Straight axle steering help

[scottss396]

My father installed this straight axle from a 59 F series pickup in the late 60's. The steering geometry is real bad. I'm not sure how he ever drove this let alone race it. Has anyone ever seen anything like this or have a solution? There is a lot of bump steer.

[hiball3985]

I don't have any idea of a solution. The tie rod setup isn't like anything I've ever seen. Can you take a picture as to how the tie rods are attached to the spindles?

[scottss396]

The steering linkage is factory 57 Ford. The axle is 59 F series pickup. He also added length to the tie rods since there are two adjustment sleeves on each side. Front rises, tires toe out. front lowers and tires toe in.

[Ford Blue blood]

Need to ditch the stock drag link and tie rod set up.  Put in a 59 truck box with the 59 tie rods.  In other words switch the steering linkage to that out of a 59 truck.

[rmk57]

  The steering box looks to be out of something else or not a 57 car anyways. Maybe it needs more camber to track straight? Try different wedges to get it there?
 
  Make that castor not camber.

[hiball3985]

The truck box would require it to mount inside the frame with a hole in the frame rail for the pitman arm, the trucks have a U shaped frame not a boxed frame like the car.

[59meteor]

That looks like a 58 or 59 Ford car steering box, but that original 57 steering linkage would cause a major amount of toe in/toe out, as the suspension moves up and down, it must have been a real handful to drive like that. That steering linkage needs to be removed, and a original 59 PU steering link from spindle to spindle. Although a 59 truck box, with the pitman arm traveling from the outside of the frame, in a front and back motion would be best, the existing steering box could be made to work reasonably well, with a cross steer link from the pitman arm to the passenger side steering arm.