Awhiile back i bought a 79 f100, 300-6 three on the tree..etc. It was a good old truck and i got it real cheap. Well when i got looking the floors were rotted out and had some rust in other places. Well my 66 year old father wanted it to tinker with so i sold it to him for what i paid. Now he has used it for awhile and fixed the rust and got it running good and he wants to sell it. He has a newer mustang thats his new toy. Id like to have it back. My question is it has a lot of play in the steering. You can be going down the highway and it slowly drifts to the left, when you turn the wheel to the right to try and correct the wheel keeps turning and then bam! it cactches and you almost switch lanes.

Im confused what to fix. The truck bothers me to drive even though my dad has driven it almost daily. Mind you knot much over 35 and in a small rural town. It never sees the highway. Ive been told alot of conflicting answers to this from the steering box to busings to tie rods etc etc. It has alot of play in the wheel in both directions up to two inches either way. I just need a bit of advice/help. On the one hand i need a truck around my place for work/hauling purposes but on the other i can ge something else but not as cheap. The old man is only adding a 100.00 to the price and that includes all the body work he did and tune up. For 700.00 he wants to sell it to me for i wont find anything but junk at that price. BTW this will not be a daily driver just a hardware store hauling junk off truck. I might want to lower it a bit down the road too. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Could be many areas where excessive play is present, an 1/8th of an inch here and there adds up to inches at the steering wheel, check the rag joint, steering box, tie-rod ends, etc.

 

I'm having a similar problem with a 75 highboy, it's deffinitely drivable but not real comfortable to drive. My neighbor who's a lifetime mechanic told me that the power steering is adjusted too tight, but I haven't gotten around to tinkering around and see... Just an idea.

 

Same here this one is drivable but not to me. My old man is a retired teamster hes used to driving them sloppy company trucks...lol. Im no mechanic so how would you "loosen" the power steering? If you use the old method of moveing the front wheels back and forth from the outside with you hands it does not seem to do any unusual shaking. Ill still probaly buy it from him and work on it here and there. Like i said i want to drop it a couple inches and through some full moons on it and call it a day maybe a split mani too.

 

Have someone turn the wheel back and forth while sitting still, engine off is best. If anythings loose you will probably hear it. then look underneath and watch the tie rods and ends, where the idler arm connects and the pitman arm off the bottom of the box somewhere you should see a piece moving next to one that doesn't move as often or as much as its partner. If not sure, check from the steering box up to the wheel, see if it all moves at eaxactly the same time when rocking the wheel back and forth. I am sure you will find something, also try prying up and down on the tie rods, any movement up and down is a worn part, also when trying that , if you jack it up to get under, put blocks under the tires and put the weight back on them as it could tighten something loose when distended all the way down and keep you from finding it. After all this typing, I agree it sounds like your rag joint too.. whatever it is you will find it this way though