[Chris in CT]

Hi Ghenry,
I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum and welcome to the hobby. Set your front axle up on jack stands. Then, with a friend wobbling the front tires back and forth, you get under the car and look for where the lost motion (free play) is coming from. Have a look at the steering box, if it is loose you'll see it, and from your description I would place money on that source. In any case, it will be a lot wiser to properly diagnose the problem than to start throwing parts at it. Good Luck!