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Front end shake at certain speeds.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Bman416, Jul 28, 2011.

  1. Bman416
    Joined: Nov 4, 2007
    Posts: 180

    Bman416
    Member

    Hi guys. I'll admit, i seem to be one of those guys who only posts when i have a problem. Well, i have a problem. 1962 Impala wagon, front end shake, feel it through steering wheel at around 65 and 75 mph. But it seems to not shake as bad around 70 mph. I have 14" supremes with very good condition tires and air ride suspension. I even switched the wheels from the front to rear and still does it. Had the front end looked at last summer and everything was fine. When i first pulled the wheels off last summer none of them were balanced and figured that was the problem. It wasn't. When i had my friend balance the wheels he said they were a bitch to balance and told me he thought they were junk and to get rid of them. I want to get like 4 steelies with good tires and throw them on just to see if i can eliminate the wheels being the problem. Thank you to all who answer. I appreciate it.

    Brian
     
  2. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,600

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    Best damn process of checking things out. It's free and the result is instant. Battled that same problem and did just that. All that work of tweeking the alignment was all for not.
     
  3. mj40's
    Joined: Dec 11, 2008
    Posts: 3,303

    mj40's
    Member

    Take it to a shop that can spin balance your tires on the car. They should be able to figure it out. Even though the tires look good don't mean they are.
     
  4. jack it up, run it in gear, look for lateral runout
     

  5. DrJ
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 9,419

    DrJ
    Member

    You will probably end up finding out your wheel bearings are shot, especially the outers, and the replacements wont last long either because they aren't made to handle the wheel offset for very many miles.
     
  6. wire rims are a tricky beast...swap for some steelies.

    good luck.
     
  7. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    dont discount the drums being the culprit either..I have found some really warped drums.

    loose steering components, and the "they are new tires (or good)" but with a belt that has slipped on one, or tread seperation
     
  8. mj40's
    Joined: Dec 11, 2008
    Posts: 3,303

    mj40's
    Member

    Did I miss something and it's front wheel drive?
     
  9. You missed- it's an Impala.

    Bman416- Funny how your wheel mate called crap on your wheels. Where there's smoke?.. BTW I don't get Chevys, but are steering/ suspension anchor points secure? I had a jittery Ford 'coz of shifting lower control arms, and it got gradually worse, to the point of wrestling/ fear. Aftermarket bolts fixed it.
    Prolly not the prob, just thought I'd chuck it in anyway.
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2011
  10. Weasel
    Joined: Dec 30, 2007
    Posts: 6,698

    Weasel
    Member

    Supremes are wires?:rolleyes:



    [​IMG]

    I would start with checking the wheel bearings by trying to rock the car when gripping the top of the front wheels - it's free;). If it feels loose you've got a bearing problem. As has been suggested, second, spin balancing - check visually for runout both lateral and vertical on the wheels/tires - or try some different correctly balanced wheels/tires. The fact that you feel this at 50 mph plus suggests to me it may be a wheel balance problem. I have just fixed a recurrent unbalance problem where the wheels can only take stick on weights and they come unglued in the heat, by using Dynabeads which Dynamically balance the wheels. Use search on here to find out about them or click on the link below. Ryan uses them and swears by them.

    www.innovativebalancing.com

    Brake drums could also be out of balance as Von Rigg Fink says and you might have worn ball joints.
     
  11. SaltCityCustoms
    Joined: Jun 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,212

    SaltCityCustoms
    Member

    My guess would be there is something wrong with the wheels if your buddy said they were junk, my Riviera had a bad wheel on it and it shook bad a friend was driving behind me and said he could see the wheel wobbling severely. Yours probably is no where near as bad, when I jacked up the car and rotated the wheel it had about an inch of runout. Oh and as a side note I might have a little pinstriping job for you in a couple of weeks if your up for it, I'll let you know.
     
  12. If your tire/wheel combos are suspect, especially if they took excessive weight to balance, start there. I agree on checking the wheel bearings and give the whole front end a good shake down as well.

    Bob
     
  13. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    supremes suck.
     
  14. Quoted for truth!

    Seriously, I have had three sets in the last year cause odd shakes and vibrations. Ditch the Supremes for some nice true, non uni-lug wheels and the problems vanishes!
     

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