Love the build, great work on the truck
Thank you!
There are alignment wedges available to place between the axle and leaf spring to adjust caster, but to adjust camber the axle would need to be bent.
Hard to find an alignment shop that can do that.
Usually a heavy truck body shop with the huge frame machine is the only option.
Pakistani truck shop guys bend the axles and align them all the time? Ha!
Smack the side of the joint to 'shock' the taper joint apart. Two or three good whacks while you lift up on the tie rod end and they pop right out.
My Jeep Cherokee (XJ) has the same setup for front end alignment. You honestly only need a tape measure. Measure from the inside face of the tire in the same spot front and back to compare. It's not NASA spec precision, but it doesn't need to be. How it drives and tire wear will tell you everything you need to know.
Truck is coming along nice. I really like that bed and look forward to seeing it finished.
So glad I found your channel, your videos are excellent.
That went super easy. What a huge difference. This is such a fun project. I noticed that we saw no Aspen and no chipmunks- coincidence???? 🤣🤣🤣
Really looking forward to see the fuel economy in Billy Bob.
I've been putting out buckets full of water and topped with sunflower seeds. They've been very effective at catching chipmunks and mice! I think Aspen did show up in the background of one scene for a little bit 😉
Hi Waldo,
The OTC kit looks like a nice addition to the toolbox. If you don't have a puller, you can get socketed pieces apart by whacking smartly on the side of the tapered socket and the tie rod end or ball joint will pop apart. A 24 ounce hammer or bigger is required for this. There also tools with a fork on one end, called a "pickle bar" that will get the job done. Having worked in a front end shop and doing way too many alignments, I would say that yours came out very nice. Getting the steering wheel straight can be a pain. Thanks for the video!
-mike
this series is very nice as ill be buying a c3500 around this same age soon
Great job once again! I have now finally watched every episode. I’m amazed at how high quality your videos have always been since day 1, the rate at which your quality increases, and the overall theme of the channel. I’m happy to see you’re channel growth so far and can’t wait to see what you do as it gets larger!
Thank you so much! That's quite the binge 🤠
Great video Waldo can’t wait to see billy bob pulling a gooseneck 😬💯🔥
Thank you! I plan on building one soon 🤠
@Waldo’s World awesome can’t wait for that video😬
I just finished 27 episodes in a 2 day binge watch. I laughed, I cried, I cringed at times, but I am both amazed and envious! The truck looks awesome! And I love the way you wired it 🙌🙌 Having been a technician for years, and that you even soldered and heatshrinked the connections inside the truck... you're the best! I have to go back through still to like each video, and I definitely will. Hands down you have risen to be my new favorite channel (because you even torque to spec🤯) for doing this the right way. Keep up the great work!!! 🍺😊
Wow, thank you so much for watching! 🤠
Caster is adjustable on your front axle. Caster wedges sit under the spring stack and are held in place. It’s usually a permanent until you need to replace springs or have u bolt failure, crack a saddle plate, etc.
Beyond that, beautiful. I’ve started living through your projects because after this many years I still don’t do my own. After customers for 18 hours a day I’m done!
Love the build so far. Next time you need to remove a ball joint or tie rod end, and you can't use the press tool, don't smack the castle nut. Hit the assembly that has the tapered hole or use a impact hammer. You will be surprised how well it works compared to hitting the nut or rod/joint end.
I find that the hitting where is slides in, the tapered part of the knuckle ect is best as you say, on a lot of things. Some new crap is all fragile so...not as great. If they're super stubborn, both putting pressure on it with the tool and then hitting it gets the best of both world. Hitting on the nuts is almost my least favorite method
Another video well done Waldo. New venture: Precision Truck Alignment by Aspen! Looking forward to the next one.
You should look into converting it into 4wd, would be a cool mini series to watch and informative always wanted to convert mine to 4wd living in Maine and be able to use it for plowing in the winter
Man you have done a fine job on that truck!!! Nice Work Sir!!!
Great video, Waldo! I like the front suspension on this beast. Easily the match for the heavy Cummins. Congrats on 32k subscribers. Have fun fishing. 👍
Aye bro in that service set the big tool in the middle is a taper breaker which is the proper tool for removing those tie rod ends.
Yeah, it was a little too small for the big ball joints on this truck 😬
@@WaldosWorld oh word this truck makes me wish we had the big stuff in Australia haha
The biggest straight 6 turbo diesel we can get out of a car is bout 4.2L out of Toyota lancruisers
The smallest adjustments make a huge difference
The fortune cookie joke was stupid. I loved it.
great job getting that steering done
If you put some tension on the tie rod with a pry bar then wack the tie rod it'll pop off with a few hits
Really enjoying this channel! Keep up the good work @Waldo'sWorld
Much appreciated!
You know 1 thing I hate about America, is you are able to run really cool vehicles like this
Nice 1 Waldo 👌
looks like that truck run like new good job
Great video Waldo!
Thanks!
@@WaldosWorld No problem!
IIRC, when adjusting the steering gear box, the adjustment you made was correct except it should be at maximum lock.
Beautiful truck man, its came along way, great job!!!!
Wow, you make it look easy!
Yep great job ! Nice to see Manuel wheel alignment , so simple , look forward to the fishing trip !
Thanks, Steve! Adjusting toe was simple, but camber/caster is a bit more complex 😬
This is a cool project this channel is going to get big. Best wishes man
loving this series
Most of those reman steering gearboxes have a lot of play unless you pay big bucks for the Red-Head brand.
I might have to pay the big bucks next time. Or maybe rebuild it myself? 🤔
Those stabilizers make a world of difference. I can't believe the amount of vehicles I've owned that previous owners have removed them.
Looks good to me . The truck drive straight and the tires wear decent . I don't know what else you can expect .
I love what you did and how you present this, it is professionally made and it deserve more views.....I tried my best to like every video you made, hope this can help :)
pls get some Alcoa wheels!!!! I think it would tie it together well. but also I love these video's, I learn things and its pretty soothing
Caster and camber are adjustable on a solid axle truck.
Shims under spring pack and adjustable ball joints are available.
Now that's quality content
Thank you!
The legend is back 💯
Thanks, Martin! 😂
Hey bud you need a least 1/6 tow in or the tires will follow any lines in the road. Good job.
Must be a New Hampshire T-Shirt you are wearing…. 👍 Nice and entertaining video. I did a 4 wheel alignment on my LR3 and in comparison to your truck it was open heart surgery on an alien creature performed in outer space - as expected.
Thank you! Yeah, a DIY 4-wheel alignment on a vehicle with independent suspension is SO much harder than just adjusting the toe on an old horse cart like this 😂
After u drove it check the tow again. It’s mostly off little bit
Loving these videos Waldo! But when are you going to finish the bed? I'd love to see more on the trailer when you go to paint it as well.
Billybob the beast
Excellent video! Thank you 👍🏼
You should put a up down bolt in so if the nut falls off it will have has less chance of falling out 👍
Love the truck and the vids. Actually my favorite truck of all time is the c/k series. Have you thought of a gear vendors are some type of overdrive to keep that cummins at around 1800 rpm on the highway?
Nice job. Those links for the tools you have used a plus. However I think that alignment tool was a waist, considering you only can do toe. Although I believe caster and camber can be accomplished with a torch, and some creative bending of the axel.
Some grease or anti seize on the threads of them tierod ends would make your life alot easier later on down the road
Pretty neat. Those older style heavy trucks do have simpler axles from a simpler time. :) More robust. But.... I would have taken a simple measurement for camber/castor, just to ensure it's all within spec. Frames can become bent, after all, and "adjusting" these involves bending steel... ;) (seriously, though-- the old twin-I beam Fords were notorious for needing this to be done).
Re the tie-rod end. I didn't see it on yours, but the ones I have done, had a round boss that had been cast into the outer edge of the tie rod's hole. With the nut removed, you gave that boss a good whack with a mechanic's hammer, and since it's a tapered fit? The shock breaks it loose... supposedly. This never worked with a carpenter's hammer, for some reason .... (just kidding). Your tool was way cooler, however.
I think that the old mirrors looks better, it keep the old truck style
Love the program, any plans for a paint job
👍 are we going to see a speedometer calibration and any other speed modifications? Nice rear axle Refurbish.
Waldo you ever look into any vp44 pump tuning for you're truck? I think a nice economy tune or a nice tow tune from a quadzilla adrenaline tuner would really give her some pep and help out when towing, I'd be sick to see it with a exhaust brake as well
Another great video!
I would take it to a alignment shop and have them align it we'll save you money on tires
Nice job
Hi Waldo
Hello!
Very cool 😎 videos 👍🏻🤠😁🥳
Cuanto fue tu inversión, para que quedara así incluyendo tu mano de obra?
Like what your doing What colour is billy bob can’t seem to see it anywhere?
Metallic silver from Summit Racing
7:28 If possible, the bolt is supposed to go from the top, not from the bottom. So if the nut gets loose and disappears, the bolt won`t fall down and the stabilizer will not become a nice ancor.
Great series. I have a similar truck. But I may turn it into a rat rod😂
Hit the side of the tapered housing, not the castellated nut and it will pop straight off.
Interesting, thanks for the tip!
Love your vids
@0:28 Okay, that answers my previous question, bro. Only in case you have tools and machinery available, off course. ;)
Many vehicle frames will be used in a multiple number of applications. Usually that leaves brackets.. NOT used
So with those alignment plates there's bolts that contact the wheels at the upper part. What does the lower part contact? The tires?
All your videos are great! I was wondering what kind of headlights you put in the truck? I have a 3500 non HD that has the work truck grill and lights as well and the stock sealed beams SUCK lol. Are those you have brighter?
Thank you! Yep, these LED lights are brighter: amzn.to/3g63P3v
I have heard that you should not adjust that screw on the gear box because uts sets the preload on the internals of the box, but my rebuild gearbox came with that much play too. Have you had any issues so far with the steering after adjusting it?
What's the plan for the bed. Are you going to paint it black or make it the same silver as the truck?
congratulation well done
Wondering why you don't have all the wheel studs are you going to add them at some point
Waldo , what years did GM build the C3500 HD trucks like yours ? I'm in the market for one but what I really want is a long wheelbase truck . I don't care for an engine or transmission . More or less a rolling chassis that I can build a rat rod with a Detroit Diesel engine preferably a 6-71 and use an old cab of most any brand truck . I had found a truck that was a crewcab with a long service body but never could get the guy to answer his phone . Anyway the info would be greatly appreciated . Still following your build and trailer build . Thanks young man .
in my opinion gm should have stayed with that front end designed on their 3500HD trucks , its simple more heavy duty, leaf springs and king pins, and fewer moving parts than IFS junk...the same thing can be said with the solid front axle GM stop in 1988 in their 4wd trucks
Get a steering box brace!!
Now i know why there is still slop in my steering wheel
Can you help me. I'm in love with those towing mirrors. Where do I can bought it.
Not sure if you have addressed this or not but why the oversized transmission? Why not a solid 5 speed with heavy duty clutch?
She's going to ride like she's on rails now
Most of the rebuilt steering boxes are junk. Best option the PSC or similar in a 6 bolt cap if available. They are larger than the 4 bolt. Then if that's not available or in your budget a BlueTop or RedTop. The Red used to be top dog in the rebuilt but more complaints recently. The other option is an actual NEW unit...not that many available but BBB Industries makes some and distributed in most chains under a few brand names...Just make sure to get a NEW one
Confucius say, man going through airport turnstile most likely going to Bangkok
where you a mechanic? also that looks awsome 1day and 1 year ago you put that cummins in.
Thank you! Nope, just an engineer
24 min nice
Why am i still here!? I love your content
I'm kinda curious, I'm thinking about doing a 3.08 on 32" tires so it's ~65-70mph @ 2000rpm on my bronco (it's from the 70's) so I can get some better fuel mileage. though the gears are a bit tall for my taste and I am thinking of doing a bit of modification on my np203 range box by turning it into a range box for a 500rpm drop instead of a 1000rpm drop so I can do 1.28:1 instead of 2.00:1 and use it as an underdrive.
would it be too much strain on the transmission cross member and the 9" ford axle to do a direct drive for a 6000lbs vehicle or would it chug along just fine? (plus the bonus above 90% torque efficiency transmitted since final gear in the transmission is 1:1 or 3.08:1 if you count the axle ratio)
trying to find a cost effective option because I did already design an add-on overdrive conversion for the NP435 in my bronco but trying to figure out which is more effecient and cheaper to go with. What are your thoughts?
(custom 400m with 300hp and ~360lbs/ft of torque)
Can we do an automatic transmission?