How to fix my Front Axle not alligning

Hello all,
Im having an issue with the front solid axle on my 1982 K10 long bed and could use some help, as i haven't been able to find any solid information on this.
I was getting ready to buy new tires and went out to measure clearence. when I measured the wheels were pointed straight ahead, but i noticed the axle appears off-center and slightly twisted. When measuring from the inner fender (closest to the door) to the center of the hub on both sides, the passenger side is about 2 inches closer to the fender than compared to the drivers side. because of this, the passenger tire sits much closer to the fender than i believe is normal. Ive never dealt with anything like this before, so im unsure how to proceed. From what i can tell, it seems like the passenger side of the axle may need to be shifted forward - but im not certain. I have had it looked at by a few friends of mine that used to own a body shop and visually they can not see any bends in the frame or anything that looks like it would add up to my issue. Even though the frame has been welded, it is back where the bed meets the cab and it does not look like there was any material put in or taken out. They also mentioned about the pin on the spring being bent or sheard off and to check that but i havent been able to get around to it. Im just trying to get some points of view from others on what i should do and how to approach this any advice or guidence would be greatly appriciated. Thanks in advance.

You need to be measuring from frame locators, not the body. Body mounts have a small amount of adjustability designed into them so it is possible for the cab (or bed, etc) to be off center, even slightly diagonal, on the frame.

Find similar riveted brackets on each side of the frame and use them as a point of reference to measure from.

If you find the axle is not square to the frame, etc start diagnosing by checking leaf spring center pins, u-bolts, spring bushings (including the front spring, rear shackle upper bushing), etc..

You could mark the leaf springs to see if the axle is wandering around. Might want to check the U-bolts to see if they are loose at all.

nvrenuf said:

You need to be measuring from frame locators, not the body. Body mounts have a small amount of adjustability designed into them so it is possible for the cab (or bed, etc) to be off center, even slightly diagonal, on the frame.

Find similar riveted brackets on each side of the frame and use them as a point of reference to measure from.

If you find the axle is not square to the frame, etc start diagnosing by checking leaf spring center pins, u-bolts, spring bushings (including the front spring, rear shackle upper bushing), etc..

Click to expand...

Just to expand on this: when the cab is not square on the frame the front end will shoot off in that direction, in order to get the hood to fit between the fenders.

Sine the bumper attaches to the frame this will manifest itself as a mismatch in the gap between the end of the bumper and fender, LH side vs RH side.

This will also make one tire look like it is sticking out farther.

Pickups cabs are especially susceptible to this because of their short length; Blazer and Suburban less so.

K

Thanks for all the input, guys! I went back out and measured from a consistent point on the frame that exists on both sides, and it turns out the axle is actually centered—very close measurement on both sides.

After clearing that up, I took a closer look at my cab mounts and noticed one was looking pretty rough. I decided to check the rest, and sure enough, one of them isn't even secured to the frame anymore—the lower rubber piece is completely gone. While digging into that, I found out there are alignment holes on the cab that are supposed to match up with the frame. Mine are off by at least a 1/4 inch in different directions, which got me thinking...
That misalignment might explain why the gap between my cab and bed is uneven—tight on one side, wider on the other but anyway. Now I’m wondering if that could also be what’s throwing off the front clip, making it measure like the axle is shifted compared to the body when i first measured when it’s really the cab that’s out of square.
My main questions now:

• Could that cab shift cause a noticeable difference up front, like the 2-inch gap I saw when I thought the axle was off?
• Is it possible to replace the cab mounts with the front clip still on? I’d really like to avoid tearing the whole front end off if I don’t have to.
• Any other ideas or things I should check?

Appreciate any thoughts or tips—thanks again!