Front Shimmy

Ray64

Well-known member
I just installed new cast iron drums about a month ago.All of a sudden today i was driving and i noticed a shake in the front end.Dont feel like its the wheels but the whole frontend.I jacked it up and checked the steering all over,All is good.Only thing i found was the rt, front wheel bearing could be a little tighter.About 1/8th play from top to bottom.This is only on braking.T.I.A.RAY
 
Ray,

Check the spring load on your drag link and tie rod ends, if OK , check the camber on your wheels, if OK, make sure your pitman is tight on the steering sector.

Ron
 
Years ago when we got a wheel balance they did it on the car and the whole rotating assembly was balanced. Today only the wheel is balanced. Well I has a shimmy and installed a stabalizer and that was all for the shimmy. but at 45/55 mph I had a balance problem, that was driving me batty. I heard about Dyna Beads, got 4 4oz packs, installed them in the tire valve stem and no more problems. They work. Iceman
 
As I understand your post, this only happens when your foot is stuck to the brake pedal?? If you release the brakes does the vibration disappear immediately?? If so, it sounds to like you may have brake drum issue..
 
Check the toe in. I have found this to be the biggest cause of shimmy. I set mine at 1/16 plus or minus 1/32.
 
Only thing i found was the rt, front wheel bearing could be a little tighter.About 1/8th play from top to bottom.

1/8th of an inch is ALOT. loose wheel bearings are an often overlooked source of front end shimmy.
 
Are you sure it is shimmy? A few years ago I bought brake drums for my hydraulic brakes and ended up with a BAD shake. Turned out the drums were not true. They were core shifted. (Expensive offshore junk). I hadn't noticed before I installed them that the thickness of the shoes was WAY off. They were machined true on the inside but the outside was about a 1/4" off. I ended up having the supplier replace them.
 
dMake sure the wishbone is tight at the bellhousing. I had a bad shimmy onetime that was fixed by tightening the 2 bolts.
 
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