Project Comanche

Very pleased with that combo?

I am interested in upgrading and plan on using the putco harness. Will 100/80w hella halogens be too much for the harness or will it handle it properly? How high of bulb watt will the putco harness handle? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

After much frustrating and weeks of giving up I found play in the pitman arm. Has anyone encountered this before? I have ordered a new one to see if this will solve the problem. I figure if I can see the play in the pitman arm when the truck is just parked then rolling down the road and hitting bumps makes this enough to initiate the death wobble.

You stated your frame was cracked... Where at? Near the steering box or in multiple places? After I get the new bushings in and stabilizer if the problem is still there I am going to more carefully examine / repair / plate more of the frame. My frame is already plated but if you have specific locations where you found cracks maybe it could point me in the right direction. Hopefully all the parts come in this week and I find time to work on it and have it rolling by Wednesday next week.

Gotcha. I agree. I want to know what bit the dust and started this whole fiasco. Squeaks and pops in the jeep are acceptable as long as I know what they are. This DW will be he end of me.

Fix the box? It is brand new, so it is fixed...

Not yet. But hopefully soon. New Durango steering box, super durometer trackbar bushings. And a fancy new stabilizer. Praying that it makes a difference. The next cheapest fix is a ¢10 for sale sign

15x10.

I have checked the CA bushings. Upper control arms have brand new bushings and heim joints. Lowers have Johnny joints and bushings are in good shape. Checked on tire psi. Straight from Goodyear website it says 35 psi.

A single pothole triggered it. I have experienced steering shimmy before, and this is most definately death wobble. Over the past few weeks I have read every article and post and forum on death wobble, learning many things while confirming others. It is a 1987 jeep comanche. Dana 30 front end on 35's. Trackbar and steering linkage similar to rustys offroad over the knuckle setup. It has a custom built long arm lift with radius upper arms. The kicker... I have had this truck for 8 months now. It has driven perfectly with no shimmy or wobble until now. I am at witts end trying to figure this out. I have never driven this truck with a steering stabilizer. I am not opposed to adding one but I am opposed to using one as a bandaide and not addressing the root of the problem. I have asked 5-6 different shops to look at it, getting different suggestions each time. Each and every one of their suggestions has been worked through by tightening, repairing or replacing. Many of the shops also recommended HD steering stabilizers and one shop even mentioned a triple HD setup. I took their advice while I countiued to scratch my head. Since the DW started I have fixed/replaced the following: Alloy USA upper and lower ball joints Tj style axle shafts (vac disco conversion) w/ spicer 460's Alignment checked out perfect(caster,camber, toe in, wheel bearings are tight, etc. @ gross and Stevens in Visalia) Tires balanced New dodge Durango steering box Plated steering box mount/unibody. (Two 1/4" plates with 1 1/2 round stock welded between and bored for mounting bolts) Super durometer poly bushings in trackbar Check tire pressure (28-30psi) Trackbar brackets checked out solid with zero movement Next is new heim joints even though the existing ones feel tight. Any and all advice is welcomed. I am ready to have a SAFE truck back on the road.

Wheels balanced. Alignment was spot on. Nothing loose except steering box. Shop again recommended steering stabilizer (which I am not opposed to). I still think a stabilizer is a bandaide over the unknown problem. What do you recommend? Steering stabilizer or new steering box? Or continue to search for a cause?

Finished plating the frame today, initially thought it fixed the DW... It didn't. There was substantial damage to the frame and I figured it would help some, but it still has DW. I am replacing trackbar bushings next along with balancing the wheels. Could my steering box have just bit the dust and be the cause? There has always been play in the steering wheel.

Ball joint are brand new. Alloy USA. I will be building a plate similar to the rustys kit.

Toe in measured 1/8th-1/4". Wheel bearings have no slop. The hiem joints in the steering have a normal amount of play and that can't be adjusted. Took off the steering pump and found some damage that I'll be repairing and plating. Once the steering box issue is mended I'll have it aligned and might even have the front wheels balanced just to eliminate those possibilities. Next on the list is new trackbar bushings. I have found replacement bushings of varying density... Can anyone comment on whether stock replacements are better or worse than the mega hard compound?