I'm about to order a front disc brake conversion kit. It looks like I have a Dana 30 front end, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yep. Looks that way from here.
A very clean one too! But with something this old, you can never trust paint. Or you can use the old saying here... "Trust. But verify!"
'Coupl'a tests will tell the tale.
I was going to order the WH kit, so while I'm at it, I figured I'd order whatever new parts I may need to hopefully work out these kinks.
Thanks. Good idea on the other parts. One of the big tests we perform on these rigs will tell you most of what you need to know about what else you might need. In fact, we used to just call it "the test" and I'll give you the run down on it in a bit.
Or did we already talk about that? I forget sometimes...%)
I drove it last night and the shimmy/wobble/whatever you want to call it only happens right at 30 mph. If I'm driving 25, it's fine, but if I'm cruising along at 30 the steering wheel feels like a bucking bronco (no pun intended). If I accelerate a few MPH faster than 30 it goes away too. Pretty weird indeed.
Agree that it sounds like a balance issue, but things like this can be tread wear and just general tire wear. Or even some damage that has not quite developed into a full-on Death Wobble.
I would at the very least, rotate the tires to see if it changes anything. If you're going to have a tire shop do it, might as well have them check the balance as well. Can't hurt.
And even if it doesn't turn out to be as simple as balance (plenty of other things to contend with) it's not completely wasted money during this testing phase.
It also pulls to the left when I'm braking, which I'm sure the disc brakes will fix, although I wonder if that might be related to this steering issue as well.
Good thinking there. It might be the brakes. But then again, it might not.
Things that can cause a pulling are:
1. Tires
2. Wheel bearings.
3. Alignment.
4. Suspension/steering linkage mismatches (sound familiar here?)
5. General wear (steering, kingpin bearings, etc.)
6. And brakes of course.
Rotating the tires will tell you whether or not there is something down that rat hole. Even if the shimmy and pull don't go away after rotating, if they change at all it means you're on to something.
While you're at it with the tires, you might even verify the date codes on them Just because they look new(ish) doesn't mean they are.
Wheel bearings will only tell their tale upon inspection and re-packing. Along with a proper adjustment, which many shops don't even know how to perform!
Alignment is easy to check, and not a bad thing to do right up front just to see what you're dealing with. Even if you end up changing some things, here again it's not wasted money to know what you have. And the alignment guy can see some things like loose kingpin bearings and such.
Your linkages definitely need attention. The mis-match between the draglink and trackbar alone could be 3/4 of your trouble.
Agree that a riser is a good part and has some advantages, but think that in your case a drop bracket for the trackbar is more appropriate. Looks like a standard dropped pitman arm, so a standard matching drop bracket should put your angles in the best shape.
An adjustable trackbar might not be an absolute necessity, but it's still a good idea.
An adjustable draglink is also a good thing for any lifted Bronco.
You might even remove the stabilizer shock temporarily (to keep it from masking other things or even causing them in extreme cases) while you're messing about.
Ok, so "the test" thing is something all EB owners should do at the time they're looking at buying one. After they buy one. And every once in awhile after that.
With the tires on the ground and the full weight of the truck on them, have a helper rack the steering wheel back and forth continually, while you watch things underneath.
The able helper doesn't have to turn it all the way either. Just enough to make the tires wiggle on the ground. I usually recommend a 1/4 to 1/2 turn in each direction, so they need to be patient. And maybe have good strong arms too!
While this is going one you lay under the front and watch each and every component, from the trackbar mounts, steering box bolts and the frame nearby, all the tie-rod ends, king pin bearings and wheel bearings too.
For those last you just need to watch the knuckles and wheels. If you see movement, it's likely too much.
And while you're at it, watch the steering shaft under the hood and the rear axle as well. Hey, if it moves while the wheels are going back and forth, it's in need of at least a little attention.
Hopefully that gives you some additional direction and food for thought.
But no matter what, get that trackbar down with a drop bracket. They're inexpensive (relatively) and absolutely necessary when running a dropped pitman arm on a standard steering '66 to '75 Bronco.
Good luck.
Paul