I have problem that I have not encountered before and maybe you all can help. I just purchased a 1998 Ford F150 4x4. The truck has 305/70/16 tires on it currently but the suspension is stock with no lift. My problem is that the passenger front tire had a blowout with the previous owner. The previous owner had the tire replaced and when the shop went to install it back on the truck the sidewall now rubs the upper control arm. I believe this is why the old tire blew out. Upon purchasing and inspecting the truck I found it needs lower ball joints BAD and a passenger inner tie rod. My question is will a lower ball joint actually wear enough to cause this to occur? The drivers side tire clears by about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch at the control arm and the ball joint is loose on that side as well but not as bad. Could the steering knuckle be bent? The knuckle and bearing appear to be just fine. No sign of crash or impact damage.

 

Something is out of whack bad if the tire is touching the ball joint. The ball joints and tie rod ends are high wear items on our trucks so it could be wallowed out bad enough the tire is cambered in at the top I guess.

 

Thanks for the advice Wandell. The ball joint on that side is probably one of the worst I have ever seen. I really dont see how it could be anything else. The lower ball joint is the only wear point in that area that could cause this. The knuckle appears to be cast and the lower control arm is as well. The bearing mounts flat on the knuckle. I may grab a knuckle from the salvage yard just in case. The wheel definitely leans in at the top though.