front end stabilizers.

[able]

need some help on the front end stabilizers or whatever they are called...

im talking about the two bars that bolt onto the front end and then get tightened up under the seating area.

one does up fine but the other i cant reach to get the bolts in and im afraid i have been a silly boy and forgot to take a picture or mark them to get back to the original positions and i cant remember if i just loosened the front nuts when i originally removed my front end and old motor. (my fault for taking so bloody long)

can anyone do a quick measure of how much thread i would expect to have hanging out on the rear nuts and how much i would be expecting to be having hanging out of the front of the front nuts.

or do i just set them in the middle and they will be sorted with a wheel alignment?

any hints on reconnection and setting these two bars up very appreciated.

[BusyKiwi]

a very quick method is to just bolt them up, then with your wheels straight (and not jacked up) check the wheel is in the middle of the wheel arch, adjust to suit.
I doubt a wheel aligner would adjust them.

another way to set your wheel base up (easier without mags), is to get a square and a level.
Go from the center of the dust cover with the square going down the wheel and out from the van, square it up then put a mark on the ground, mark a T, at the end of the square (wheel side), repeat this with all wheels. (mark the same side on each wheel)
Now measure the length (side to side)
If one is different you need to adjust to suit the bedford wheel base length.

To make sure you have it correct measure diagonal and the measurement should be the same, if it's not then half the amount and adjust that much

[ben]

youve lost me busy?? anyway heres how i understand it..

i think these are called castor rods..
and they should be adjusted with a wheel alighnment.

they adjust which way the vehicle wants to ver off to while driving down a straight road.
what ive done in the past is tightened them right up till there pretty darn firm.. the driven along the road on a straight road in the centre of the road where there is no lean on the road then if it vers to the left the left road is too loose.. (like fine adjustment on your vans steering without the steering wheel being involved)

i do that until the van drives in a perfectly straight line down the road.

speaking from experience :  thing of  shopping trolleywheels. if the front end is back the van will steer like a shopping trolley.. all over the road.. the further forward you can get the front end the better it will handle.

a bit later ill put up a post of how to do your own accurate wheel alighnments (forulated by westy)

cheers
ben

[Bas NZ]

The front wheels on a Bedford don't sit in the middle of the wheel arch, well aleast the two vans I have don't, I guess what we should be saying is, make sure both sides measure the same, and I f the van drives ok, its right.

[Merlin]

Those rods are for setting the caster angle the further forward you adjust them the quicker it will self centre the steering but the trade off is it will give heavier steering     Cheers Neil

[ben]

Those rods are for setting the caster angle the further forward you adjust them the quicker it will self centre the steering but the trade off is it will give heavier steering     Cheers Neil

perfect explination..