Frame?

[paolotvl]

Hello everybody and thank you for reading this. I recently got my first truck, a 1987 Chevy Custom Deluxe, 350, 4X4 with automatic transmission. I took it to the local mechanic to do an alignment and the steering wheel was still at an angle when I took it back. I went back and they tried to get it aligned again. When I went back they told me that they could not tell for sure but there is the possibility that the frame is crooked. They made me notice that the gap between the front tire and the fender is about 2" on one side and about 3" on the other. The mechanic told me that to tell me for sure they would have to take apart the u-bolts of the spring leafs. The truck seems to be driving straight with the exception of the steering wheel at an angle. This is a $2500 truck, not in very good shape but I really like it, I already spent some money to get the ac back in shape and to install a tilt steering column. Is there any simple way to check if it is not straight? If it needs to be straightened, is it something very expensive to do? Any feedback is very much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[slowgo]

If it was a new $50k truck not sitting level or has new suspension on every corner I'd be worried but it's a 27 year old truck... don't worry about it. Drive it til the doors fall off....then bolt on new doors.


On another note I was told by an old gmc tech that Chevy uses a stiffer rate of spring on the driver side the truck level when a single occupant driving.

 

[Konas new ride]

If you want one simple measurement.. drive across a parking lot of some sort that is flat. Dont make any turns when your about to stop. Just stop and park. Have a buddy with you and measure from a edge on the back rim or the axle and measure up to the front wheel or axle. Now do the other side. you should be dang near bang on. you can crawl under your truck (this is a better method) and measure from the axle back to the leaf spring mounting bolt. now do the other side.. hope this helps a little to give you a place to start on seeing how strait your truck is.

 

[MadOgre]

First thing ! Don't take your truck back there. They are morons. They are taking you to the cleaners !

Even if your truck has a bent frame they can still make your truck drive straight. If it already does then great !

All you need it sounds like is to get your steering wheel to sit straight when your driving straight ?

To do that you need to jack your front axle and wheels up off the ground. Preferably onto jack stands with the wheels free to turn from side to side. Then turn your steering wheel straight not the wheels and use the column to lock it straight with the ignition off.

There is a connecting piece called a Drag Link. It is located on the inside of the drivers front tire above the axle. It connects the drivers side wheel/hub to the arm from the power steering gear box. It is adjustable in length and is about 12 inches long.

There are 2 bolts that squeeze the collar in the middle of the drag link. Loosen them both. Now turn the collar on the drag link to either lengthen or shorten the length of the drag link.

When your steering wheel is straight, if the wheels are turned to the left/drivers side, then you must lengthen the drag link. If they are turned to the right/passenger side, then you must shorten the drag link.

I can not remember off the top of my head which direction to turn the collar to either lengthen or shorten it but you will figure it out easily enough. Use a pipe wrench to turn it.

It doesn't usually take to many turns of the collar to straighten out your tires. But once you have them straight with your steering wheel still in the locked straight position, Unlock the steering wheel and ensure that it takes equal turns of the steering wheel to go from straight to all left and straight to all right .

If say it takes 3 turns to the right and 4 turns to the left then you will have to carefully turn your steering wheel 3 1/2 turns from either side to ensure that your steering wheel is in the center from right to left and then lock your steering wheel again and then start the process over again to straighten the tires to the steering wheel.

Or you could center your steering wheel from right to left first and then start the process of straightening the wheels to the steering wheel. LOL ( just a little brain fart )

Once you have equal turns from straight to left and right, and the wheels are straight to the steering wheel at center then go ahead and tighten down the bolts that squeeze the collar on the drag link. Remove your vehicle from the jack stands and you are done.

If it is impossible to get the steering wheel in a straight position with equal turns to both sides then it is likely that the steering wheel has been removed at some point and reinstalled incorrectly.

 

[chengny]

If your truck rolls straight and true, let it roll to a stop. Take your hands off the steering wheel and coast to a stop on a fairly level surface. Don't apply the brakes. You don't have to be going fast to get the tires to roll straight.

When you have come to a complete stop, apply the e-brake and get out. Never touch the steering wheel and - after killing the engine - turn the key back to the RUN position (the steering wheel will lock up if you leave it in OFF).

There is no need to lift the tires off the ground. As a matter of fact, do not do that. I used to do it that way until one day I realized that there was no reason to allow the wheels to move. It doesn't hurt anything if you do, but it can take several attempts to get the steering wheel straight if they can drift off center.

Lifting the tires off the ground would throw the whole process off. The tires must be straight ahead and remain locked that way while the "center/drag link" is adjusted.

If the steering linkage from the link outward were free to move, it is likely that you would lose that straight ahead positioning. On the other hand, with the tires on the ground, they remain locked. Then, as the adjusting sleeve is shortened/lengthened, the only motion in the steering system will be back up towards the steering wheel. This detail just makes it a one step process instead of a 3-4 step process.

Your wheels will be pointing dead straight ahead (and your steering wheel will be indexed off-center one way or the other).

After that just do like MO says.

You'll be surprised - it only takes about a 1/4 turn of the sleeve to move the steering wheel about 45 degrees. Soak the threads on the sleeve and both drag link ends with PBlaster beforehand.

This procedure doesn't affect your front end alignment - only the index of the steering wheel.

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While you are doing this (if you do) - check both link ends for looseness. This is a commonly overlooked cause of excessive play in the steering.

 

[350runner]

Here's what you do. Have them print out a before and after sheet of camber, caster, and toe. You will then see you won't find many shops that will want to even touch the truck. Ask me how I know....

 

[paolotvl]

Well Guys, what can I say? I'm just amazed about how nice and helpful you have been, thank you!!! I won't be able to work on the truck for the next two weeks but I will definitely try all the nice suggestions and post here the outcome.
My guts feeling is that the truck is fine, but you never know.
I have a LONG list of work to do to it, at the moment it dies if you turn the lights on...I already bought a new switch and I will rewire that circuit... But I just love this truck!

How did people do stuff without internet???

Thank you!!

 

[paolotvl]

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[paolotvl]

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[bucket]

... I took it to the local mechanic to do an alignment and the steering wheel was still at an angle when I took it back... The truck seems to be driving straight with the exception of the steering wheel at an angle.

Those bozos just couldn't figure out how to adjust the drag link, like was said, don't go back to that place.

On another note I was told by an old gmc tech that Chevy uses a stiffer rate of spring on the driver side the truck level when a single occupant driving.

I've heard this nonsense before, but that's the first time I've ever heard one brand had it and one didn't. Besides, we all know that a GMC is just a Chevy with lock washers

If your truck rolls straight and true, let it roll to a stop. Take your hands off the steering wheel and coast to a stop on a fairly level surface. Don't apply the brakes. You don't have to be going fast to get the tires to roll straight.

When you have come to a complete stop, apply the e-brake and get out. Never touch the steering wheel and - after killing the engine - turn the key back to the RUN position (the steering wheel will lock up if you leave it in OFF).

There is no need to lift the tires off the ground. As a matter of fact, do not do that. I used to do it that way until one day I realized that there was no reason to allow the wheels to move. It doesn't hurt anything if you do, but it can take several attempts to get the steering wheel straight if they can drift off center.

Lifting the tires off the ground would throw the whole process off. The tires must be straight ahead and remain locked that way while the "center/drag link" is adjusted.

If the steering linkage from the link outward were free to move, it is likely that you would lose that straight ahead positioning. On the other hand, with the tires on the ground, they remain locked. Then, as the adjusting sleeve is shortened/lengthened, the only motion in the steering system will be back up towards the steering wheel. This detail just makes it a one step process instead of a 3-4 step process.

Your wheels will be pointing dead straight ahead (and your steering wheel will be indexed off-center one way or the other).

After that just do like MO says.

You'll be surprised - it only takes about a 1/4 turn of the sleeve to move the steering wheel about 45 degrees. Soak the threads on the sleeve and both drag link ends with PBlaster beforehand.

This procedure doesn't affect your front end alignment - only the index of the steering wheel.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

While you are doing this (if you do) - check both link ends for looseness. This is a commonly overlooked cause of excessive play in the steering.

Yup!

 

[Boone83K10]

Hey hey hey...love the color B-)

 

[chengny]

How did people do stuff without internet???

Trial & error mostly. Also, lots of hands on experience and following word of mouth advice (often required sorting out the bad conventional wisdom from the real truth). Oh yeah, they had these things called books...