For you guys out there that swap in the d60 and lift it, your likly bound to get DW. Here's what's cheap and needed. Single steering stabilizer of course. But what tops it off is 2" washers that equal 1/4 inch and stick em under your king pin cap. Works like a charm! Give this a try before you go and drop some cash on tie rods or tire balance. Its cheap and it works! Give it a shot

 

Not trying to be junky, but how do you know that works?...Did you drive on something like that for how long? What brand/strength washers? In other words will it stand the test of time? That's all I'm asking...If it works and holds up...you might be able to package it and sell it...

Pete

 

Yea my buddy threw in a d60 and I gave him one of my stabilizers and we did some internet searchin and we gave it a shot .28$ a washer and fixed all bump steer and all death wobble!! I couldn't even belive it, so I tried it my self and sure enough. It did the trick. I will let you know how it holds up after "the test of time"

 

are you running a track bar? so basicly what your doing is increasing the preload on the king pin bushing, i could see that working.

 

I am just because it fits but my buddy isn't and it is pretty much the same as far as ride quality. Give it a whirl. If it doesn't work then your down like $1.20. Worth a shot in my opinion

 

i had a wicked death wobble before i added my track bar, dose anyone know the spring rates for the king pin springs?

 

Hey that's kewl man...Like I said I just wonder if the .28 cent washers will hold up...I'm kinda thinking they will, but I also wonder if they are some heavy duty washers out there or if someone could make a set the thickness someone needs out of some kind of really good long lasting steel or something. I really think you may have come up with something that is inexpensive and works real good...

Anyway...good thinking...good problem solving...so, let us know in a few months how things hold up....

Pete

 

Country boy is correct, the washers increase the pre-load on the kingpin. The increased pre-load will change the steering effort required. Seeing as these trucks have power steering, it shouldn't really matter. However, I have a feeling that the increased load will have negative effects on the lifetime of the steering gear and pump.

I had some serious death wobble after swapping my D60 in. Sometimes it would just manifest itself, but mostly it was from hitting a bump on the passenger side (drivers side didn't seem to be an issue if I remember right). I damn near crapped myself the first time it happened (after driving on it for 30 minutes, at speeds of at least 75 MPH with no problem).

I did lots of searching, and also found the washer trick. One place said to use grade 8 washers, thats a waste of money, the 28 cent ones will work just fine. I bought mine at tractor supply by the pound, might be even cheaper. I think I have 2 in each side? 3 wouldn't fit, the cap won't seal. (might be 3 each side, 4 won't fit, can't remember) Which basically means somewhere between 2 and 3 washers the preload spring is completely compressed. Due to the length of the bolts, and the additional force on the spring, its tough to get the cap back on and bolted down, so this was my method:
Setup parking brake and chock wheels (safety first!)
Jack up one side
Remove tire
Remove grease fitting from kingpin cap (you'll see why later)
Support the steering knuckle (I used a second small jack)
Remove the 4 bolts holding the kingpin cap in place, undo them gradually to keep from distorting the cap.
Remove the cap, now is a good time to clean out the old grease. The kingpin bushing will be inside the knuckle, lower the knuckle to pop it loose and clean and regrease the kingpin.
Replace the bushing with new grease, align the key with the slot to keep it from rotating. Make sure the thin metal washer is between the bushing and the spring.
Add the washers. They can either go between the bushing and the spring, or the spring and the cap. I think mine are under the spring as they didn't fit all the way up in the cap.
Replace the cap and attempt to start threading a bolt. I couldn't get it to compress the spring and start a bolt with two hands so I did the following:
- Put a strap around the knuckle and jack.
- Jack up the knuckle until it just starts to hold the weight of the truck.
- Tighten the strap to pull the cap down
- Thread in the bolts and tighten evenly to spec
Replace the grease fitting you removed earlier (it gets in the way of the strap) and pump in some more new grease
Replace tire
Lower truck, remove chocks
Put away tools
Test drive!

For those of you concerned about using cheap grade 2 washers, take a look at how things are held together. The kingpin bushing is made from nylon. The kingpin cap is a thin piece of stamped metal. The washers are thicker than the cap material... The washers are purely in compression with the full surface of the washers under stress. Washers normally are loaded unevenly with one side resting on a flat surface, but the side towards the bolt/nut only partially loaded. Also, the washers are thicker than most people think.

After doing this, it almost eliminated the death wobble, which really feels more like a death one-wheel-hop when it happens (at least in my experience). For the most part, there is only one road I've still had it happen on, this road has some small frost heaves/unevenness, and it doesn't happen every time. When it does happen I'm traveling ~45-50 MPH. An immediate braking to ~25-30 MPH stops the shaking. I am NOT running a track bar. I do have the track bar, but half of the spring side bracket was cut off when I got it. The set of spring brackets I found where from a 78-79 truck that did not run the track bar so I had no way of mounting it. Note I also rolled my own reverse shackle kit when installing the axle.

BTW, the 2" measurement on the washers is their diameter (measure across the circle). NOT the bolt size.

 

well said! When u do the shackle reverse it stiffens the front up quite a bit right? The trac bar is for lateral axle movement, and the shackle reverse eliminated the front shackle therefore preventing lateral movement any way. Right? Because it takes that stock shackle up front away so it makes it alot sturdier? Sounds confusing but I've heard it helps quite a bit.

 

even with the shackle reversal id think you would still think there would be some lateral movement due to the springs flexing and as bushings getting worn. as for the washers just cheepies would work because they just act as a spacer between the king cap and the spring itself. but dont get too carried away, more that 3/16 to 1/4 of shims will lead to binding and the bushing to fail

 

I seem to remember oreo mentioning something about a kingpin kit that eliminates the spring all together. Can't remember if it used a system of shims or if it had an adjusting bolt to take up the slack.

 

i know theres a lower kit that allows you to adjust the camber but ive never heard of anything that replaces the spring in the top

 

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...it_p_1693.html
my other buddy has this and crossover or high steer (not sure on correct term) with hiem joints and 12" lift with no trac bar, no sway bar, and one stabilizer. And it drives like a new vehicle

 

if you get death wobbles its because the bushings need to be replaced in your kingpins. if you have larger tires then doing a cap that replaces the spring and preloads the kingpin with a bolt. those have to be checked often, the spring is self adjusting. also you need to make sure that your pinion angle is set right. if its not tilted back enough then your gonna wobble. a steering slablizer will help too.