upgrade steering box

I am having issues with my trucks handling. I had my steering box rebuilt about a year ago but there is still play in the wheel. The truck starts to "float" at higher speeds, over 50mph.
Has anyone updated their steering box? Or any other ideas to improve handling?
Has anyone beef up the frame, extra crossmember in front to sure up the frame?
Thx
Donn

does the steering wheel move easily if you like rock it back and forth like you were twisting the horn button ,,,,,,,,if so,,,,,where does that movement end,,,,,,,,,in steering box,,,,,drag link,,, tie rods,,,,kingpins or wheel bearings?    how far have you checked into it?    I sure got a steering stabilizer hooked between my axle and center link to hold the steering straight going down the road,,,,,,,is the Camber, Caster and toe in settings correct?

What he said. Almost certainly not the steering box. Lots of other possible causes. Wheel alignment might be a first check if it happens at speed. Tie rods. Jack her up and check for play in the wheels by shaking them back and forth. Any slop is a bad thing.

don't rule out the rear end! spent a year chasing this on mine, replaced everything on the front, steering box, tie rods, drag link, spring bushings, wheel bearings and a hub, play in the upper column, even swapped wheels and tires. lots of those had excessive play and each time, I thought surely it was the cause. after having nothing else left to do on the front, I looked at the rear. as soon as I started to jack it up, I found the frame cracked where the spring attaches!

donivan65 wrote:does the steering wheel move easily if you like rock it back and forth like you were twisting the horn button ,,,,,,,,if so,,,,,where does that movement end,,,,,,,,,in steering box,,,,,drag link,,, tie rods,,,,kingpins or wheel bearings?    how far have you checked into it?    I sure got a steering stabilizer hooked between my axle and center link to hold the steering straight going down the road,,,,,,,is the Camber, Caster and toe in settings correct?

Do you have a picture of the stabilizer on your truck? I was thinking about adding one. I have checked moving the steering wheel, when stopped and moving it the play is about 6 inches when going down the road it feels a bit more then that. Might sound strange I have more control when hitting the gas as soon as I lift my foot up is when I feel the floating motion.
When I hit a bump at slow speeds it almost feels like the front tires are bowing in, its just a feeling have no prof that is happening.

Check to see if the bolts holding the steering box to the frame are tight.

I have checked moving the steering wheel, when stopped and moving it the play is about 6 inches

Six inches of play in the steering wheel just sitting??? I just checked mine and it barely moves an inch before the wheels start to turn. Something very wrong. You can adjust the steering box to take out play, but you really need to check the entire front end and find the problem.

Ok,,,,,to see if we are on the same page,,,,,ideally, when you jiggle the steering wheel, the front tires should jiggle,,,,,if the steering wheel moves probably more than an inch and the tires dont, look at the Pitman arm,,,,,,see if it moves when you jiggle the wheel or if the looseness is in the box ,,,the steering wheel should be tight,,,,,hard to turn...........

Here is my steering stabilizer,,,,,a shock absorber that clamps onto the axle and center link,,,,,holds the tie rods in place so you go straight down the road,,,,,,but still lets you turn the wheels,,,,,,surely dont make parking more easy,,,,,,especially if you got wide 15" tires grabbing the ground .....

donivan65 wrote:Here is my steering stabilizer,,,,,a shock absorber that clamps onto the axle and center link,,,,,holds the tie rods in place so you go straight down the road,,,,,,but still lets you turn the wheels,,,,,,surely dont make parking more easy,,,,,,especially if you got wide 15" tires grabbing the ground .....

Donovan, thanks for the pics. I ordered a stabilizer today. I had my steering box rebuilt about a year ago. Pretty sure I got ripped off . It was not tight when I put it back in but the guy that rebuilt it has a good reputation so I figured there was another problem in the front end.
Think I'm going to see if I can find a company that sells rebuilt units or look for an updated box that will work.

I think one of the problems with the steering boxes is that when they are worn out I'm not real sure what a rebuild does for that. Other than clean it and put in new seals. Maybe the balls get replaced?

Have you messed with the adjustment screws,,,,,,,,you got the big worm shaft bearing adjuster and the little side sector shaft adjuster screw,,,,,,,,,see if they can be tightened little by little,,,,,,,,,,,

I was under the impression there was just one screw/lock nut to adjust the steering box.

There is some kind of preload adjustment on the big nut when it is assembled, then there is just the one adjusting screw after that.