79 K20 Steering

[Jotto82]

Ok all, I just got my K20 and it has loose steering. My first thought was to just replace everything including the the steering box. I wouldnt learn much doing that though. What I would like to get is a solid understanding of the components for the steering and how to inspect them for defects and wear. Truck will be a daily driver. My wife may even haul a few horses. I need solid steering so I can feel safe letting her drive it. The more detailed the better. Pics are great too! I do have 4” suspension lift but I’m not thinking that matters. Thanks in advance everyone!!!

[mongocanfly]

4" lift will play into how it drives...to check front end parts you can take a big screwdriver or pry bar and pry around on the joints to look for wear..most of the time worn joints are obvious...you can also do a visual check by getting under the truck and have someone [you trust] turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look at joints.....but be safe about it..a k20 wont have many moving parts so it should be simple to narrow down whats worn..

[Jotto82]

Thanks man

[Desert_Eagle02]

Like Mongo said there isn't a lot of parts so it should be easy to narrow down. Drag links and tie rod ends are most likely the culprits. But ball joints and the gear box could be factors too. I know for mine, replacing the drag links helped significantly and I have almost no play after.

[Jotto82]

Do you guys typically get these aligned professionally after front end work or is there a way to do it myself? Just curious. Also. Does anyone have a recommendation on parts? I can get the typical auto parts store items but I prefer quality so if there are better options let me know. Even a kit or something and I’ll do the whole ball of wax at once. I want a solid truck!

[D13]

Buy only Moog or Delco Premium parts. Well worth the extra money if you are going to keep it.
If you really have no FLAPS (friendly local auto parts store) then rockauto.com usually has what you will need a decent price.
Rough align can be done with a level and a string. Good alignment usually requires a shop.

[Jotto82]

Plenty of parts stores around me here in the Green Bay Area. I certainly want to keep the truck. Just wasn’t sure if I would be simply paying for a name or getting better parts. Appreciate that information!!

[Jotto82]

Does anyone have a diagram of the front end components with labels so I know what I am looking at? Or suggest a manual that matches my truck. It’s hard to tell the shop guy what you need when you don’t know what it is lol. I have always taken the vehicle in and when they told me what was broke I would go home and fix it. I have no idea what parts I would need and I can look at things under the truck but I won’t know what I am looking at.

[Greenlee]

First thing I would check / replace is the rag joint. My steering was loose and replacing the rag joint was an easy fix. Here’s a thread on this, but the pics were ruined by photo bucket.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=614332

[Jotto82]

Thank you! I will look it up and figure out what it is.

[Jotto82]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

First thing I would check / replace is the rag joint. My steering was loose and replacing the rag joint was an easy fix. Here’s a thread on this, but the pics were ruined by photo bucket.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=614332

I looked that video up about the steering shaft swap. I like that. Simple mod for sure. I am assuming you are referring to the shaft for the 84-94 XJ?

[Greenlee]

I just replaced it with a stock one. It’s an easy job. Less than 30 minutes.

[rgunlock]

When you say "loose steering" do you mean that you have excessive play at the steering wheel or that the truck has a tendency to steer where it wants to go?

On my 78 K15 with 4" lift springs I'd replaced all but the gear box that have been mentioned in earlier posts. My steering wheel had no play but the truck would steer where the road influenced it to go. I added shims to get caster up to about 9 degrees and that helped quite a bit.

[Jotto82]

Loose at the wheel. Rolls straight with your hands off the wheel just lots of play makes it easy to over and under correct for things in the road.

[Jotto82]

So I did a quick search and was able to acquire an XJ shaft. 1996b20$ didn’t seem to bad and it looks like it in good condition . I think this will be a very beneficial mom d.