Yesterday I took the truck for a drive and it felt like something was dragging a little. Today I jacked the front end up and checked everything out. I knew that the steering was loose and there was some clunking coming from the front, so I expected to find something wrong. Turns out in the steering the main offender is the steering gear. I greased the ball joints and water came out of the seals despite just greasing them not long ago ( water came out then too).
Because the truck has 213,000 miles, and because things like the balljoints appear to be the originals, I have ordered tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, upper and lower bushings, steering gear, pitman arm, idler arm, idler arm bracket, rancho rs5000 shocks, tie rod center links, and wheel bearings. The only things left to go wrong on this truck handling and suspension wise are the torsion bars and rear leaf springs.
I have also got a canopy for the truck and painted it Navy blue, which is a near match for the blue along the bottom. I scrapped the idea of painting the rockers that gritty sand color. I may change my mind in the future, but for now it is staying blue.
