Just noticed my wheel moves.. a lot

[1971ford]

I was standing by the truck and put my foot on the top sidewall of the tire and to my surprise the top moved in and went clank!
I can grab the wheel (front passenger) and I can wiggle it back and forth... not good.

I saw towtrucker's thread but didn't want to highjack it. I can rebuild a dana 60 rear hub with my eyes closed but I am guessing the front is no where near the same? What is causing the rocking of the wheel, bearing? If I take the axle apart and lay it out in order theres not much that can go wrong correct? as in no tricks?

[ScreaminZ]

May just be the bearings working their way loose. Could also be spindle nuts backing off. Also could be ball joints or king pins, depending on what axle you've got. I'd suggest jacking up the axle on that side so the tire is off the ground and have somebody move it around while you watch to see where it moves. Hell, if it's moving while sitting there on the ground, you may not need to jack it up. Either way, try to spot where the movement is.

Disassembling the hub is relatively simple. Hardest part is getting the right socket for whatever kind of spindle nut it has. Just be sure to keep track of whatever snap rings and such you remove and where they all went. There's a few more parts than a rear Dana 60, but the only real difference is the lockout mechanism. The spindle and hub is all basically the same.

[1971ford]

Ok sounds not too bad.
I had my buddy rock the wheel back and forth as I watched but couldn't tell much. I was really just making double sure the lug nuts wern't just loose but I know that's not it because I checked them. The whole backing plate moved.

I guess I'll find out saturday whats wrong. So all i need is a special socket? I might even have that, i know i have a big socket with 4 post deals used for hubs.
It's like the socket used on a dana 50 nut except with things sticking off it right?

[ScreaminZ]

If it's a Dana 44, then it'll probably use that 4-post socket. I've honestly never had my hands on an older axle like what's in your truck, so can't help a whole lot with details. When you say that the backing plate moved, did the knuckle move with it or was the backing plate moving separately? If the backing plate is moving separate from the knuckle, then you need to pull the hub and tighten down the nuts or bolts that hold the spindle on. I'm betting the whole knuckle is moving. If that's the case, I don't know if the kingpins can be repaired without tearing everything apart or not. Hopefully others can help with details on that part.

[FordTruck]

my highboy had the same problem but on the drivers side i took the lock out off tightened up the nut and that fixed that problem

[1971ford]

Pretty sure the knuckle does not move.
Sounds like it might be an easy fix

[towtruckerfour]

Hey Ryan. That is exactly what I found on my 68. The locknut loosened and it tore up the driver side. Luckily the hub and spindle were not damaged. The passenger side was ok. I just laid out paper and put things in a row as I took them out so I remeber how to put it back together. I getting new parts this weekend to put it back together.