Death Wobble
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Junior User
Joined: May 2004
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Death Wobble
Well I experienced death wobble on the way to work this morning. The truck shook so bad I had to come to a complete stop to get it to quit shaking. I only run 35 inch tires on my truck. Will just rebuilding my Kingpins fix this. Or do I have to do that mod that was posted on here. Right now 35 are as big as im going.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 9,236
Likes: 12
From: Senoia, GA
before you mod anything you had better check your front end! that kingpin mod is really only relevant to those runing large tires like 38's and up. if you do it with 35's something else is wrong!
also what year is your front axle? they quit producing kingpins in 92 so if you have a 93-97 its balljoint!
dude, thats a badazz truck!
brings back fond memories 
-cutts-
also what year is your front axle? they quit producing kingpins in 92 so if you have a 93-97 its balljoint!
dude, thats a badazz truck!
brings back fond memories -cutts-
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Junior User
Joined: May 2004
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The front end is out of a 1990 F350. Im going to have the tires rebalanced this week. The truck doesnt wander down the road. The front end does have some miles on it though. What else could it be. Maybe trac bar bushings?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
When I did the SAS on my 84 F-250, I had to double up the shocks on the front to keep the death wobble away.
Here is how I set mine up for cheap-
This was a last minute repair about two days before I had to drive 3,300miles, so it was kinda hacked in.
Basically, I had welded the shock mount from the factory spring plate to the new spring plate I made, welded a tab onto the front of the factory shock tower, and ran a long bolt at the bottom to hold both shocks. I just ran two of the stock-style shocks on each side, and no more death wobble.
Here is how I set mine up for cheap-
This was a last minute repair about two days before I had to drive 3,300miles, so it was kinda hacked in.
Basically, I had welded the shock mount from the factory spring plate to the new spring plate I made, welded a tab onto the front of the factory shock tower, and ran a long bolt at the bottom to hold both shocks. I just ran two of the stock-style shocks on each side, and no more death wobble.
Last edited by Ford_Six; Sep 20, 2006 at 10:59 PM.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 621
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From: hamden,CT
Doesnt sound like a king pin problem to me it could be they didnt balance your tires right or it could be something in your front end.what did they balance those 35s with the sand or weights?i had a similar problem with mine they didnt balance them right and my truck shook as bad as yours did and i had to come to a stop like you it was so bad.had my buddy take the tires off hte rims and guess what they left the bags in all 4 tires that the sand came in lol i wonder what they were thinking ugh.needless to say i got my money back.let me know how you make out. 
Last edited by FordPickMeUp; Sep 27, 2006 at 01:55 AM.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
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From: The Big, Oregon
Mine wasn't a balance issue, it was nice and smooth until I hit a decent bump in the road, like a culvert or bad expansion joint on a bridge. Then, the front end, usually on the driver's side, would start to slam up and down until I came down to about 5mph. A friend of mine saw this happen once, and told me that my left front tire was coming off the ground.
When converting to a straight axle, you more than double the unsprung weight that the shocks have to deal with. This is way more than they can handle, and you wind up with uncontrolled bouncing/cycling of the suspension.
When converting to a straight axle, you more than double the unsprung weight that the shocks have to deal with. This is way more than they can handle, and you wind up with uncontrolled bouncing/cycling of the suspension.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
I agree with Ford Six as the shocks might be the most likely cause. I have thought I had death wobble and more then once it was blown shocks that did not test bad until I had them off the truck, then it was obvious. Usually happened once I got over 35 mph or so. The other few times I blew out belts on my tires and once I had the tire off I noticed the bubble. Now I air down my E rated tires when inspecting so I don't kill myself.
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