4x4 steering issue - won't return to center

[special-K]

Nothing new here. I'm pondering doing crossover steering.

[HO455]

Have you checked your spring hangers for wear? The hanger bushings get loose, the bolts wear and they no longer hold the axle in position. Jack the truck up and disconnect the spring from the axle and push the spring side to side. Worn hangers will allow you to move the spring an inch or more. Good hangers make it hard to push the springs. Think about the forces that the wheels put against the axles and all that must be controlled by the hangers. Don't forget to check the rear axle too. The tail can wag the dog all day long.

Old worn springs can lose temper and the eyes can get loose too. My 51 GMC 2wd with new king pins, tie rod, drag link, rebuilt steering box , wheel bearings, and it still was a white knuckle drive, until I put new spring hangers on it. Big difference. One hand highway cruiser now. The bushings seemed a bit loose in the front spring eyes so we are looking to replace the front springs this winter.
Good luck

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by special-K

Nothing new here. I'm pondering doing crossover steering.

Hey Tim. While you're pondering, ponder this.

I have assumed for some time now that crossover steering was the be-all and end-all when it comes to the solid-axle trucks.

Then yesterday, while searching the good old forum for an answer to a different question, I stumbled across this 5-year-old thread with some interesting comments, controversial even, regarding crossover steering.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=567317

What I took away from the discussion is that if you want decent highway driving characteristics, stay with the GM-factory-style steering (push-pull) and if you have a lift, raise the steering arm. Crossover steering is good off-road, but potentially not-so-nice on the highway, and you probably don’t need it unless you are doing some really extreme wheeling.

Not sure what you are going for though. I'm putting a lot of stock in DirtyLarry's advice. I don't know him personally, but it seems like he uses his rig like I like to use mine, so I would tend to think that what he is doing would work for me.

[nonstop]

I converted my truck to cross over steering. I eventually changed it back. The steering felt vague on the roadway, and I lost my sway bar. I went back in with a dropped pitman arm, and am personally much happier. But a lot of it depends on how the truck is used.

[special-K]

Ok, so that's not a way around it. Mostly I like the high-steer feature I'd go with if I did crossover. Way back before people started doing this for off road reasons, I felt Ford had a convoluted mess of a steering system compared to GM simplicity. I have owned a lot of the GM 4wds and never felt bump steer was an issue as bad as I see people claim it is for them. I've had urethane bushings that come with lift kits go bad, allowing front end assembly to rack causing a loose steering problem. I replaced the steering box on my current truck with this issue because I found slop at the sector shaft/pitman arm. The truck has never gone straight as it should. I wish I had done everything on the front end at the same time. I have a couple other steering boxes I think I'll try