1008 front end worn out?

[Rich Johnson]

In the year that I have had my truck, I discovered that I had the death wobble. It only had 50k miles but they must have been hard miles.

I replaced the kingpin springs and bushings as well as the stabilizer.

Recently my truck has started to pull to the right and drastically pulls right when applying brakes.

I checked brakes and bearings (left side blew apart a while back), tire pressure etc. Nothing.

Now, when braking it pulls right, but the steering wheel wobbles left right a bit with it.

I fianlly gave up and took it into a shop.

They came back and told me all my tie rod ends are worn out, as well as my front spings causing the swaying.

They said changing the bushings and shackles will cost much more in labor than just replaceing the whole spring set (150 per side)

I have a couple questions,

1 Are the 1008 springs more than a 1 ton C30 I mean are they special military rated springs?

2 how difficult would it be for me to pull and replace the shakle bushings, has any body done it?


I plan on doing the tie rod ends myself then taking it in for an alignment.
If the springs are just stock chevy 1 ton C-30 and not special military, then I may them to do that job.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

 

[IdahoPlowboy]

I just went thru my 1028 front end and the springs look the same as my 1009 and my dads 84 k30 1 ton dually, Im not saying there the same because I dont know the spring rates but they looked to be the same on all 3 trucks.
I did the shakle bushings front and rear on both my 1009 and my 1028 and they were not bad at all. I did ORDs bushings and shackles and there FUSH kit also. The hardest part of all of it would have been getting the old bushings out but I had the shop that re arched the springs do that.

 

[Rich Johnson]

I dont know what ORDs or FUSH is, can you elaborate?

 

[IdahoPlowboy]

OffroadDesign.com Lots of stuff for Chevy trucks and others also. Fush is the Front upper shackle hanger, This is where your front leaf spring bolts to frame at the rear of the spring. It is a stronger part than the stock one with a larger size bushing.

 

[IdahoPlowboy]

I dont understand how the springs could cause the problem I have had them sag some but never worn. If they sag re arch or replace them and get better bushings.

 

[Rich Johnson]

I picked up my truck and the tech, who builds off road race trucks in his spare time, says that my front springs are sagging, and a couple are warped. He seriously reccomends replacing both front springs and not changing just the bushings.

Are the 3 leaf front springs stock C30 one ton springs or are the stronger ones?

 

[Warthog]

The M1008 front springs are part number GM 460354. TM 9-2320-289-34p figure 148.

They have the UOC code of 194, 208, 210, 230, 231, 252, 254 and 256. That means they are used on all the trucks except the M1009 Blazer.

You do know how to lookup the UOC (Usable On Code) don't you. Look at page 4 of the parts manual.

Rockauto.com is show Dayton part#22402 for $130. It replaces part number OE# 460354

 

[Cucvnut]

Rich , a c30 is 2wd truck you mean a k30 which is a 4wd truck

 

[IdahoPlowboy]

Any updates?

 

[Rich Johnson]

Where can I order the tie rods from? I tried LMC but they dont carry them.

 

[101coolcars]

Napa is a good souce for front end parts like the tie rod ends, ask for K30 4x4 1 ton parts, the great folks at ORD, off road design can get you set up with springs and poly bushings, they even have greaseable bushing kits. they realy know chevy front ends.

any slop, anywhere in the front suspension can cause varying degrees of death wobble, sometimes just replacing one part can mask or improve the wobble for awhile making troubleshooting very difficult. a high quality steering stabilzer is a must. you need to lossen one end to test it properly, it should have considerable resistance to compression, if its loose, there is one on the main culprits. hope that helps some.\\\

Terry

 

[usmc80]

Can anyone tell me the tie rod or part number I need for the drivers side of a m1008? Napa said that they come in two different sizes and I dont have the original part.

 

[dependable]

I recently got tie rod and drag link ends (and adjuster sleeves because mine were pretty rusted) for a M1008 from Rock Auto.com. They had a couple of brands to chose from. Use their on line catalog and look for parts for 1984 K-30. You can also find part numbers there.

 

[WARWAG]

The bushings are pretty easy to get out AFTER you remove the metal inner sleeve. Why you are at it get the Off Road Designs (ORD) greasable bushings and bolts. The upgraded front spring hanger is worth it as well. You can also get new springs. I like the EZ ride HD springs. Very Nice and smooth. You can get those from ORD as well. Remember. What you do on one side you should do on the other.

 

[48cj2a]

If you are going to replace the springs then it is also a perfect time to consider a mild lift to accomidate larger tires and help compensate for the 4.56 gears and high rpm on the highway.