Need advice on steering components 86 K20

[RyanTexas]

Hey guys, I am a new member on here and just recently traded for an 86 K20 Chevy with about 15 inches of lift or so, sittin up on 44 inch Boggers. It didn't steer for **** when I got it and would actually try to dive for one ditch or the other at very low speeds, so I swapped in another steering gear which did not correct the problem. The lift on the truck consists of a 3 inch body and the rest is all leafs. No ******** blocks. But as for the steering components, everything is stock except for a home made drop between the tie rod that connects to the pitman arm, which is stock, and the tie rod connecting at the driver's wheel. I understand that I need a drop pitman arm, but the biggest drop I have seen is a 4 inch. Is there a company out there that makes a drop between the tie rods??? I like how genius the redneck that originally built this truck was with his drop tie rod invention, but they are welded into a 1/4 inch plate that drops them about 5 inches but are non serviceable. They have slack in them and I can't change them. Now there are probably 20 Chevy's on 44s in my county alone, but I want your input so I can buy the right **** the first time. I'm going to change diff fluid out sometime this week and figure what gearing the truck has, which I am afraid is stock. The 454 and 4 speed combo are in good working order. Pics on my profile. Thanks guys

 

[Irishman999]

Look in the under construction section for Crazy4offroads K10, if I remember right he recently did cross over steering and had a bunch of pictures.

 

[RyanTexas]

Thanks man, I'll look and see

 

[RyanTexas]

@Irishman
I read the thread you pointed me towards in it's entirety and the whole story top to bottom was about doing a dana 60 swap. Needless to say I still need help with this.

 

[RyanTexas]

If anyone is running 44 inch tires on a K20 square body, I would greatly appreciate a word with you pertaining to which of your steering parts are not stock, what size drop, where you bought them, what company makes them etc. Mine only has a ''Jerry Rigged'' drop tie rod setup in which I can't replace the tie rods because they're welded into plate steel. Look at my truck on my profile. I'll get a close up of the home made tie rod assembly soon but after a look at the truck you will understand how bad I want to get back on the road

 

[Irishman999]

Sorry dude, I could have sworn he did a cross over steering setup that uses a 2wd steering box.

 

[RyanTexas]

It's all good man

 

[crazy4offroad]

Even though you're running a K20 (3/4 ton) you should have a GM Corporate 10 bolt front axle, unless someone swapped in a Dana 44 or D60. Which axle do you have? Also as I was reading your 1st post it sounded like the drag link goes to the passenger side wheel? And the tie rod goes back to the driver's side? If not you can get a 4" drop pitman arm, 4" raised steering arm, and a 4" drop drag link. That would put you close but honestly you really need crossover steering for that much lift and that big of tires. The factory GM steering geometry sucks to begin with, crossover fixes limited directional steering in a trail twist. If you had pics of your current setup it would help a lot in seeing what you need, it almost sounds like your caster is out, so that no matter how close you get the toe-in it's still gonna feel like you have shopping cart wheels on the front. Also what width are your wheels? Bulged tread and make wide tires feel skaty. If you do decide to just keep the 10-bolt front Offroad Design make steering knuckles for it to convert to crossover. If you want to keep the stock setup with a bunch of dropped components look into what National Tire & Wheel has.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Sorry dude, I could have sworn he did a cross over steering setup that uses a 2wd steering box.

And yes crossover steering requires a 2WD steering box.

 

[RyanTexas]

Thanks for your reply. I am pretty certain it's a little old dana 44 front. looks identical to my 78 f150, but I'll check when the sun comes back out. I don't know how much money goes into the crossover setup, but I actually had a 2wd square body that was pretty clean, but I scrapped it after the cam broke and fell into the oil pan on my lunch break one day. I like your idea of 4" drop pitman arm, 4" raised steering arm, and a 4" drop drag link. From what little looking around I had done all I had seen was the drop pitman arm. Let me know what all goes into the crossover steering setup. I'm not familiar with it, but it seems like those 3 steering parts wouldn't run more than about 200 bucks and I'd be steering good. My wheels are Weld 16.5x14s and the tires are 19.5 wide. The wheels actually say they are rated for up to a 44 inch tire. The caster angle is fine until the truck starts moving. There's boocoo slack in this bastard. You can see more pics on my profile. I'll have to take more underneath close-ups for you. I think you'll like my exhaust. It goes between the bed and the frame and is tucked all the way back. Who do you know of that makes all the parts you mentioned. I know skyjacker has the pitman arm. I want to get it all in one place if I can.

 

[sean1960]

Crossover steering is the way to go. You could buy a raised steering arm and a 3 inch block that bolts to the top of the knuckle. I don't recomend it they use very long studs and tend to flex and move when running 44 inch tires. I would buy a raised passenger side steering arm / knuckle (not cheap). Use a two wheel drive gearbox and buy a aftermarket draglink usually sold by the same manufacturer as the knuckle. I have crossover steering on my truck but I have a Dana 60 front axle.

 

[RyanTexas]

There's a dana 60 on my brother's 86 that I will probably end up with but he has to decide what he's gonna do with the truck first. My guess is nothing. He has gotten into Jeep Cherokee's and now has 4 of them. I read up some on crossover steering and get the concept now. It's a left right steering gear that literally crosses over, rather than the push pull type I currently have. Tell me, does the 2wd gearbox bolt right up or are the bolt holes going to need to be fabricated? I went out and looked and the steering arm is already raised. It comes up like 5 inches and I imagine the stock one was nearly straight. The tie rods on mine from the gearbox to the steering arm are welded into a piece of plate metal that drops them about 5 inches also, but my problem with them is they look like **** and can't be replaced. I don't know if they have slack in them because I just got the truck and haven't had someone rock the steering wheel for me so I can take a look. No matter what, I have to get it steering right, whether I intend to stick with the 44s that's on it or not, because I'm not changing the lift height. I would consider 38-38.5s or maybe even surplus military 37s since u can get a set for 200 bucks around here with about 80 percent tread. It's a beautiful truck and I want to be able to enjoy it. Interior is in fair shape. Only 2 small dash cracks and the rubber floor liner looks good, not perfect. The seat pad is bad and the steering column too from the previous owner pulling himself up by it. I have a spare that I'll install shortly. Outside clean as a whistle. Paint looks sharp. I am not even leaving my yard with this truck until it acts right. It should be out there being enjoyed by everyone else.

 

[crazy4offroad]

The steering box if you dont have a core is around $120.
Crossover steering/high steer kit from Offroad Design would be $520 + ship.
A Dedenbear flattop passenger side knuckle from Offroad Design runs $219 + ship.
Total = $859

NT&W has an 8" steering arm for about $190
4" drop draglink, site says "priced from $191.02" but I didn't give that much for the one I had.

NONE of this is going to correct your steering problem, just how much steering you can do. You should probably check your toe-in with a tape measure, see how close it is (or isnt). measure from the rotors (probably have to take the tires off) and the front should be 1/4" to 3/16" narrower than the rear measurement. If that dont fix it I would be looking at castor, especially if you have longer shackles on the front springs.

 

[RyanTexas]

Thanks I'll look at that too

 

[sean1960]

Ryan you need a steering stabilizer. Check the castor and the toe-in. Check the tie rod ends. And then I would recommend dual steering stabilizers. Both of the trucks I've owned with 44's on them had to have dual stabilizers or hydraulic assist on the steering.