Want to fix boyfriend's truck, please help!
 

My boyfriend is going to be out of town for almost 2 weeks for work and I want to surprise him by getting his truck fixed while he is gone. I am not the most knowledgeable about this stuff so I am hoping you guys can point me in the right direction so I don't get ripped off.

His truck rides really rough, like every little imperfection in the road bounces it all over and you can really feel the shock of it. I know he doesn't have any modifications or anything, but the truck has a lot of miles and I know he was saying it has something to do with the suspension. What part would I need to replace to fix this?

The other problem is that it looks almost like it's bent. The front part doesn't line up with the bed, it is about a half inch lower, and the front is a little crooked. What I mean is, if you look at it from the back, the bed is straight but the front is lower on the driver side then on the passenger side. Any ideas what might be causing this? He says the frame is not bent so it must be something else.

This truck is in really good shape except for this stuff and runs awesome so I really would like to get it fixed for him. Please help! Thanks!

Oh, it's a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado LS, 4WD, regular cab and short bed.

Wow. I wish my girlfriend would do something like that for me. She would be too afraid to even pop the hood on my truck.

I'm not doing it myself! haha.. I am having a mechanic do it but I need to know what might be wrong in case he tries to rip me off!

Come on...Get your hands dirty, do it yourself! He'll love you even more if you do that! LOL

But anyway, I've seen that problem with the bed and cab not lining up. I think it has something to do with the truck being in a wreck before. Has it? He might have a bent frame. That would not be very good, and it would cost a lot, too. After everyone finally gets off work, you will get a lot more useful answers than what I have. I'm not much on suspensions. If you had a mechanical problem, it would probably be easier for me to help. On this one, I have no idea. Just wait a while and someone with this type of knowledge will chime in.

The rough ride part should be shock absorbers...they are relatively inexpensive and can make a huge difference. The crooked bed thing is either the frame or where the bed mounts to the frame. Whichever mechanic you choose should be able to take a look under the truck while it's on the lift.

I know its not the frame, he had that looked at before and they said it was nice and straight. Is there anything else that could cause the front to be lower on one side then on the other, and lower then the bed?

What is exactly lower? The cab from the bed or the suspension is sitting lower on the drivers side? If the torsion bar keys have been played with they can cause both a harsh ride and uneven suspension, but the cab and bed should still line up. You will just have less of a gap from the tire to the fender on one side.

It kinda sounds like a blown strut (shock) or a bad / busted spring.

OK I was doing a search on Google and came across something called a Body to Frame mount bushing which can wear out and cause the cab to sit lower, especially on the driver side because thats where the weight is usually. Does this sound right to you guys?

That is possible, but those bushings usually last for many years. The only thing I can think of is maybe someone at some point had a body lift kit on the truck and messed something up. That would definitely make things uneven!