mastersbilt spindles

[W2racing]

Is there an easy way to tell if your front spindles are bent?

[C10]

Speedway makes a spindle checker that drops in the ball joint holes. this will check to be sure the ball joint phasing is correct anyway.

[scrub_fan]

buy a spindle checker http://www.ppmracingproducts.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=26_44&products_id=567&secureID=8d1a983c4c98ef9b484852f6d1b02d24

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Then you will still have to "eyeball" the steering arm.

[Matt49]

If you're steering arm is tweaked you may just end up with some ackerman and/or bump steer issues once toe is re-aligned. Not that the aforementioned aren't important, but if your ball joints are messed up ("out of phase" as someone else described it), you'll be fighting handling problems and pulling your hair out. The spindle checker is the way to go.
If you're concerned about the steering arm also, you could always make yourself a jig using a known good one and check questionable ones on your jig.

[W2racing]

Thanks for the replies, guys. How common is it for the spindles to be bent?

[Matt49]

Thanks for the replies, guys. How common is it for the spindles to be bent?

Depends on how much stuff you run into.
We check our spindles and ball joints after any of the following:
Any contact with the wall
Any contact with a yuke tire (hate those things)
Hard wheel to wheel contact with another car (if the wheel has a dent in it, the spindle probably took a lick too).
A night on an EXTREMELY rough race track.