41 ford, stock front axle with raised cross member and split wishbone. I thought I would be fancy and install needle bearing king pins. Had a shimmy at about 35 through 45 mph so I had it aligned. It was definitely toed in too far which has been corrected but still has a slight shake. The needle bearings in place of bushings just don't have enough drag, the seasoned front end man at the shop, who also has a 47, said with this setup I will probably always get the "shopping cart effect " so I need to install a damper. All other front end parts are good and tight, Even the steering box. So I understand that one end goes on the tie rod, but can't decide if I should mount the other end to the axle itself, or???? I will need to make a bracket, as the 7/8 clamp that comes on both ends won't work. What have you done? Thanks
The needle bearing are not your problem, find your problem, correct it, You had the problem before the needle bearings. It needs fixed ! Then add a damper, for insurance. Bones
Shakes;;; AKA ;Death Wabble. Fix's; Damper= from tie rod to axle.{ A} Also add panhard bar/lateral control link=from axle to frame{B} "A" stop/controls tierod moving from shake,so it gets more with each movement/stops . Ford added stock ,but if bushing are old n gone/then it no longer works,an needs updating. . "B" stops axle from moving in shackles ,back and forth ,out of time with frame. It dose not take much,to make shakes start,a bump/out of round tire/out of balance tire/bent rim/sloppy any place/an so on.
If it was right…it wouldn’t shimmy with the needle bearings either. I****ume you put the needle bearings in to make it steer easier, correct? Then you add a dampner, to make it steer harder again. We have had many many discussions here on this subject, a lot of opinions. This one is mine. If your dampner fixes your problem, all is good! Bones
Another opinion. Unless you have a problem, no damper is needed to mask the problem. Regarding needle bearing king pins, they have been discussed before. They seem to regularly be the problem shortly after being installed. Something about the minimal rotation in the king pin.
All I can say is, I wish I just did bushings.....I may go back to them. Seemed like such a great idea hahahaha.......oh well live and learn.
You're not wrong, it defeats the purpose all together. Admittedly I did use them to not have to buy a reamer, the easy way out so to speak. I'm learning as I go. It's fun....expensive but still fun.
I fully agree, I had the EXACT same problem on my old Sedan Deliv. The roller bearing king pins caused a serious "death wobble" problem. Immediately*****-canned them and went back to the old style bushing type ...death wobble disappeared.
Those needle bearing king pins were an idea that looked good on paper but not so much in the real world. I've been putting steering stabilizers on every car I've built for at least the last 20 years. Not to cure a problem but to reduce the road feel. I know many of you on here call them a crutch. depends on the purpose you have in mind for them.
Guys, a properly set up front end will not shimmy with needle bearings. If you replaced bushings with needles and encountered a problem, you actually had the problem before, but the inherent friction of the bushings made so you didn’t feel it, kinda like the dampner, a band aid! Many, many factors come into play on a straight axle front end. Fix them first, a dampner is like putting a band aid on a cut….you can’t see it…..but it’s still there and will rear its ugly head at times! Bones
Here is one of several threads on the subject of needle bearing spindles: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/speedway-deluxe-ford-kingpin-set.1304826/
OR , put the $25 steering damper on the car & if the car goes down the road without issue , enjoy driving it , smile & save your money . Attempting to solve wobble issues can turn in to a soul crushing , time consuming , hyper expensive nightmare , one that is easily treated / avoided . Its a proven treatment...instead of a surgical treatment with an unknown outcome .
Not real easy, but can't you just crank in an extra degree or so of caster? The added effort on steering is only initial, which also makes driveability a little better. My opinion.
I have 500 miles on my 31 roadster on which I have the roller bearings and a steering stabilizer. I had a wobble also at 30 mph and I replaced a lot of stuff chasing it down. Replaced wire wheels and removed adapters. Went to new steel wheels. Two different sets of new front tires. One set of Cokers was no good and they replaced them. Had tires road force balanced. Changed the steering from side steer to cross steer and added the stabilizer. If that was good enough for Ford in 47 it's good enough for me. Had an alignment done and the car drives just fine now but it took some chasing to fix it. 55 to 60 the car steers well. I don't go faster as I don't wind the flattie that high yet.
I do not, not agree with you! That make any sense? lol Everyone has their quirks! One of mine is true running wheels and suspension systems. But I have over sixty years experience…since experiencing my first straight axle wobble, and it has been my nemesis, ever since. Once I’m onto a problem….one of us is going down! lol Bones
As others have pointed out the king pin needle bearing has been discussed many times on this forum. They are prone to early failure, (please don't tell me that you have had needle bearings for 100,00 miles and are just like power steering). Bearings like to spin at their designed R.P.M. your needle bearings will turn at a very small arc and will eventually fail. I have probably been around longer than most of you guy's and even remember the Teflon bearing fiasco in the '60s. They lasted about a month before they needed replacement. Sometimes re-inventing the wheel isn't so great. Go back to tried and true bushings.
back to the original question. I have had 2 cars with a hole drilled in the axle with the damper bolted to it
Yes, I had one out of three identical trucks that had an occasional wobble. That is the one where I changed the caster 2 degrees, actually the wrong way, but it still fixed it. I chased the problem until I fixed it. I did not add a dampner. I did this on the advice of one of my old front end specialist! Bones
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