i have read the searchs on this subject, still not finding the anwser iam looking for,is this wobble directly related to not enough caster angle, if all is right in the front, king pins, tie rod ends, wheel bearings,ect, but caster at the axle is 4 degrees, i need to get this safe...
4 degrees is a little on the short side of what most people run,6 is more common. got about 5 on my T. Tires and wheels can cause lots of probs. Out of round tires/wheels or out of ballance can cause wobble. Spin balance is really the only way to get it right. Loose wheel bearings can contribute as well as play in the steering box. In fact any looseness anywhere in the front end can cause shake. A steering damper sometimes is the only fix,think old VWs.
thats what i have been reading,would that being on the short side cause alot of it or not. everything is new and tight...i didnt say but i have a cowl steering setup if that has anything to do with it, steering box is mounted and braced into the frame...
We just installed a VW steering dampener on PBRmeASAP's '31 chevy p/u and it solved his problem... or at least that particular one. And when I say "we" installed, I mean he did the work and I drank his beer.
The So-cal one is the easiest to install. It is a modified VW dampener I believe. It's a little more money but it's a snap to install.
I don't agree with installing a steering stabilizer until you are SURE that everything is A.O.K. Masking the underlying problem will only lead to failure in the future...maybe even murder death kill. Exhaust all possible contributing factors first...if everything checks out, THEN install the steering stabilizer. However, I'd be willing to bet you can fix the problem and forego the stabilizer all together. (unless of course your front end geometry is fatally flawed or uncorrectable)
Do you have a stock axle up front? A couple of different places make them for the 48 to 52 F-1's, so you might be able to use that...(maybe with slight modification).
I had this problem on my 32. Replaced everything in the front end and still no joy. It was the front tyres, swapped them left to right, problem fixed. Was the wear on the tyres throwing it out.
i just tried a set of tires that was just bal,and it seem to help, but still did it over small bumps...
I half to ask a real Basic Question. Have you taken it to a Qualified front end shop and had it aligned? It's surprising how many guys use a tape measure and think they have it. Caster is Very important as well as correct Toe based on wheel back space and tire tread width. If all that has been done and done well then maybe you need a dampener. I doubt it though, just think how many Old Henry put out there and none of them had one on. The Wizzard
i was thinking the same thing,i have went over everthing i can think of, besides the 4 degree caster, and the cowl steering..
Are your spindles are NOT bent? are the bearring races is seated properly? Are your brake drums warped? Are they out of round? Are the wheels universal possibly or have the mounting holes been hogged out so that the wheel may not sit exactly at center on the spindle?
I have had cars with perfect measurements, all new parts, new balanced tires, new king pins, new spindles, bearings, shocks and tie rod ends. I listened to everyone telling me that my geometry was off blah blah blah.........spent a month of Sundays trying to get it ironed out, installed a dampener and in 10 minutes it was done. I even changed the taper pins that hold the king pins in. They install them on brand new 100,000 motor homes, they don't have any geometry problems either. Sure make sure everything is ok first, but just keep my suggestion in mind.
Is the radius rod running down hill to the steering arm on the spindle? If it is, that could be part of your problem. Every link travels in a arc. When you hit a bump the axle goes up and the intersection point on the radius rod travel is just slightly forward. Basically every time you hit a slight bump it steers to the left just a touch. Called bump steer. Sprint cars have cowl steering and you see the fronts wobbling under caution all of the time. I goes away at speed. I think I'd put a dampener on it and go for the easy fix.
Is the problem low or high speed wobble? I had a high speed wobble that was about 95 percent fixed with a steering dampner and a new set of bias plys. and yea...95% is good enough for me
Not to be a wise guy or whatever, but how many real death wobble cars have you fixed without a dampner? I know that sounds like I'm starting a fight here, but TONS of qualified builders read & contributed to the last big thread. There is no one answer, and a dampner is not masking, unless the car has not been checked over completely. (I apologize in advance, in case you take this as a personal dig, it's not) My friend ordered a mercedes dampner from a ebay store site. It has 2 rubber bushed eyes for easy install. No need for pricey speed shop stuff. We were just out for a hour trip with the 34; he drives nuts even getting on the freeway over potholes. I can say the dampner is a great thing to have. I was an ASE certified brake & front end mech, but what does that mean...nothing, when you start talking wobble
i found this post awhile back it my help you . **** http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258945
Root, good post and I couldn't have said it better. I've had at least a half dozen rods that I have worked on over the years that had everything NEW, TIGHT, AND ADJUSTED TO SPEC do the death wobble dance and even after having the best frontend men around here go over them they still exibited the erratic steering charteristics. In EVERY ONE of those cases there was a steering dampner installed the the problem was history. Talking with Pete Chaporis he said that there isn't a car leave their shop without one. I got the impression that it can't do any harm but it also sidesteps a lot "tearing your hair out". He sells the things so you can decide for yourself his motive. I'm sold on them. Frank
The dampner will fix the wobble, and another plus is they absorb a lot of road vibration inherant with a buggy sprung axle and keep it from coming up to the steering wheel. Most appreciated on long hauls.
Way back in the teens or 1920s there were aftermarket dampners made from spring steel. They clamped to the axle and rubbed/tensioned the tie rod. Wobble even happened to my old roadster that had parallel leaf springs on a mopar tube axle. Very slow speed, and hitting a bump with both tires.
I've had low speed and high speed wobbles with my T. As I change things and learn more, the style of wobble changes. The Fidgeter thread, that was mentioned above, is one of the best to read. If all you got is very slow speed, wiggle the left front on a bump or hole, than go into shake, I've found the easyest way to stop the shake is to quickly accelerate. It Will stop shaking. It's quicker to do that than to stop, and risk getting drilled by some socer mom on her cellphone. The latest thing I've been doing as a band-aid until I take them apart for the right fix is to lube the spring shakles with ATF every day. As one of the old causes of wobble was Frozen shackle bushings. This was about steelbushings that were't greased. BUT I got rubber bushings and they are not free movement. The lubing works, but the answer is gonna be steel bushings and pins with grease fittings. Like a Model A has. Only made for the larger size spring eyes. In other words, replace the rubber with a metal sleeve, the same dimentions as the rubber. So there is no friction. or use a damper But Henry didn't use a damper, And I ain't ready to do that yet either. Frank
Anyone have pics of one installed? I have heard VW bus type, correct? how did you attach it to the tierod? I have been reading up on this too, I just noticed on mine the steering box mount I made is flexing about 1/16" so Im going to put gusset plates and take care of that first but I want to do this too.
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