Front axle off set to passenger side

[iamtherealJayy]

@Nonstop i haven’t gotten an alignment yet, and the wheels were slightly turned in photo

 

[iamtherealJayy]

Everything is now greased. Waiting on moog sway bar bushings to arrive then I’ll put the sway bar back on and hopefully get new measurements. I’m fine with a little off center but how it currently sits the passenger side is exposed and drivers side is tucked

 

[iamtherealJayy]

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May be me just going insane at this point and nitpicking but do the rear spring hangers appear to be leaning passenger side? Or am I just making my brain think they are because I want to figure out what’s wrong?

 

[AuroraGirl]

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May be me just going insane at this point and nitpicking but do the rear spring hangers appear to be leaning passenger side? Or am I just making my brain think they are because I want to figure out what’s wrong?

That looks ouchie

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[iamtherealJayy]

Alright serious question time. When I put the sway bar back on… is it going to be easier to attach to frame first or axle? If I attach to axle and it doesn’t line up at frame don’t I risk pulling the frame over instead of axle

 

[AuroraGirl]

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[iamtherealJayy]

Do I tighten the drop bracket to frame first or leave it loose too? Wont it be hard to get it tightened once the sway bar is bolted to it as well? I have a new steering stabilizer coming tomorrow and once I get that on I’ll move the truck to more level ground and lift the truck by frame and attach sway bar I’ll also check ubolts

 

[RecklessWOT]

Make sure the gap from the fender to the end of the bumper is the same on each side.

One of the things that can happen is the cab can be set on the frame rails crooked (this is especially true with the regular cab, since it is so short in comparison to a crew cab or Blazer/Suburban).

That means the hood, which is attached to the cab, is shooting off to one side. In order to get the hood to look right the radiator support and front fenders get pushed off to that side.

The end result is that you have more tire exposed on one side than the other.

Since the bumper attaches to the frame directly it becomes a convenient place to measure from, to see if your front end is square, or skewed.

It might not be the case with yours specifically, but I've seen it enough times it should be checked.

A front end collision that slightly tweaks the frame would have the same result, was the truck ever hit that you know of? Do all the body panels line up right and only the axle/springs appear to be cocked to the side, or do you have weird gaps that don't match up from one end of the panel to the other? My truck was straight as an arrow till I got hit. My hood actually stayed straight and the fenders/rad support moved with the frame rails/axle. I bolted a new bumper on (was the only body panel that took any damage) and the gap is off a little, but the hood really tells it all. There's no kinks or serious bends in the frame, should be cheap enough to have a frame shop square it back up, on the list of things to do just haven't gotten around to it because I am really the only one who notices it and I can think of better ways to spend money. Will definitely have it done before I paint it.

*edit* I should've read further before posting. I see the post about the truck being hit in 2004. There's your answer right there.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

So frame damage? I live in a smaller town I can call around and see if anyone offers straightening

 

[RecklessWOT]

So frame damage? I live in a smaller town I can call around and see if anyone offers straightening

Yeah, I live in a small town myself and there is actually a frame shop right in town. Some places specialize in just that, but most any collision repair/body shop (a decent one at least) should be able to do it. As long as nothing is kinked or cracked, it's usually pretty easy for them to get it back square and doesn't take very long so the cost isn't crazy. The frames on these trucks aren't the most rigid thing in the world so they bend/twist pretty easy, but for the same reason it's fairly easy for them to pull/push them back into shape. Actually much easier for them to get it right than on a unibody car. Might be up to you to adjust some panels afterwards, but as long as the frame is straight that's a good starting point and you can play with your fender gaps and stuff on your own time to keep cost down

 

[AuroraGirl]

I literally posted the factory installation procedure I dont know what else to do lol

it says what to do, it uses numbers of what on the diagram youre doing in what order, the manual is just not setup like these days where the diagram is setup for that procedure and its quick 1-2 process, you gotta check your things twice like santa

 

[iamtherealJayy]

There’s one collision specialty place in town, I’ll call them tomorrow and see what they offer, I’ll atleast figure out whether or not the frame is tweaked and what it would cost. Hopefully it’s nothing major, nothing on the frame is cracked but the wreck broke one rivet on the cross member under the engine so that’s welded and that’s the only not factory thing noticeable.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

@AuroraGirl your post helped but that’s before a lift and using a drop bracket, the drop bracket nut/bolt won’t be easily accessible once the sway bar is installed

 

[bucket]

The sway bar won't make a difference in axle alignment. That is not it's purpose at all and serves no secondary purpose to align the axle either.

On a hard and flat surface, the spring shackles should be perpendicular to the ground surface. If they are both shifted to one side, then the front frame section is probably out of square.

Where was the damage back in '04 and what direction did the hit come from? Have you inspected how the bumper is mounted? Look in behind for tweaked brackets, body shims and/or slotted mounting holes.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

To my best understanding the wreck was dad pulling a trailer down the road and a lady in a minivan pulled out in front of him, the impact was drivers front corner, trailer swung took out both bedsides. Dad said the axle was “sticking two foot out the passenger side” in 04 I would’ve been 2 so I have no proof on accuracy of that claim. He took a parts truck he had(same year truck just 2wd) and rebuilt this one and straightened the frame apparently. The only original to the truck parts are cab passenger door and passenger fender. I don’t have any photos of the wreck or any memory of the wreck. My ash tray door is twisted and doesn’t open and shut easily. Truck never been smoked in so I took the tray out of it and put in glove box and I have a controller for floor leds stuck in there currently