Dana 60 death wobble

[Inked Monkey]

This doesn't have to do with a rat, but I know a lot of the members are into 4x4's. I put a dana 60 front end in my 83 chevy and now I'm getting the famous "death wobble". It seems that everybody has this problem but nobody knows the cause. At about 25-30 mph if you hit a bump just right, the front end will start to wobble violently and will only go away once you come to a complete stop. It only happens sometimes and if you make it past 30, you won't have the problem. The only feeling that I can compare it to, is when you have a slipped belt in a front tire.

I just rebuilt the kingpins last weekend. Even though they were extremely bad, I'm still having the problem. Everything else feels tight on the front end.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tripper]

I tear enough stuff up on flat gound!

I know a lot of the members are into 4x4's.

Inked,
A 4X4... wat dat? I think there's several climbers here & there's gotta b a 4X4 forum somewhere? Good luck with that one! I could never afford to climb... I tear enough stuff up on flat gound! ; - >

BoB

 

[ronnysplymouth]

I had a similar problem on a Ramcharger..................turned out the spring hangers were loose on the frame where they were rivited on from the factory..............worth a look?

 

[Bonehead]

Lots of ideas here, as I have been wheel'n for many years. Tie rods, pitman arms, steering box, all can be loose, as can the springs, and shackles. The way to find these things is two fold. The first takes two people. One rocks the steering wheel back and forth with the engine off and the vehicle sitting on the ground. The other inspects the underside to find the "slack". Step two involves jacking up the axle, and repeating with the weight off.

 

[HotRodCadillac]

Inked- I used to own a frame shop and I made a living on Chevy truck frames. Ronny's on the right track, but the Chevy/GMC's engine crossmember is also riveted in and the rivets work loose, especially with larger than stock tires. The biggest problem is the frame cracks right where the steering gear bolts on. Have someone start the truck and turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look at the left framerail. I'd be willing to bet you'll see that rail twisting. Here's how you fix it... First you have to take the steering gear off the truck, because you usually can't see the crack with the gear in. You can't just weld the crack up, it will just crack again (trust me on this one!!!). Next get a piece of 1/4 inch plate about 6 inches wide and cut it so it fits inside the framrail. It HAS to fit flush to the rail to minimize spacing the gear out too far. Weld the crack on the OUTSIDE of the rail, then weld the plate to the INSIDE of the rail, covering the gearbox mounting holes. Redrill the holes through the plate, bolt the gear back up and you're done with that part. Your steering wheel will be crooked but you can adjust that with the sleeve on the drag link. Next, weld the engine crossmember to the frame to eliminate frame flex at the rivets,and weld the front spring shackle brackets to the frame also. The idea is to tie in the framerails together because when you turn the wheels the frame wants to spread apart. I also like to remove the front bumper and weld in a piece of 2 inch square tubing to the inside framerails right behind the bumper to further srenghten the frame. It's kind of alot of work, but it is well worth it. Hope this helps!!!

 

[Inked Monkey]

Very interesting! On all the sites I've asked this question nobody has mentioned the rivets. I'll check those out this weekend.

Thanks for all the ideas, I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[daron785]

Hey inked, These guys are exactly right concerning the things to look for. Something else to consider that could be very easy to replace is the front steering stabalizer. Prior to getting into cars, I had an extensive past with the 73-87 chevy 4 x 4 's. That wobble can be pretty scary sometimes, and it only gets scarier when you are way up in the air, and rolling on huge tires. I don't know if yours if lifted or not, but I had to run dual stabalizers just to keep it going straight. Just my .02 worth trying to help, Daron.

 

[Inked Monkey]

Well I just fixed the problem, or I think I did. I checked all of the rivets and they were all tight. I also didn't have any cracks in my frame. So I checked the steering stabilizer and it was jacked up. Some of the travel felt good, but then it would hit a dead spot of about 3-4 inches. I took off the stabilizer and the truck went straight again. So I went and picked up a new stabilizer and put it on!
The truck feels like new now and it's good because we are in the middle of an ice storm here in Kansas City so I'm glad to get it back on the road!