As far as the bounce while driving i bought an f150 stepside in 2005 and some idiot took the dogbones off the leafsprings and bolted them straight to the chassis you might want to check that because it was a really rough and bouncy ride until i replaced them
Wow. I've got an older model Tahoe that needs shocks and maybe springs. Sometimes it feels like a boat ride if you catch uneven pavement just right. Probably changing them out next week.