Death wobble - need to fix quick!

[1971ford]

I currently have 35's on the highboy and had the original push/pull steering setup with my dodge power steering box.
Works fine. But I am putting 37's on (or atleast trying to) and the push pull setup will not work at all with the 37's... the 37's will hit the push/pull setup as soon as i start to turn the wheel to the right.
The push pull setup on the truck... put it back on so i can drive over 30MPH...
Notice the tabs on the drag link for the tie rod i made. Other end of the tie rod obvioulsy bolts to the pitman after turning it 90deg. to point back.


So I made a tie rod going from pitman to the original drag link. Quickly found out that the tie rod just rolls the drag link back and forth since it's on tie rod ends on each end. So I locked the tie rod ends opposite of each other.
Now I don't have the dead spot in the steering but now that I am actually driving the truck with the new inverted-t style steering I've realized it's a death wobble mess.
WHY???

To rule out any new problems or maybe the possibility of it being caused by locking the tie rod ends, I put the push pull back on and no death wobble whatsoever.

So the problem lies in my inverted T steering setup. But where did i go wrong?
The pitman arm isn't double sheared where the tie rod bolts up, but I do have a massive misalignment against the pitman arm surface with big grade 8 washers and the nut cranked down as tight as can be, so i don't THINK that this bolt/heim is moving.
With the TRE's locked the drag link isn't rolling any more.
I can grab the drag link and pull/push and make it flex, but is this deflection really enough to cause death wobble??

This is all with the 35's on.

[CrypticRacer13]

have any pics of how it was before you switched back to the push pull? How bad are those tires? I had big issues with my 40's on my 98' ram years ago and it was just the unnatural balance of the super swampers. Have you looked into a "Y" link set up like on newer Jeeps Dodges?

[CrypticRacer13]

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/YLINK.html I ended up building this set up for the Ram and it worked out great and never looked back. This or crossover steering, but you might need that 60 sooner for that

[1971ford]

That's basically exactly what i'm running. Except on the tie rod instead of tie rod ends i have heims.

I just found the driver side wheel to be wobbling so i tore the hub down and tightened up the bearing nut but i really doubt that's it.
About to go on a test drive.

[1971ford]

[CrypticRacer13]

Hmmmmm have you tried swaping tires left to right? If everything is set up good witch im sure it is, it could be your tires are junk. You might need to play around with you shackles again to find the righ caster with this new set up as well.

[1971ford]

yeah If i get the lug nuts tomorrow (really... really hope so) then i can mount up the 37's and hopefully rule tires out of it.

Doing this as well. Crossing my fingers that the U shaped flimsy stock tie rod has something to do with it.

[CrypticRacer13]

HAHA did you check the diff clearence at full lock to lock with you new set up?

[1971ford]

nope still working on putting it together. I need to drill out the knuckles to 7/8" and put inserts in there for these bigger tie rod ends. Another trip to Ruff-Stuff in the morning is in order.
I'll go look at diff clearance now that you're trying to scare me. The new tube is 1.5" and old tube is just under 1.25" so i don't see it hitting though


From what the guys on pirate4x4 are saying I am probably going to have to fab a track bar up as well. REALLY hope not because I barely had the money for this new tie rod and don't have the money for a track bar right now..

[CrypticRacer13]

From what the guys on pirate4x4 are saying I am probably going to have to fab a track bar up as well. REALLY hope not because I barely had the money for this new tie rod and don't have the money for a track bar right now..

A track bar would be a really good idea since this is going to be your DD/hauler simple from D-side frame rail to the top of your U-bolt plate works like a champ. Its not needed really seeing how we use leafs but its extra and can really help out

[1971ford]

Yeah, I figured I could just run it frame rail to leaf spring plate easy but the angle should match my drag link angle... which sucks. I don't even like my drag link angle.
Let's just hope I don't need to fab a track bar tomorrow with the money i don't have

[CrypticRacer13]

As far as matching angles i dont think its that important in a leaf sprung rig, seeing how its only an extra for us leafers

[1971ford]

That might be so. But actually looking at the truck it should actually be real easy to set a track bar up on it like how you said. Two simple tabs on the leaf spring plate and two tabs on the inside of the drivers boxed frame rail. Then some more DOM and some more heims and done.

I think tomorrow when I go back to Ruff-Stuff to grab the taper inserts for the knuckles I will just get the track bar stuff and just do it all at once and know for sure that when I hop in it it will not give me any more death wobbles. And if it does then I give up.

[CrypticRacer13]

Thats how i would set it up your can mount it under the frame rail as well to get closer to you tie rod line if you worry to much about the angle. If it still does it id look into your caster set up agian

[1971ford]

well, remember that the truck drives at any speed (well as fast as i can make it go!) VERY nicely with the push/pull setup, and when i went to the new steering setup it all of a sudden got death wobble. And if you think about it, the push pull setup didn't care about the axle swaying underneath the truck... it can make up for that no problem. But if the axle sways with steering linkage hooked directly from steering box to axle (tie rod) then when the axle sways (from the shackles), it pushes on the pitman, the steering box isn't havin' any of it and fights against it, moving the knuckles, throwing it into death wobble. A track bar should stop this dead in its tracks.

That's what's going on in my mind right now anyways sounds solid to me