solid axle bounce steer

i noticed that at higher speed the van tends to suddenly track to either side after a bump. i read that a solid front axle will cause this because what one wheel does affects the other unlike independent suspension. has anyone observed this in their van? do steering dampers help? here is a link to a moog damper, tell me what you think of this http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1335383,parttype,7412 the biggest jumps are when the van runs off a couple inches of drop like leaving a bridge deck, or uneven pavement drops. it makes it hard to relax when driving since the tracking action can throw the van onto the center line without warning. thanks steve

Steve , What kind of shape are your king pins,& tie rods in?? My 64 ND use to do the same thing .Drives like new with new KP & wheel bearings.

king pins are tight no wobble on jack stands, the wheel bearings are a little sloppy, the drag link was hammered out so bad there was a ten inch dead spot in the wheel and that was a mother to control. i installed a new drag link, and replaced the shocks which corrected this a lot. like you say i should put new wheel bearings in. thanks savage.

It sounds like your major problem is an ALIGNMENT ISSUE. Had the same deal with my old 64 Econoline. Plus Fords are famous for worn king pins ( more than a Chevy I always found ).

If your King Pins are good.........I suggest new shocks and an alignment. Your van SHOULD NOT "dart about" when hitting a bump.

I just did new shocks on mine..............the difference was/is amazing ( and mine tracked good before --> I THOUGHT)

I went to AutoZone and got stock gas shocks for the front ( Gabriel ) and Air Shocks for the rear ( Gabreil Hi-Jackers).

About $100 total for all. Next day ordering.

Good tie rod ends, king pins, alignment and good shocks all add up to having a flattie that steers correctly.

On rare occasions you may have a sloppy steering box that needs adjusted too. But this is readily noticed by way too much free-play in the steering.

And bad or loose wheel bearing are easily seen with the front off the ground, wheels/tires off and wiggling the wheels to check for freeplay. Good to check the snugness of the wheel bearings and grease anyway.

caster should not affect steering control on a straight axle untill;
caster is negative or centerline is forward of vertical. caster is designed in all vehicles to give "good returnability" of the steering to straight ahead regardless of design (straight axle or independant). the shims do go missing or corrode or break and an assortment of other reasons can cause an issue. the most likely cause of your wandering is loose parts but a wheel alingment is not out of the question. the only thing is you might have to find an older shop with an older alingment machine because some of the new computerized machines won't give good results with the normal loosness of a straight axle. try to find a truck shop that specalizes in solid axles. they might have shims to install if needed and know where to bend an axle to get camber correct while maintaining caster angles and toe in. toe out can cause an unexpected darting from side to side as well.

I've never seen the "shims"on the two Fords I rebuilt the straight axle on.
I do not "THINK" Ford used them.

And I think not all Chevy's had them either as my 1967 does not have them.................INTERESTING HUH?

ALSO------> if the "TOE IN" alignment is off as in the wheels both do not point completely straight ( one cocked off to the side).this WILL make your steering dart off one way or the other when hitting pot holes, grooves, ruts etc.etc...........

HOW DO I KNOW??? Because my 1964 Ford had just this problem earlier this year. Check your "TOE IN".

Alignment has 3 main points- Caster, Camber & Toe In.

A good explanation is here-->
http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm

Ford did use them as we found at the MidSouth Econoline Meet where we watched several old Ford service training films. Shims should not exceed 3degrees though. If you have a big forward rake like I do it will affect allignment.

With new bearings and all joints tight there are still several adjustments you could make IF needed.

Do you have a shop manual for your year of Econoline? If not, I highly suggest finding one.

Ford and Chevy ARE different even though they both have straight axles. (I have both too).

good info guys, i'll have to re-read it when i'm sober. i checked the king pins and they are tight, the tires are worn on the inside edge on both wheels, maybe this points to something... i'll have to ask my beer...

Steve that sounds like your toe-in. My 68 wore the inside of both front tires and that's the only thing that was out on the alignment.