98 Suburban front end noise

I recently purchased a 98 Suburban and have been having a few problems, I've been reading this forum and find that a lot of owners ahve some great advice and was hoping I could pick someone's brain!
First of all there is a lot of rattling coming from the front end, especially when driven over a washboard surface. It steers well, but drags a little to one side or the other at different times.
The brakes are very spongy and have a lot of travel before the vehicle starts to slow....when pushed hard it brakes fairly well (I think I need the rear shoes adjusted), but seems to drag even harder to one side.
If some one had some advice on my complaints before I get fleeced by the garage next week, I would really appreciate it!

If there are common things I should look for on this vehicle, please through them at me as well. I really enjoy driving my Burb and want to get it running to its full potential.

Thanks
Bazzzooka:banghead:

Likewise, I just also bought a 98 a couple of weeks ago and working through many of the same issues.

Mine has the same brake issue. It caught me a few times by surprise. If it is like mine, it is probably very spongy and grabbing way at the bottom of the pedal. I checked the rear brake drum adjusters and found that they were not working. I still need to go through and adjust some of the linkages so that the auto adjusters work. I was able to put in a good turn or more on the adjuster before the shoes started to drag against the drum. After doing this, it really helped alot. My guess is that there are a lot of Suburbans out there with drum brakes that don't have very effective auto adjusters.

For the noise in the front end, I don't have the same thing, but you may want to check your shocks. Loose bolts, or bushings that have slipped will typically make a lot of noise going over rough roads.

Thanks for the reply ew0001,
I am going to put the Suburban in the shop next week for the front noice and hopefully not get fleesed too badly. I am working away from home and do not have my regular trustworthy mechanic to look.
As for the brakes, I will try the adjustment myself and see if there is a difference.

Thanks again
Bazzzooka