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Front End Vibration?

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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:11 PM
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Unhappy Front End Vibration?

I own a 77 Ford F-150 4x4, Ranger XLT, it's got a 351M under the hood. It's got a 9" in the rear, and a dana 44 in the front, just like from factory.

The problem is that I'm getting some nasty vibration from the front end. I am running 34" super swamper TSL tires and Aluminum Dick Cepek wheels. At first I thought it was because I hadn't had the tires balanced. So I brought it into a shop to have them balanced. That only made things worse. I was wondering if this could be caused from warped rotors, or loose brake pads? What other factors might contribute to the vibration?

Thanks.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:17 PM
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Do a forum search for "death wobble" it's a common problem made worse by too-big tires
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:31 PM
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It's not death wobble, I have no problem controlling it a highway speeds. the front end is tight and as far as I know properly aligned.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:37 PM
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My death wobble started around 45ish and if you powered through it, it would go away after 50. I think that this is fairly common too.

I had to replace the trac-bar bolt/stud along with the bushings.

However, 34s are a bit large to do a traditional balance. A lot of guys use sand in the tires instead of the weights along the rim.

Do you have a lot of slop in your steering wheel? A worn pitman arm ball joint or other components in the box could be magnified by the lift and tires.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:39 PM
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If you have a king-pin style front end, you might check the bushings.

The easiest thing in general is to jack the truck up and lay under it while your buddy dorks around wiggling the tires and steering wheel. And serious problems will present themselves pretty fast.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Eagle460
I was wondering if this could be caused from warped rotors, or loose brake pads?
Warped rotors are typically only noticable when you are actually braking. The truck will seem to "pulse" while you're slowing down. It is very apparent by feel on the pedal.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by czaroc
If you have a king-pin style front end, you might check the bushings.

The easiest thing in general is to jack the truck up and lay under it while your buddy dorks around wiggling the tires and steering wheel. And serious problems will present themselves pretty fast.
Sounds like a good idea, I'll give it a shot, and see if theirs anything that is worn, or needs replacing.

Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it.
 
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:45 PM
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Hope you figure it out. Sorry for all the extra posts. Things just kept jumping to mind.
 
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