Got stupid--bent stuff

[dirtyfingernails]

I got my blazer stuck on concrete debris in a ravine couple weekends ago. I never made it to the end of the trail. Ended up backing out-limping home. Anyway, the truck drifts right pretty hard now. If I don't hold the wheel left--it will go right. I noticed when I got home that the steering stablizer was smashed in and the bracket on the axle (Dana 60 conversion) was bent upward. I've checked everything else, could I have bent the tie rod? How do I know if it's straight. I noticed that the hole in the tie rod that accepts the steering stabilizer is not exactly vertical--it leans a little forward at the bottom. Any suggestions of what to try would be appreciated--I'm tapped out.
Steve

 

[mkcoen]

Might be a slight bend in the steering tube. Those should be perfectly straight but they're easy to bend. It's pretty tough to bend the actual tire rods since they're cast (usually break with pressure).

Here's a pic of my steering tube. I doubt yours is that bad.

 

[vinny-socom1]

Sorry Steve but I had to do it...

Vinny

 

[dirtyfingernails]

Vinny,
No worries. I thought someone would do it. I really don't SEE any bending in the tie rod. But, I suppose it could be tweaked just enough to cause the drift. Anybody? What about the kingpins? They feel real tight, but I suppose they could need a rebuild. Anybody know how to verify that they are good?

 

[muddog]

Did you check the steering box to see if it may have pulled loose from the frame. I had the same thing happen to a blazer I have and some of the steering bolts pulled through the frame. Had a tough time getting out of the woods and took about 45mins to drive about 10 miles home.

 

[mkcoen]

You can check the ball joints by jacking the front up and seeing how much play there is pushing towards the engine and pulling back on the top of the tires. If the ball joints are shot you'll also notice the vehicle drift when driving and usually a real severe pull if you brake hard.

 

[dirtyfingernails]

I'll check the bolts at the box. Mkcoen, kingpins have no perceivable play when I do this test. No additional pull on braking--actually the drift disappears when I brake (ie it goes straight). I've rotated the tires too.

 

[FMJ]

If you hit hard enough, you may have shifted the front axle backwards a bit. . . Is the steering wheel in the same position when going straight as it was before the "incident" ?

 

[dirtyfingernails]

How could the axle be moved? The spring pins are in the axle indexes. Could someone tell me if the hole in the Dana 60 on M1008s for the steering stabilizer is completely perpendicular to the ground? Mine isn't. Maybe this is where it got tweeked.