4.3LXJ
10-28-2010, 06:31 PM
For the past several weeks I have had an annoying problem with death wobble. I didn't post it because I knew what was wrong. My top link rubber bushings were completely shot and I lost my castor. The little irregularities in the pavement around here was what would trigger it at about 45 mph. Then because the top link bushings were so bad, the axle would rock back and forth which would change the drag link position at the knuckle due to the angle and it would set up harmonics and the shaking would begin. And believe me there was a whole lot of shaking going on. It was bad enough to break the shaft on the steering stabilizer. May it rest in peace.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0707.jpg
About the time all this started Ironman Andy needed some stock springs. So I offered to trade him the springs for some bushings, which I would have been happy with instead of paying out $80 - 100. Well, Andy did one better, he sent me a new top link instead of bushings. :love0007:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0703.jpg
So now I still needed a new bushing in the axle housing. But being cheap, I still didn't want to put out for a full set just to get one bushing. So I dug through my junk and got out an old Samurai motor mount I made and went to work.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0701.jpg
This bushing is really for the shackle end of a Chevy K10 front spring. So it is a little wide for this application. I cut it off the mount, cut down the bushing housing, slipped into a piece of 1.5" pipe.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0700.jpg
Cut the bushings themselves to fit.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0702.jpg
Burned out the old bushing
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0704.jpg
Slipped it into the old outer shell and tacked it to keep it from slipping
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0705.jpg
Mounted the new top link
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0706.jpg
And quickly discovered my lower link has a case of ARMIS PUNIS.
I am going to have to do something about that this winter.
I took it for a test drive and I now have no death wobble without a stabilizer :cheerleader::cool0010::gay::gay:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0707.jpg
About the time all this started Ironman Andy needed some stock springs. So I offered to trade him the springs for some bushings, which I would have been happy with instead of paying out $80 - 100. Well, Andy did one better, he sent me a new top link instead of bushings. :love0007:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0703.jpg
So now I still needed a new bushing in the axle housing. But being cheap, I still didn't want to put out for a full set just to get one bushing. So I dug through my junk and got out an old Samurai motor mount I made and went to work.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0701.jpg
This bushing is really for the shackle end of a Chevy K10 front spring. So it is a little wide for this application. I cut it off the mount, cut down the bushing housing, slipped into a piece of 1.5" pipe.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0700.jpg
Cut the bushings themselves to fit.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0702.jpg
Burned out the old bushing
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0704.jpg
Slipped it into the old outer shell and tacked it to keep it from slipping
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0705.jpg
Mounted the new top link
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0706.jpg
And quickly discovered my lower link has a case of ARMIS PUNIS.
I am going to have to do something about that this winter.
I took it for a test drive and I now have no death wobble without a stabilizer :cheerleader::cool0010::gay::gay: