SoCal steering stabilizers really work.

[donsrods]

I will be the first to admit that I am horrible when it comes to maintaining my cars. I basically check the oil occasionally, and drive the wheels off of them. My laziness bit me this week.

We left our hotel Friday night to go to BelAire Plaza in Daytona, and when I crossed the brick streets on A1A my front end went into a serious death wobble ! I mean SERIOUS deathwobble ! My car has never had that happen in the 25 years I have had it, so it really took me by surprise. My Sons were following me in Dans rpu, and they said they saw people who were standing on the street look very surprised when they saw my front wheels going crazy. It happened twice more before we could get back to the hotel.

We slowly drove back to the hotel and inspected the front end to see what was wrong. When we put it up on a floor jack we were able to move my front wheels up and down a lot on the kingpins. Evidently, in the 8 years since I redid them they had worn out.....badly ! Then Don noticed that the bracket holding my SoCal steering stabilizer was broken in half, so the stabilizer was not doing anything at all.

The next day, at the Turkey Run swap meet, I bought two more stabilizers and put BOTH of them on the front end, one on each side. I could have gotten by with just one, but I wanted as much security as possible to get me through the weekend. As soon as I drove the car, it was right back to being fine and I drove it all weekend, over all kinds of bumps and ruts, and it never happened again.

So, I bought a set of kingpin reamers from one of the vendors there, and am ordering a new set of kingpins this week. I am going to go over the entire front end to make sure everything else is ok. This problem didn't happen over night, so the stabilizer was the only thing keeping it from happening until it's bracket finally snapped.

We have one of those SoCal units on all of our cars, I am putting one on my rpu project, as well as my altered. Some people call them a bandaid, but for years my roadster never had one and still drove great. But when I added the stabilizer it just made a good car even better, over all kinds of bad road conditions.

Just thought this might help someone else out.

Don

 

[earthman]

Yep i will put one on the crate. Thanks for the recommendation Don.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Yep, I had to put one on my rpu. Right from the first drive, with all new kingpins and everything, it would go real bad, real fast. Never a problem after the stabilizer. And I was asking on the HAMB, took a bunch of flak from some traditionalists who say the car is messed up and the stabilizer is a bandaid and I am a bad mechanic for using one. Well, every new Jeep and Dodge 4x4 pickup has one and they have a lot better engineers than me. I'm ok with it.

 

[Tripper]

Tell me! I had serious death wobble on my '41 Chev gasser panel! Pretty scary stuff at speed & will definitely get your attention! I put that same SoCal unit on it & banished that demon for good! I'm a believer!

Well, every new Jeep and Dodge 4x4 pickup has one and they have a lot better engineers than me. I'm ok with it.

What he said!!!

BoB

 

[smallfoot]

All new steering gear up front on mine too but because the jeep frame I used part of had one, I put a new one on there too. No problems at all...bandaid or not!

 

[donsrods]

It sure shook my confidence in my car when it happened ! What really scared me was the thought that just a couple of weeks ago I was playing games with a new Camaro at a redlight, and I was probably hitting 70-80 mph before I left off the gas. If that stabilizer had failed then, it could have been ugly.

Maybe I need to slow down and also maintain my cars better.

Don

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Sorry, but I still say Band-Aid. They DO mask another problem (such as worn kingpins). A problem is a problem - if the stabilizer had not been on there you simply would have been aware of it sooner. I have just put together too many front ends that have ran cross-country with regular dips into triple digits to believe anything else. Lots of people may like them, but there are a whole lot of incorrect front ends out there as well. Sometimes it takes a little while to correct, but it can be done. Things as little as a few pounds of tire pressure can affect the way these cars handle. Maybe I like to be a little more in tune with what I am driving than some, but with these cars there isn't much room for error. I just can't abide something that could otherwise be avoided.

Of course this is my opinion, which in reality isn't worth the 2 cents it may be valued at. But it's also real world experience. Just a different school of thought I guess...

 

[Toad]

Sorry, but I still say Band-Aid. They DO mask another problem (such as worn kingpins).

Not necessarily! I've installed new front ends from Speedway that had death wobble. If big car companies use them, they're good enough for me!

Toad

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Yes necessarily. Just because a front end is new doesn't mean there isn't an issue, either with equipment (especially if it is Chinese Speedway junk) or the physical setup. There IS a cause for every problem. Whether one chooses to find it or not, that is up to them. The fact that new car companies use them is irrelevant - apples and oranges. Ford didn't use them, and they aren't necessary. As I said this is my opinion with real world experience to back it up. If there is an issue with something I have built, I WILL find it. That's just me. These front ends aren't rocket science, but they take some knowledge and willingness to tinker. There are a lot of variables. I'm not opposed to someone using a stabilizer if they choose to, that is their decision. I'm just saying they are not necessary.

You know I respect the hell out of you Don, and I know you are on top of your game with your builds. It's just where we differ. Makes the world go 'round right?

 

[CORPO]

I have a dampener on mine... Didn't need it right away but it happened once and I don't need it to happen again...

I do think when I did my king pins I may not have gotten it perfect on my pass side and it is on my list of things to address...

One thing I will mention about them on modern trucks and SUVs... One of the reasons (as I understand) they put them on is due to how drastically the suspension geometry can change when running empty or with a full load or a trailer...

This topic will always be debated ... But that's fine by me

 

[von-zipper]

Yes necessarily. Just because a front end is new doesn't mean there isn't an issue, either with equipment (especially if it is Chinese Speedway junk) or the physical setup. There IS a cause for every problem.

I run them no matter what. I call it insurance, you never know when you're goning to need it. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially at highway speed! But different strokes for different folks!

Zipper

 

[smallfoot]

Most of you probably don't ride on anything but paved or improved roads with your rods. There are other advantages to stabilizers than just to help bad engineering or worn front ends. Every time I ride,(daily) it's an off road event for the first and last 1 1/2 mile driveway! A small 13" steering wheel, manual steering, and deep sugar sand is alot easier to navigate thru when it will stop most 2 wheel drive vehicles. Most of the time I take it easy....some times I work it ....

 

[akatao]

back when 4x4s all had solid front axles including a ford they had em

 

[billy]

I have never gotten the wobble but I have a dampener anyway.
I had decent traction with my regular tires on my daily driver
But I replaced them with snow tires
To me it's the same kinda thing.
Just insurance.

 

[05snopro440]

They help with bump-steer and other issues, not just worn parts. I wouldn't run one because it helps with worn parts, but to smooth out the steering and reaction to bumps on these straight axle front ends.