1930 Coupe front end shimmy

[fred93]

I have a friend that owns a 1930 Model A Coupe. I did major brake work on it back in 2009. At that time he mentioned that he had a shimmy problem with the front end.

So while I was working on the brakes I checked out the front end and found some play in the tie rod ends. I installed new Teflon ball seats and new springs. I also had to replace the drag link because it was damaged. I adjusted the toe to factory specs. I didn’t think that the balls were eye shaped too badly—just some minor wear.

When I was performing the brake repair I installed all new brake drums, new front hubs and bearings, new brake shoes, all new brake hardware and new adjusting hardware. The right rear brake rod was bent and it was not even connected to the wheel, so I replaced it with a new rod.

The king pins and front spring shackles seemed to be okay at the time.

I adjusted the steering box per Les Andrews Mechanics Handbook Vol. I.

I did not balance the wheels because I live in a very rural area and I didn’t want to trust anyone to mess with the wheels.

The shimmy is still there. At 35 mph driving downhill my friend says that he has to stop the car because it is so bad that it feels like it will come apart!

At this point I will be rechecking the entire front end again. Oh, one thing that I did not mention, the wish bone has been welded to the front axle some time before I worked on the car. Also, when I was working on the front end I noticed that one of the bushings on the spring perch had moved out of the perch-see photo. And the front spring has 12 leafs plus a 1/4” shim at the top.

I have read some posts on Ford Barn about front end problems and it was mentioned that some axles on the Model A’s are bent, which can cause problems.

I am thinking that I will need to purchase another axle and wishbone to start. Will I be able to check out the axle and wishbone myself or is there some place that I can send it to make sure it is not bent or damaged?

So where do I start?