Leaf spring front dilema

Been using this site for years to solve my ( car) problems. Now I have a question I can’t find an answer to.
I’m running a Dana 44 straight axle ( center section removed) with leaf springs. Basically it’s a late 70’s gmc 4x4 front clip. I have the axle mounted on top of the springs. Stock suspension parts ( springs are arched a little to get the right height). Power steering, also stock gmc. All of this is mounted under a 1945 1.5 ton gmc truck just for reference.

I was running a stack of three leaf springs ( stock for most 1/2 ton that year) and it was very stiff. I removed 1 leaf ( now have 2). When I pulled out into the drive way and turned the wheel, the front end rose up noticeably, more than a few inches.

when investigating, if I turn the steering wheel to the right or left the LEFT front raises up. The right side does not ( much).
The caster is the same on both side ( about 4 degrees) .
When I let the front suspension hang , not weighted, and turn the wheels, they are the same o each side. Very little change, maybe 1-1.5” as expected from caster.

my only thought now is the axle is wrapping the spring on the left side , closest to the steering box- . Never seen it before and after searching the internet machine for days, no one else has either. Sumpin ain’t right and even if I could “fix” it by adding more leafs, that would make it too stiff.

any ideas appreciated, im all out. Thanks in advance

 

Share some photos so we can see how everything goes together, without having one of these trucks on hand it's difficult to ***ume where the Pitman arm is or which end has shackles etc etc

 

Here is a pic I have handy, the shackles are at the rear of the springs.

 

That is strange.
The short drag link compared to the long front section of the leaf spring is going to be a bump steer deal, but pulling/pushing the axle down (body up) on just one side?
I'd try disconnecting the drag link from the steering arm, and try to turn the wheels (wax paper or fast food trays under the tires) and see if it's in just the springs, axle and tie rod.

 

Is the front differential a limited slip or locker? Maybe its fighting the turn and overcoming the 2 springs

 

What you are experiencing happens on all 4x4 trucks that have a solid front axle. Removing that 3rd leaf in the spring pack has only enlarged the feel of what has probably been happening all along. It is a product of the tire angle as the wheel turns from extreme left to extreme right (or the other direction). Wide tires also enlarges the problem.
With the truck jacked up with the tires are off the ground, but the weight is still on the axle, if you turn the wheels to one extreme, you will be able to see the tire is no longer standing straight up and down, but either the top or the bottom is leaning in (or out). Then if you turn it to the other extreme, you will see the same tire will be leaning the other way. The tire on each side of the truck will be the exact opsite of the other side of the truck. It is a design flaw (probably caster related) with all solid 4x4 axles, and with the GM solid axles, it shows up more radically then the Dodge or Ford solid axles do, but it is present with all of them. This is generally not much of an issue with the 4x4 crowd, its become "normal" to them.
The reason you feel it more in one direction is because the axle pinion is not centered on the axle housing, so the longer axle has more leverage on the spring on that side. When the one leaf was removed, it allowed the weaker spring pack to react more.

 

Wow, thanks @gene-koning I didn't know that. I've had a couple Dodge 4x4s and they did feel different than a RWD, but never dived into it. Probably more about the steering axis and scrub radius now that I think about it, but makes sense.
https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/scrub-radius.2092481/

 

for a few of our commenters...there is no differential, there are no axle shafts. Those parts have nothing to do with what's happening.

I think Gene's explanation is correct. The ball joints are offset to provide caster, and king pin inclination. These angles mean the tire will have to raise or lower the axle as the wheel steers.

Look at the springs on 70s-80s GM 44s, they usually have a thick center part of the leaf, probably for this very reason. (pic from ebay of used springs)

 

The arched springs for the added lift have changed the geometry of the steering between the pitman arm and the knuckle, as well as changing the caster angle, causing caster lift when turning, and the elimination of one leaf per pack has amplified this effect. Either put it back to stock, or look at the aftermarket off road stuff to find the solutions the rock crawler crowd uses.

 

Ok, just came in from experimenting with RodStrace’s idea. I disconnected the steering box and sat the truck on the ground with home made turntables ( aka grease plates).
Now, when turning full lock in both directions the truck stays almost perfectly flat.

I think it was stated above in another comment, the relationship between the steering box / arm is not stock by a few inches . It was apparently enough to get by with until I removed another spring and it lowered another inch or maybe 2”. At this point the steering is twisting the springs because of the improper geometry.

the solution will be to return to a height that makes the steering angles happy, and then likely get some leafs made that are the desired stiffness at that height.

thanks for the ideas, and if I’m missing a concept here , feel free to point it out."

 

As long as you keep the solid axle housing, the issue will not go away. That is the reason most modern light duty 4x4 stuff has gone to the independent front suspension and floating axles. With each side having its own control arms and springs, the tire inclination can be altered enough its not as apparent.
The aftermarket and off road groups have accepted the tire inclination as part of the solid axle program and most have come to the point where they use it towards their advantage. Once you leave the pavement, the tires leaning when they turn can be pretty helpful with slow movement on a rough, uneven surface.

 

I can accept the lift from the tire inclination. It’s very small when the bound up steering parts are removed from the equation. I built this leaf spring front to go with the theme of the 1945 gmc, which was leaf also. But with disc brakes and power steering. Live and learn ( often the hard way). Thanks again.

 

As a follow up - and admission of my mistake - I found the link between the steering box ( pitman arm) and the steering arm ( mounted on the knuckle) was shortened to a length that was incorrect. When I adjusted it to 1 inch longer, the “problem” was largely resolved.

in my defense, I received the ch***is as a bunch of parts and when ***embling it I did what looked correct. When looking at pictures of the front suspension on the internet machine I could see the tie rod (?) was adjusted longer on most other trucks with a Dana 44 steering.

I still have some elevation change at the extreme ends of steering lock ( by design as explained by others above) which is not a problem for my street use.

 

As a side note , your front axle resembles a DJ 5 frt axle . Which is a 2 whl left hand drive jeep . I have a few if needed ….

 

@tognot First, thanks for the nod and second thanks for getting back and explaining your findings and fix!
So many threads go 2 or 3 pages before the OP comes back and asks more questions rather than providing answers, or the resolution is never posted. Kudos! Also glad to hear it was fixed to your satisfaction without major h***le or money.