Your Raptor and It's Alignment

[pirate air]

What upper control arms do you have?
The rear housing looks like its possibly bent according to the print out, but I'd loosen the u bolts and see if you can square it under the chassis to solve the problem first. Try pushing the drivers side back and the passenger side forward with the u bolts loose and see if that helps. This most likely isn't a frame issue so not sure what a frame shop will be able to tell you. A bent axle housing is something an alignment machine is designed to help diagnose.
I'm surprised the alignment guy didn't loosen the u bolts and try to correct the toe issue on the rear axle.

Your cross caster is way out of whack. How hard do you off road the truck? I'm wondering if the knuckle is bent on the pass side. I'd get the passenger side caster and rear end figured out and see how it drives before messing with any other numbers.

Ford doesn't make the dual cam kits like other manufacturers have. The other manufacture designs are nicer and stronger but then again they also don't make raptors... So **** them and their superior cam design.

 

[ISFast]

I wonder if the spindle ear is tweaked throwing it off?

 

[AZEngineer]

I have the stock upper control arms and until today the stock front shocks.

I drive it aggressively but not stupidly. I have bottomed the front suspension many times but not hard or brutally. I've never hit it hard enough to even wonder if I damaged something.

That said, I wonder if there is a bent knuckle.

The body shop guy said that in 20 years in the business he had only come across a small number of vehicles with bent rear axle housings from crashes and those where much more violent that the one my truck was involved in.

Is there a best known method for measuring the knuckle or just look and visually compare right and left?

 

[pirate air]

Ok, wanted to see if you had aftermarket ones. With the stock upper control arms and 1.5 inches of lift, you should have no issues pulling the caster down while still keeping camber around -4*. I think either the alignment machine was funky that day, you have a bent knuckle, or the guy doing the alignment was having a bad day because; "On the passenger side lower control arm the rear bolt is as far to the passenger side as possible and it's not enough." Here, I don't understand what you mean. Is the rear of the pass side arm away from the chassis or in towards the chassis? If its away from the chassis, its no wonder why the caster is high. These trucks really do take a lot of time and patients to get right.

Yeah axle housings don't bend easy, but... It happens. Even in little wrecks.

The knuckles are hard to visually see bent. You can take measurements at fixed points between the left and right side but even then its hard to see a sizable difference, even when comparing a bent one to a true one. Bent components are usually figured out with how they react to the adjustments being made during the alignment and at what angle the wheel was hit. It's tough to diag with 100% certainty a bent knuckle or any bent steering/suspension component because it doesn't need to be bent much. I've helped via pm several members with weird alignment numbers and the steering knuckle is always the first questionable component, and so far, the fix has been a steering knuckle every time.

 

[AZEngineer]

First of all, thanks for your time.

On the drivers side lower control arm, the rear bolt is set all the way towards the chassis. The front bolt is about in the middle of the range.

On the passenger side lower control arm, the rear bolt is all the way away from the chassis and the front bolt is about in the middle.

The tech at the alignment shop seemed very competent and the machine was very new.

That said either the machine is out of whack or something is bent.

A bit more info, before the crash the truck drove perfectly and the steering wheel was perfectly centered. After the crash the truck drove perfectly but the steering wheel was no longer perfectly centered, maybe 5 degrees off, say 355 degrees if looking at a compass. Post today's alignment it no longer turns in crisply and it feels sloppy. It does track straight down the road with no drift but it's not handling like a Raptor should.

I will visually inspect the knuckles tomorrow and use some precision measuring tools I have to see if I can measure anything. Monday I'll have more data from the frame machine.

Ok, wanted to see if you had aftermarket ones. With the stock upper control arms and 1.5 inches of lift, you should have no issues pulling the caster down while still keeping camber around -4*. I think either the alignment machine was funky that day, you have a bent knuckle, or the guy doing the alignment was having a bad day because; "On the passenger side lower control arm the rear bolt is as far to the passenger side as possible and it's not enough." Here, I don't understand what you mean. Is the rear of the pass side arm away from the chassis or in towards the chassis? If its away from the chassis, its no wonder why the caster is high. These trucks really do take a lot of time and patients to get right.

Yeah axle housings don't bend easy, but... It happens. Even in little wrecks.

The knuckles are hard to visually see bent. You can take measurements at fixed points between the left and right side but even then its hard to see a sizable difference, even when comparing a bent one to a true one. Bent components are usually figured out with how they react to the adjustments being made during the alignment and at what angle the wheel was hit. It's tough to diag with 100% certainty a bent knuckle or any bent steering/suspension component because it doesn't need to be bent much. I've helped via pm several members with weird alignment numbers and the steering knuckle is always the first questionable component, and so far, the fix has been a steering knuckle every time.

 

[CSmith]

Pirate, could you take a look at this spec sheet for me? I had an alignment done 3 days ago. They said my tires were flat on the ground but that there wasnt a camber adjustment... heres a pic. Should I take it back in? Those camber numbers don't seem right. this is WITH 37 inch toyos

 

[pirate air]

First of all, thanks for your time.

On the drivers side lower control arm, the rear bolt is set all the way towards the chassis. The front bolt is about in the middle of the range.

On the passenger side lower control arm, the rear bolt is all the way away from the chassis and the front bolt is about in the middle.

The tech at the alignment shop seemed very competent and the machine was very new.

That said either the machine is out of whack or something is bent.

A bit more info, before the crash the truck drove perfectly and the steering wheel was perfectly centered. After the crash the truck drove perfectly but the steering wheel was no longer perfectly centered, maybe 5 degrees off, say 355 degrees if looking at a compass. Post today's alignment it no longer turns in crisply and it feels sloppy. It does track straight down the road with no drift but it's not handling like a Raptor should.

I will visually inspect the knuckles tomorrow and use some precision measuring tools I have to see if I can measure anything. Monday I'll have more data from the frame machine.

Your drivers side bolt position sounds good. Your pass side.. With the rear bolt all the way away from the chassis, that moves your lower control arm ball joint forward. More forward in relationship to your upper ball joint which creates positive caster. Your caster problem sounds like an ill adjustment problem...

Pirate, could you take a look at this spec sheet for me? I had an alignment done 3 days ago. They said my tires were flat on the ground but that there wasnt a camber adjustment... heres a pic. Should I take it back in? Those camber numbers don't seem right. this is WITH 37 inch toyos

It doesn't look like they adjusted anything on your camber or caster. Your before and after measurements are the same. I'd take it back and asks them to adjust camber around -.3* and caster around positive 4.0*. Right now its pretty far off, and your pass side tire will wear pretty bad on the inside.

 

[CSmith]

Ok thanks PA. Am I able to pick up a cam kit at firestone? They have those in stock?

 

[pirate air]

Ok thanks PA. Am I able to pick up a cam kit at firestone? They have those in stock?

Yes, they should

 

[CSmith]

Will go tomorrow and have this done. Do I ask for just a SPC cam kit or a specific number?