Just my $.02 but I think folks have a tendency to catagorize many handling problems as "bumpster." As pointed out, a fairly tight stock front AD suspension on a decent road surface should track straight as an arrow. You don't have to accept less because you're driving an "old truck."
I contend that if your front suspension is in reasonably good condition, that a check of the toe-in and the addition of just a tad more will remedy the condition. It's the easiest thing to check of the 3 critical "adjustments" and I've found that in 90% of the cases it remedied the situation. You don't want to go overboard to a point where you're "plowing" and eating up your front tires, but an extra 1/8" might just improve the situation. It doesn't cost anything to try.....take your measurements, establish your baseline, and see if it doesn't remedy the situation.
In addition, I've found that adding a shimmy dampener/steering stabilizer helps to reduce the wear and tear on a straight axle front suspension. It won't cure your tracking problems but it will save you time and money in the long run once you get your truck to handle like it was designed.
I run a tank of gas through my 54 truck every week and travel on varied road surfaces and running at 70 mph shouldn't be a "white knuckle" experience. After all, what's the fun of owning and old truck if you can't enjoy the driving experience?
Dave
