What would give an old i-beam truck massive oversteer?

My work beater is a gutted and stripped down 96 model Ranger with the i-beam front end. I can step the rear end out on dry pavement just by turning the wheel another 1 degree through the apex of a turn. I've never driven anything like it. Just smooth, predictable oversteer. I am running the power steering box depowered, but it had the oversteer before I depowered the box. Right now I am running some all terrains in the stock size. I really need to put new radius arm bushings in it and have it aligned but am afraid to because I know once everything is back in spec its going to lose this awesome oversteer it has and be just like every other Ranger I've owned.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.

did someone weld the rear diff? whats the tire pressures?

no the rear diff is open and i run the manuf suggested tire press, 28 or 30 lbs i believe.

would wore radius arm bushings allowing lots of toe-out induce oversteer?

Something up front is probably out of whack in such a way the front end is gripping well enough it's not breaking loose before the rear(as designed). Bad radius arm bushings might have dialed in more caster. Or the springs are sagging and giving more static camber. Or it's just a toe adjustment.

If you have the alignment checked now you can replicate those settings later.

I would think that worn out bushings on the rear suspension could cause some passive rear steering.. perhaps enough to let it step out easily?

mad_machine wrote: I would think that worn out bushings on the rear suspension could cause some passive rear steering.. perhaps enough to let it step out easily?

Hey, I didn't think about that. I've ordered everything for the front and will check the rear when I do the front tomorrow.

The more I think about the way it feels, the more I think mad machine is right.

A Ranger was not the vehicle I expected this thread to be about. Old and I-beam mean king pins and leaf springs on the front to me.

We need a standard for age descriptors in titles around here. I submit antique for pre- ww-2, old for 45-65 or so, classic for 66-75ish, smog for 76-89, rice for 90-05 and every thing newer is still new or current.

Are they shackles and frame brackets still solid pieces, right?

Don't fix it, use it as a drift car!

In reply to oldopelguy:

All 2 WD rangers were I beam until 1998. Sorry my definition of old is different from yours.

In reply to Ranger50:

Everything in the rear is fine. Weird.

mad_machine wrote: I would think that worn out bushings on the rear suspension could cause some passive rear steering.. perhaps enough to let it step out easily?

Its this or the shackles have shifted and have rusted or jammed in place. For this sort of behavior you can measure it with just a tape measure.

How long can you hold it, and can you link consecutive turns?

wearymicrobe wrote:

mad_machine wrote: I would think that worn out bushings on the rear suspension could cause some passive rear steering.. perhaps enough to let it step out easily?

Its this or the shackles have shifted and have rusted or jammed in place. For this sort of behavior you can measure it with just a tape measure.

I was sure it was going to be the rear axle, but everything is in good shape, and exactly as it left the factory. Nothing in the front looked to be in real bad shape either. The radius arm bushings were a little wore, I replaced them and decided to let the alignment shop have it.

Duke wrote: How long can you hold it, and can you link consecutive turns?

haha. You can hold it through a turn pretty easy, not that I ever got in behind a group of 12 or so miatas on hwy. 358 and tried to keep up with them or anything.

It's just light in the back, not a suspension issue. Mine was scary light in the rain!

914Driver wrote: It's just light in the back, not a suspension issue. Mine was scary light in the rain!

I swapped in a 91 4x4 8.8 into my 96 years ago and the included sway bar fixed that..... But a 100hp 2.3 ain't going to do much. Lol.