Has anyone used a steering damper with a suicide perch setup and the tie rod out front? If so, where did you mount the damper? To the axle?? I got wicked death wobble at 65, thanks to old bias ply wide whites, but can afford the new tires yet. Have so cal damper, wanna give it a try...
fix the wobble then add a dampner. search for deth wobble here for a bunch of things to check. (yeah its spelled wrong but thats the title to the thread.)
That's not death wobble. Death wobble is ultra slow speed and you can drive through it and it goes away completely at normal speed. Balance, bent wheels, out of round, loose parts, etc.
Dude. I want to use the steering damper TO fix the wobble! Like i said, its the tires, bias ply wide whites firestones. Im not trying to start yet ANOTHER death wobble thread. The caster is correct, the kingpins are new, ect... ect... ITS THE TIRES. I WANT to bandaid it with a damper while i save up the $800 for the new tires to "fix" the wobble....
thats the thing the dampner dont fix the wobble it just crutches it. Have you swapped the tires for another set to be sure?
Trust me, death wobble. If it only happened at slow speeds it wouldnt be "death wobble" it would just be "anoying low speed shimmy thing". It can happen at any speed.
My opinion is that a damper won't cure your high speed problem. If it comes and sometimes goes away while at that speed? ,then yes, a damper could help it. But if it is always shaking at that exact same speed, then no.
Ok, you never seen death wobble, and that is fact. True death wobble can and does break parts...at speeds as low as 10mph. I'm out
On my T the dampener goes from the drag link to the 4-bar. That is where the instructions said to put it. Came from Posie's. Has a heim on one end and a rubber bushing on the other. Bill
Pretty standard for a mail jeep, large end of damper is attached to the axle with a rubber bushing, on a pin welded to the axle. the other end is attached to the tie rod with more rubber bushings. It looks just like a shock with a loop and pin; there is a small bracket that the damper attaches to that is attached to the tie rod with u bolts. Sorry i cant get a picture I'm still on film, and would have to wait for developing.
I think you mean from the tie rod to the 4-bar? The ones from SoCal have a loop at each end, to go from the tie rod to the hairpin radius rod. Going to a 4-bar or hairpin would be equivalent to going to the axle itself. The one I put on mine (NAPA VW damper, same as SoCal) I put from the tie rod to the wishbone on the passenger side.
Realy? Is that a "FACT"? Being ten years older than dirt and farting mummy dust doesn't mean you know everything, grandpa. This aint my first rodeo, and i sure as hell know what death wobble, aka SPEED wobble is! Front tires jumping side to side in rhythm, scares the hell outa ya, doesnt stop till you stop the car? Usualy set off by a bump, like the one at the transission to an overpass in my case a week ago when i almost plowed a gaurd rail? I didnt ask to be "edumacated" ayhow! Just wanted to know how others have mounted a dad gum steering damper to a forward tie rod front end....
You answered your own question. The high speed vibration is mainly due to the junky tires you are trying to use. This high speed vibration is more due to out of balance or unevenly worn tires and is magnified by the increased rotational speed of the tire. This can even be caused by a bent rim or flat spotted rim. No need to spend money on some part that is not the cure of the problem.
I had a low speed "death wobble" on my roadster. Tried everything to fix it. Everything was new. Ended up buying a V.W. steering damper. Attached one end to the tie rod with an extra tie rod clamp the other end to the frame X member with a bracket I made. Solved the low speed wobble. Not sure it will help your problem. Couldn't hurt though. My tie rod is behind the axle. Can't see why instead attaching it to the front X member you couldn't just attach it to the axle. Just needs to be tied to something that won't move. P.S. save up and buy some new tires and make sure they are round. If they are not find a place to shave them. Do a search for my tire shaving thread.
I put one on my T, after changing the drag link to match the radius arm "angle" that helped a lot, I still felt a little uncomfortable so I added a stabilizer. Works great. Drilled a hole in the axle and clamped onto the tie rod, hides nicely behind the axle. On my light little car with the suicide front end bias ply tires suck, its a handful at 65mph. Im saving up for some Coker radials. Oh and since the pic I went hydraulic shocks, that was also a big improvement. -Don
Thanks Don! Helpful pis. I see where you drilled through the i beam axle to bolt the damper. Suspect i will do the same. Steel Rebel, i have tried to find a place to shave mine, but alas, i would need to ship them to OK or CA. They are so old i think they will be replaced unstead. Think i might buy 4 skinny whites from Discount tire (under $300 for 4) and "shave" the whites. Some good video on you tube for this. Then MAYBE i will save up the $800 plus for coker wwwradials. Maybe. Im a cheap bastard in this economy...
Death wobble is one of those subjects where 100 people will have 100 different opinions. My opinion is, it can happen at ANY speed, and once it happens to you it is something you never want to experience again. It will literally shake the car like a giant has ahold of it, in it's worst state. No matter how well you set up a front end, use new parts, etc. death wobble can happen when using a straight axle. Some cars never get it, some do............ Another subject you will get varying opinions on are the SoCal type stabilizers. Personally, I will never build another car WITHOUT one. They not only take the worry away about death wobble, but also the car tracks better, goes over bumps and RR tracks better, and generally makes a better handling car all the way around. So far every car we have put one on benefited. For $ 40 (painted) or $80 (chrome) there is no better value IMO. Call em a bandaid if you like, but that is not how I see it. And yes, as Don said above, worn shocks are a big contributor. My 23 wheels would start hopping going down the interstate at certain speeds, changed the shocks, no more problem. Don
Friend of mine has the death wobble on his Model A, hitting a bump just right seems to start it for him. He did add a damper, photos below, but it did not cure the issue, just lessened it for him. He is running some pretty old Lesters and he is pretty sure that is a big part of the problem. I am running some newer tires, balanced, and have never experienced a wobble with my car, just a thought....
The drag link is where the directions show. The link between the steering box and the steering arm. Fits right in there parallel to the drag link and the top 4 bar arm. I'd post a pic but I'm at work. Bill
The tie rod out front? Do you have the ackerman correct? When you did this did you bend anything to correct that angle? If not, then I guess you know better? Did you swap the rear tires to the front to be SURE it is the tires? How about having them put on a tire machine so you can watch them?
Tires on rear are same as on front, actualy wobbled at about 40mph, so i used the ones i could run faster with up front. lol. MAYBE i figured out the photo thing? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=27740&pictureid=312433 Car is bagged in the rear, caster is 7 degrees at ride hieght.
Your welcome. By the way, I am pretty sure that is the SoCal dampner he is running. PM me if you need me to get better photos of his setup. I might be over there this weekend, unless he is on the road to pickup a 29 Nash 3 window project he just bought
Have you checked your alingment? rule of thum is 1/8 toe in, I have a buddy who had to go 1/8 toe out on his track T to get rid of the wobble.
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