[dpuckett]

The fact of the matter is, Dodge trucks of the time were marginal at best, when you had a 650# V8 on it. Put on a 1000lb+ Turbo diesel engine on there, and it makes for a lot more stress on everything from bushings, to springs, shocks, control arms, frame, etc. Add less than religious maintenance/ greasing of front supsension parts, or shock/ tire balance getting out of spec, and it magnifies problems. I've seen some pretty bad front ends with not a lot of miles on them. The key is maintenance and grease those fittings often. When something goes bad or starts to fade, get it fixed, before it takes out 3 other things. This should be a rule of thumb for the entire vehicle, but it is especially critical on the front end.

Daniel