I'm pulling my hair out......

[Tquillen]

The steering on my '69 C10 will not return to center, and its kicking my butt. First off, the details and specifics:

Rebuilt suspension: upper control arm shafts and bushings, new upper and lower ball joints for 73-87, CPP modular drop spindles for 73-87, stock springs, new tie rod inner/outer ('69 and 73-87 combo) with CPP conversion adjuster. New pitman arm and idler arm. I reused the '69 centerlink. All replacement components are Moog. I converted the steering to power, using a steering gearbox from a '86 C10 and power steering pump from a '90 Camaro (factory serpentine conversion). Wheels are 15x6 with a 225/75/15 tire. 5x5 pattern.


Alignment is currently at 0.5 degrees positive camber, 3.6 degrees caster, and 1/8" total toe in. I've done alignments on drag cars for twenty years and never had an issue, but I'm going to put the truck on an alignment machine this week to double check my numbers. The shim stack on the upper a-arm has four 1/8" shims on the front, with none on the back stud (I was trying to maximize caster to see if it made a difference).

Steering column is free with no binding. I've also taken the bolts out of the idler arm frame bracket while the truck is on the ground to be sure that the center link wasn't putting the idler arm or pitman arm in a bind; I can slide the bolts in and out easily. With the outer tie rods disconnected from the spindle, and jackstands placed under the lower control arm, the spindles turn freely on the ball joints with single finger effort. I've also removed the power steering box from the truck and run through the shop manual adjustment procedure that I found on this forum. The sector shaft adjustment was a little tight, so I corrected that but no difference. I also backed out the sector shaft adjustment screw an additional turn (going a quarter turn at a time), test driving the truck between each adjustment, ith no difference. I also removed the CPP front sway bar, just for grins...no luck there (I didn't expect there to be any).

The truck steering is very nice in terms of effort, with no noises or hard spots. The truck feels tight on the road, and doesn't wander. it just doesn't return to center, and requires constant correction to keep in in my lane. Once I get it pointed straight, it goes straight. No pulls, no vibrations.


Fellas, I'm lost. I've scoured this forum for information, and tried everything I know to do, with no changes. I'm open to any and all ideas. Is 3.5 degrees not enough for these trucks?