This is embarassing, but just in case any of you have front end pops you can't identify, check the "U" bolts around the axle. Mine were TOTALLY loose, and must have been that way for some time. My front end was feeling squirly also, worse and worse.
I feel really stupid because I checked all kinds of stuff trying to find the problem, like ball joints and tie rod ends.

I clearly need an alignment now because the steering wheel is a little croocked, but the front end feels like it used to a long time ago.

 

Before you go to the aligned shop........is the tires wairing?
if not you might want to look at your gear box and see if it has shifted on the frame!
I had this problem with my 90 gas truck, hit a huge bolder at about 0 miles per hour,steering will went to the right but could never fined what got bent. The rock hit the tire and nothing esl. Never could get the steering will staight and keep the tires pointing straight forward!
I was to the point of hacking of a piese of the steering linkage to get it staight!

Then one day i was looking thru a T.S.B book that i found up stair in are arkive books!
I't descrived just what i had dun and that the gear box had shifted on the frame...........i found this book after i had sold my gasser and had bought the diesel i own now(steering will is straight on the diesel)

Just some thing to look at before you spend the cash to have it aligned and be told that some thing is bent and thay can't straighten the steering wheel.

 

What I intend to do it cross measure the frame to make sure it is relatively straight, then square the axle by cross measuring it to the rear of the frame. I'll loosen the ubolts and use a come-along. I'm going to check the rear axle the same way while I'm at it.

 

Mark, I would square the front axle to the rear axle.

 

at sou
I would like to square them to the frame and then reconsile the axles together.

Does that sound like a plan?

 

I don't get something here. Are we talking about moving the axles fore/aft along the springs, or side-to-side along the axle housing? There is a centering bolt through the spring pack that goes in the hole in the middle of the spring perch. I don't see how you could possibly get the axles "off" center, unless these springs/perches don't have that or I am completely missing the point.

 

If you loosen the "U" bolts you can get movement because the bolts can twist on the axle.
In the back where I have some large factory blocks there is even more movement potential.

 

You mean the U-Bolts?

 

Yes, sorry about that.

 

I'm still curious to know if there's not locator holes in the blocks and perches making it darn near impossible to install it out of alignment. Sure, if the bolts are loose it could slip a bit, cause some noise and stuff like you mentioned above, but other than that?

 

You said "the front end feels like it used to a long time ago".
I wouldn't hurt to do some measurements but i thing the crooked steering will is the only issue right now.......right

 

That would be fine, that way it wouldn't dog-track at all.

 

There is enough movement to make a difference. It's not a perfect world. If the springs were blueprinted along with the axle housings and mounting hardware the axles still might not hang perfectly because frames can come from the factory out of square according to frame shops.
I personally can't stand a truck that runs doglegged down the road, and I have my wife drive behind me just to check it after an "incident".