28 A, Bad shake... guidance please...

[sdpet56]

I inherited a 30 5 window coup from my father before he passed and drove it for 5 or 6 months with no problem...Then one day on the way home I hit a small pothole and the car shook like a dog s#####ng razor blades...Dad (Was a depression era kid ) and put drywall screws in the windshield hinge and the car shook so bad the screws broke holding the windshield in...Welllll here I am trying to hold the steering wheel in one hand and the windshield in the other and fighting to get the car slowed down and keep it between the guard rails...I burst out laughing thinking I have done 146 MPH in a Corvette and I was going to die in a 90 year old car doing 35 MPH...I was only a couple miles from home and never went over 20 MPH for the rest of the way home...I jacked the car up and the king pins were in bad shape...I had a friend install and ream the bushings, replaced the king pins and have not had a problem since with shaking...Got a funny story out of this and hope I never have that happen again...

[Terry, NJ]

Originally Posted by mustangbrandon

Forgot to reply back but I did what you said. And immediately found out it was the wheel bearings... Me thinks my Uncle didn't wrench on it since he got it in 1968 or whatever... Gooder than new now. Thanks for the advice!

Forgive me for raining on your parade (maybe), but to usually comes back as something else. I'm not saying it will, just that it's likely! There fore, like everyone here has said, check everything! Another cause that can be hard to track down and can drive you crazy is the spring perch bearing. Check the distance from the spring perch to the shock link.. What's happening is the bushings are worn out and the spring is touching the spring perch. There should be at least 1/8" clearance between them. Unless you're a mechanic, don't try to disassemble anything without someone who knows how this works! Springs can kill, the rear is worse, but the front can be dangerous too. Get the parts out of the car, decide if you only need bushings and replace them. It'll make a world of difference.
Terry

[eagle]

If you've ever driven a vehicle with a true Death Wobble, you'll agree with the term. A shimmy is not even close to a true death wobble.

[ronn]

had this happen on a ford taurus........ buddy certified big deal mechanic told me it was
one of the joints in the front end. I begged to differ and thought it might be a broken belt in a radial tire.

swapped a rear tire with what I thought was the problem tire in the front and yes, a "broken" radial belt. easy fix. that may not be true for most model As, but I do see more and more guys converting to radials.........

[RoadsterJohn]

Struggling with this same issue on my '28 Tudor. It was restored back in the late 60's but only has about 1500 miles on it since then.

[Jim Mason]

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This might help

[Terry, NJ]

Originally Posted by RoadsterJohn

Struggling with this same issue on my '28 Tudor. It was restored back in the late 60's but only has about 1500 miles on it since then.

I hear variations of this all the time! Variation 1, It doesn't have to be good, it only has to look good! Variation 2, US drivers don't really drive their cars, they transport them be trailer, So you don't have to knock yourself out on the mechanicals. You get the picture! Many "restoration" shops don't like the extensive handwork and tedious fitting it sometimes takes to restore a chassis and they will make the paint meticoulus but gloss over things that don't show so much. By comparison, In the UK, a lot more cars are driven to shows and other gatherings, not trailered. Restored car are raced or driven in rallies, where they get their pretty paint jobs all splashed up with mud and who knows what. Britons drive their cars and mechanical misfits show up rather quickly. Maybe we have got to stop producing so many Trailer queens?
Terry

[nkaminar]

I have to chime in here. I bought a 29 CCPU many years ago that was supposedly restored. No grease anywhere, including the wheel bearings. The transmission was popping out of second. I had to grease everything and rebuild the transmission. I ended up breaking an axle and rebuilding the rear end too. Plus the wood was rotten in the top and one door never did fit right. And the brakes needed rebuilding. But it looked purddy.

[MrBruce]

Before I'd do anything I would check the front end for toe in. I picked up a 31 Pickup a few months back and couldn't drive it 5 mph it shimmied so bad. I checked the alignment and it was out 1 1/2 in. I set it at 1/16th and can drive it 50 mph and it has not shimmied at all. It still needs the steering sector rebuilt but at least it's drivable. I wouldn't start taking anything apart. You can also tighten up a worn steering sector a slight bit also. Just my experience six months ago. I drive it as my daily driver

[Jet96]

On my ccpu it ended up being the ball on the pitman arm was worn nearly flat. It would drive fine and then if you hit a bump it would start shaking its head.

[Terry, NJ]

Jet, Check your other steering balls too. wheel bearings too, even though they're pretty obvious. The spring perch bearings. When they're down on the springs, you know they're shot, and they will cause a wobble! King pins should be checked when it's jacked up for the wheel bearings. Wheel wobble from bent wheels must be considered also. There was a guy named Thomas Wesenberg (R.I.P.). Very nice guy, beyond anyone as a craftsman and a mechanic! and Tom insisted that wheel alignment, toe in, toe out was more important than anything. I wish Tom were still here to give us guidance !
Terry

[WHN]

Originally Posted by Flathead

Jack it up and see what is loose; tie rod ends, drag link, kingpins, wishbone, steering box/pitman arm etc. Be sure the alignment is right, caster and toe-in can affect a shimmy if not right. There is no reason to have front end trouble in an A if things are as they should be.

Front end, brakes, springs, and shocks. You can have a great looking car, but without these things being right, you have nothing.

I would do as Flathead says. Check everything. It most likely is the sum total of a number of different things.

Enjoy your car.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by katy

I detest that term. Never heard it until the internet. I always knew the shaking as a shimmy, and still call it that.

While driving my father's '49 F-1, going 50 on the highway and hitting a bump and then having the entire front end and steering wheel shake so violently to the point you think the front end is going to fold underneath you, death wobble is a gentle term.