Crabbing 70'

[yellercat]

Not sure how to approach this.
Short story long, when following my vehicle it appears that it is not 'tracking' properly, according to a casual observer, (no names please).
The truck, 70' F-100 auto, 302 , appears to have had a minor mishap in its past unknown, to the right front.It has a slightly bent rearward front fender to the right side. Also, while driving, it tends to 'favor' that side or pull ever so slightly. Of course, I'm hoping that it is not a frame problem; so my question is how to go about determining the extent of the problem. Haven't started any suspension work yet, only done the drum brakes front and rear. Haven't noticed anything out of order, but then, I am not trained to spot this type of damage, so I need to know what to look for . Also, if these trucks are prone to some common failure in such a case as a small ' bump' in a front corner. Hoping perhaps that some component may have bent or other more minor damage occurred. Looking to tap this knowledge base for tips in spotting what the possible cause may be.
Planning on changing the manual drum to a front power disc brake and keeping the rear drums. This will likely change the steering components, along with new bushings, that may rectify my problems, but would also like to see and correct anything else that may have been damaged, hopefully short of the dreaded bent frame .
Probably would not have even put 2 + 2 together about the tendency to steer a little odd if this observer hadn't mentioned it to me, so its not THAT bad, but its NOT right.
Appreciate any suggestions or prior experiences from the group.

[390FE1972]

Here are a couple of older threads about crabbing or tracking issues: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 0&start=15
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =5&t=20009 Hope these help!

Regards

[jzjames]

Good info. I also had a driver stop me and say my truck was crabbing. Never noticed it before.
Now Im getting wear on the front right tire on the outter edge. Im going to look at the rear springs bushings/bolts.

[jamesdfo]

There are a number of things that can cause Dogtracking, but as mentioned in the other two threads that were referenced, you need to determine if the truck is actually Dogtracking, or if it just appears to be, as the front track width is wider than the rear. If someone is following you, and can see your front fender from behind, you may be dogtracking:)

If your truck is wearing tires is another clue.

Causes can be any number of worn or broken suspension components, bent I beams from hitting a curb or really big potholes (or any number of things if you've been off road)

Partially or completely sheared center bolts on the leaf springs.

Frame damage from shoddily repaired collision damage.

As always, start with the simple stuff, and work your way up.

To check the frame, visually inspect the rails, look for "waves" in the top & bottom flanges, this is often a telltale sign of damage, or shytty repair.

Get a friend, and a tape measure, crawl underneath and do some cross measuring, if you find section(s) that do not measure the same, you MAY have an issue.........

That's the Coles Notes version, but a good starting point..........

Years ago, I had a 1981 F150 SWB, we knew there was frame damage from a front right corner collision, so before we swapped in the replacement engine, we took the opportunity of working without an engine/trans in the way to make it right. Used a 10 ton porta-power to jack the frame, got it oodles better than the hacks @ the bodyshop that had repaired it prior to me owning it......but even after this, it was still wearing tires, so I finally broke down and changed out the RH I beam & spindle. And that solved the problem. Still no idea if it was the beam, or the spindle, but it was just easier to change out the whole assembly.

[yellercat]

Never knew about the track width difference, learn something every day! Thanks for the replies all.
This information gives me several items to follow up on as I work through the truck. Likely that worn and wear items are some of the problem. More driving and observation as well as mechanical inspection should get me comfortable that the truck is passable. Feel better about the prospects at any rate!
If something different is uncovered, will be sure and post it up on this thread, thanks guys!