Chevrolet C60s - Front Wheel "shimmy"

[rob love]

The jeeps have always been especially susceptible to that and it is common enough to have the nickname "death wobble". First time I have heard of it on a CMP, but the reason will be the same: worn and out of spec steering components. It won't necessarily be one thing, but more likely a combination of several.

The kingpin bearings on the CMPs are a chronic problem, and hard to find. But you can add to that the general wear through the system. It is usually only two of them that take the load (can't remember if it is the uppers or the lowers, but if you disassemble them that far you will know soon enough). You can be a bit inventive and repack them, although they are not meant to do so. Some here have replaced them with standard tapered bearings along with some adapters. Likely a better choice, although you will be cutting some shims to get the preload right.

I would suggest biting the bullet and taking it to a truck service center who can properly do an alignment. They very likely won't be able to do the alignment, but will give you a list of things wrong that need fixing first.

A bandaid solution to the death wobble is to give it a bit more toe in. Mind you, if you truly have 3/8 of an inch, that would seem to me to be quite a lot already. More toe in will of course cause more wear to the tires, but how many miles do you put on your truck anyway? Another solution is the installation of a steering damper, but that is of course un-original.

I don't like to suggest bandaid solutions to things like brake or steering, as the end results can be bad.