Shoptalkforums.com

I have a serious vibration on the left front side of my 73 thing as soon as I hit 50 MPH which leaves at 55mph, any ideas?

Tires are new, balances and not out of round, what suspension pieces should I be looking at as problematic?

Thanks

Well I cannot tell you for certain but I do know classic symptoms.
Wheel vibration at certain MPH(RPM) range=wheel balance.
Wheel vibration after bump = Vibration dampener (stabilizer).
I would think about getting a second opinion regarding the balance. Not many places are set up to do wide 5 wheels properly.Bob Ingman

No one here locally can balance these tires, but I find it strange that it is only a problem in the front left. Not any of the other tires.

Swap front tires with each other. If vibration also swaps to opposite side then you will know its a wheel. If it remains constant you can suspect something else though I know of nothing else that will cause vibration at certain speeds and not at others. As I say its THE classic sign of a wheel out of balance. Cheers. Bob Ingman

I had the same problem and found a worn out tie-rod end on that side. I changed all four tie rods and the problem went away. Other opinions are valid of course.

Capn did the shimmy come and go at just certain speeds while traveling straight on flat smooth surfaces? Bob Ingman

yes it starts at 45-50 mph and stops at 55 mph.

Assuming your ball joints, tie rod ends and wheel bearings are all intact, a new steering damper will probably fix it.
On wheel balance there's an old trick for us wide five guys.
Next time you're at a swap meet, pick up a Beetle front drum and 5 lug bolts. Bang out the bearing races and clean the thing up. Screw in the lug bolts (number the bolts and holes if you like) and take the drum to a friendly tire store and ask them to balance the drum. Without the bearing races, it will fit their modern balancing machine. Have them put the (self adhesive) weights on the inside. They will think you're nuts!
Now your wheel & tire can be mounted on this balanced drum, and the entire assembly can be balanced on a modern machine with the same precision and convenience as your neighbor's Ford.
Bring some extra cash to tip the guy.
Best regards, Gary Mondshine

Bob Ingman wrote:Capn did the shimmy come and go at just certain speeds while traveling straight on flat smooth surfaces? Bob Ingman

The shimmy came and went at certain speeds (50-55) also it orginated from the left side and if I didn't increase or decrease speed it would transmit to the whole front end. The tie rod on the left was totally worn out. I replaced them all just to know they are all good. The shimmy went away and never returned. I haven't had the front end aligned yet but it doesn't shimmy any more.

Of course your results may be different.

Are there any ball joints that are greasable? the older ones aren't and Id like to upgrade if possible..

Think about this... the sealed ball joint you are looking at lasted thirty years. In thirty years I'll be 79... if I live that long. I probablly won't be driving much anyway.

Companys sell joints with fittings, you will have to order and specify the brand name. My tie-rods are all MOOG parts, MOOG still makes the ball joints too.

I don't think ball joints are causing your problem. Either balancing like everyone else is saying or start checking your tie-rods and other front end components. You could have a bad tire with an egg on it or tread delamination also. It is hard to diagnose a problem via forums. We can offer places to look and the benefit of our experience but you need to know your car and the age of the parts involved.

When the problem first started I bought all new wheels and replaced them all, the problem persisted. The tires where rotated and yet the vibration persists to be on the front left wheel.

I think these two items can be eliminated from the equation.

After looking at the ball joints last nite on my creeper, the rubber is flat, instead what Im use to seeing in a car/truck which is the rubber being filled with grease.

No greese fittings on on these things.

First, are there greaseable fittings around? and who sells them?

Second, who sells the new tie rod ends?

Thanks in advance

I got mine from Car Quest because one of the route managers is a good friend.

You can get them from almost anybody, Autozone, Advance, O'Reilly, NAPA etc or mail order from MOOREPARTS.COM, CIP1.com, Aircooled.net etc. MOOG and the NAPA house brand is good. Look at them first before you purchase to make sure you have the grease fitting like you want. If I remember the tie rods were about $20 each and ball joints are about $40 each.

Ball Joints require some special tools to remove and install. I took a set to a friend and his shop press, we put fifty tons on the things before they would pop out. You may want to farm that work out to someone.

i got the same problem... front end wobble at 40 mph.... if i dont speed up the wobble keeps happening.. i had the tires balance and i just put on a new steering damper... after reading the posts, my thinking is that i need to replace the tie rods...is there any other things that might cause this shimmy shimmy shake lol...and after looking at the web sites there r tie rod ends and tie rod left tie rod right... which ones do i need to replace?????

thanks caspar

Caspar get under the car and grab hold of them to check for slop. If there is enough there to cause a wobble it will be apparent. If not double check wheel balance by moving front tires to rear and vise versa. Front wheel vibration at only certain MPH range is classic symptom of wheel out of balance. Cheers. Bob Ingman