Wobble, found this, & need help

sphooch

sphooch

Senior Member
Hi guys, in an earlier post I asked about a front end shimmy. I got some starting points and here is what i found. where the drag link connects to the steering arm on the left wheel found some play ,verry little. can i adjust it out? Iwas thinking maybe pull the carter pin and turn the screw in, but i don't know ? also found slight play when rocking wheel top to bottom and left to right.when i do the left wheel side to side i can see the slight movement at the drag link. Can any of this be adjusted out or do i need new parts? I never did this before so i'll proceed slowly, and wait for answers. thanks for reading and the advice. THE HOOCH
 
Take the cotter key out and turn in the screw. Turn it in until it is in contact then one more full turn. This is a regular maintenance item. Keep the ball links greased. Related to this, is the arm tight on the end of the steering gearbox output? In my car I had to use a 2 foot breaker bar to tighten the bolt there before there was no looseness.

If the ball is not round then the link will get harder to move as the steering wheel is turned right or left.

The wheel looseness when rocking at top and bottom can be loose wheel bearings or loose king pins.

How is the tightness of the ball at the end of the wishbone?
 
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thank you NKAMINAR as soon as i get the chance i'll get out there again to work on it. the wishbone seems very tight, but when i checked the wheel bearings i pulled them out added greese, reinstalled. I'm confused with the drag needed. i'm using Les Andrews repair manual . I tighten the castle nut, to what i think is a heavy drag ,back off to the nearest key hole and find the carter pin is at the very end of the castle nut. is that good? or should i tighten it up just a little more ?? both left and right wheels are about the same . thanks again for the help THE HOOCH
 
On the bearings, tighten them up tight (no movement) this will seat them, then back them off so the wheel turns freely. There won't be any drag as that is the brakes you are hearing. Bearings should be a tad on the loose side or you burn them up.

For the kingpins, grab the wheel at 12 and 6 and rock. If the spindle moves they are worn and need to be replaced. The wheel will move a very small amount before the King pin does.

NKaminar is right about the balls in drag link, and steering knuckles. They have to be perfectly round first. After that you will have hard steering and or a shimmy. If the balls are round, pull the cotter pin and tighten up the linkage until there is no movement.

Mike
 
Do what Mike said in Post #4. If the cotter key is at the end then maybe the bearings are not seated.
 
On a car of this age you most likely have many more little issues going on with your front end.

If it were my car, I would probably go over the complete front end. It’s not as big of a job as you might think. Once done it will out last you.

I’ve done this to a couple of cars. A little ware here and there adds up.

Good luck ��
 
You did right by following Les Andrews book on the wheel bearings. I snug them up with a pair of water pump pliers (not jack-the-bear tight), then back off to the nearest cotter pin hole. When you drive the car the front hubs heat up, and this expands the hub and tightens the bearings a bit. Tapered roller bearings need a slight pre-load, and this procedure accomplishes that.
 
Drag link sockets are still available if you don't have one of the appropriate size. The drag link and other sockets like it all use spring tension to hold the movement limitations so condition of the spring and the other related pieces can play a part in their function. The cups and ball end all wear out eventually.

Tires should also be checked for lumps & bumps or other signs of deterioration that can lead to shimmy.
 
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