Front end shimmy solved

dpson

dpson

Senior Member
I had a pretty good (bad) shimmy in the front end of the Model A that seemed to come and go depending on travel speed. My passenger said it seemed to be coming from the right front wheel, so when I got back home I jacked up that side and placed a piece of 2x8 against the tire and spun the wheel. There was over 1/4 inch of runout (wobble) in the tire. I put a different tire and rim on the front that had much less runout and took it for a test drive. It was much better, still not perfect, but no more death wobble at certain speeds. I think I'm still going to install the steering damper from Snyders. Moral of the story, try the simple things first.
 
Patrick L. said:
Its just an opinion, but, a steering damper is a bandaid.
Click to expand...

A properly prepared Model A does not need a steering damper.

If it were my car, I would go over the complete front end. Once everything is right, it will last a long time.

Tires, spring, rims, shocks, steering box, front end, wishbone. After 90 years, a little wear here and there in the front end and you have a problem that will just be concealed with the damper.

If not properly fixed, your shimmy mostlikely will be back.
 
Last edited:
I work on lots of front ends and also straightened the wobble of many wheels.

1/4" wobble contributes to but is not the only cause of your bad shimmy.

I agree with those above that suggest a close inspection of the front end and repair/adjust what is needed.

I have a "Do it yourself" article on my website that explains how to remove the "wobble" from your wheels. Look for: Wheel Wobble Reduction by Spoke shrinking

Click on the link below to get to my website.
Good Day!

www.durableperformance.net
 
Take off your tie rod and drag link and examine your steering balls. My guess is that they are egg/football shaped. This was the case with my death wobble
 
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