[Dana 44 Solid Front Axle Steering Loose]

Thank you Moses I just got around to seeing your reply and I’ll definitely try taking these steps in order to narrow down my concern. As soon as I get a definitive answer I’ll be sure to get in contact with you and let you know what it ended up being 

[Dana 44 Solid Front Axle Steering Loose]

Hello, I've got a 1992 GMC sierra 1500 straight axled with a dana 44 front axle and a dana 60 rear. The set up is stout but my steering while on the road is horrible. there is about a quarter of a wheel turn in the steering wheel before the tires move. its pretty much a bone stock steering rack and I have kinda narrowed it down to the ball joints on the steering bar but before I commit to just throwing parts at it I wanted to hear some input from y'all. below is an almost identical image of my steering rack from the web. i was going to begin by replacing the ball joint ends on the bar that attaches to the pitman arm. would this be the correct course of action?