The truck is my 91 Blazer, Overbuilt Dana 60, about 6" of lift, 3* shims, 37" military MTR. When i first got it on the road its didnt seem too horrible, i had some cheap shocks on it so i rationalized that was why it felt so loose. Well as i started driving it for real, it seemed to be getting worse. It was BAD, but it never shook the wheel, it would always shake the entire truck. And it never felt like it would do it at the same time, wether accelerating or slowing, on the brakes off the brakes, even bumps or potholes . You never knew what it was going to do. it was exhausting trying to drive it.
I changed Toe, Shocks and Shims and bushings and Balanced tires and tried balancing media and going as far as moving the axles forward and back, it just always felt BAD to drive + the tires were so small. It was the exact same axle and springs in my 74 and i was running a 42 and the truck felt fine i couldnt understand. And everything was NEW, pretty much the entire truck, the axle was completely rebuilt with Reid knuckles and ORD High steer Arms. I reasoned it had to be the high steer that was the only difference. So i put the old tie rod back on and it was just as bad.
I decided that i must go old school and try to shim the springs in the knuckles. When i took it apart the retainer was deformed, where the spring rides on the teflon bushing, it had deep depressions, the bushings and kingpins looked like i had just installed them, probably because there was less than 1000 miles on them. I inspected my old ones and they looked fine, worn and a little sharp on the edges but they never wobbled with a decade on 42s.
I welded a heavy washer onto the retainers bolted everything back up and its an easy drive again. I dont know if its was the Reid Knuckles, or the ORD arms or the combination of the rebulid parts, was there too much preload on the springs or weak metal for the retainer or maybe the position of the moon.
I changed Toe, Shocks and Shims and bushings and Balanced tires and tried balancing media and going as far as moving the axles forward and back, it just always felt BAD to drive + the tires were so small. It was the exact same axle and springs in my 74 and i was running a 42 and the truck felt fine i couldnt understand. And everything was NEW, pretty much the entire truck, the axle was completely rebuilt with Reid knuckles and ORD High steer Arms. I reasoned it had to be the high steer that was the only difference. So i put the old tie rod back on and it was just as bad.
I decided that i must go old school and try to shim the springs in the knuckles. When i took it apart the retainer was deformed, where the spring rides on the teflon bushing, it had deep depressions, the bushings and kingpins looked like i had just installed them, probably because there was less than 1000 miles on them. I inspected my old ones and they looked fine, worn and a little sharp on the edges but they never wobbled with a decade on 42s.
I welded a heavy washer onto the retainers bolted everything back up and its an easy drive again. I dont know if its was the Reid Knuckles, or the ORD arms or the combination of the rebulid parts, was there too much preload on the springs or weak metal for the retainer or maybe the position of the moon.
