Now that I've got your attention... I have a 94 extended cab 4x4 with only 65k miles on her. Recently I've noticed when turning, changing lanes, or braking, the back end feels sloppy. I have noticed the bottom most spring on my rear leaf springs doesn't touch the spring above it (there are like 4 leaves in the bunch). Anyways my question is, for every day driveability (not off roading), do leaf springs go bad? Is that lower leaf supposed to be in contact with the leaf above it? Could it be my rear shocks, could over age they have gone bad? How do I tighten the back end up? Thanks.

 

My ex-wife's rear end was sloppy, so I got rid of her for a newer model with fewer miles.

Sorry, you started the thread...I had to!

 

Those factory shocks are so cheap....seems like they start going bad after just 1 year sometimes. Yes, if you replace them with new ones you will probably notice a big difference. The sloppy feeling you mentioned indicates you need new shocks....try some Rancho 5000 series.
The super thick lower leaf is sometimes called an over-load leaf. It's good that the other leafs are not laying flat on top of the overload....otherwise, the ride will get very stiff and rough. It's normal for the other leafs to "settle" with time and eventually fatigue and rest on top the overload.