First thing I did when I got home after "Near Death Experience #3" was crawl under the truck and crank the caster bolts in circles, settling on what appeared to be the full forward position (read: as you crank the bolts in a circle, you can visually see the axle moving toward and away from the control arm. I turned the bolt until the axle was as far away from the control arm as it would adjust, & tightened the bolts back up). After having FULL POSITIVE caster, I expexted DW to go away. Not so. Next day, I had "NDE #4". At that point, I decided that pro's needed to work on the truck. So, I took it to my most trusted friends at a local alignment shop and requested an alignment with as much positive caster as they could give me. Alex (owner) immediately asked if I was trying to cure Death Wobble, to which I responded "yes I am. ". He said "put it on the rack, let's see what we've got. ". The Checked ball joints, pitman arm, tie rod ends, u-joints, track bar, etc... pretty much everything under the front end. Said everything was in spec there. Then they performed an alignment, balanced all 4 tires, putting the two best tires in the front, and removed a turn and a half of play from the steering gear, and told me to replace the shocks. So, I parked it until I got the shocks as I didn't want to risk DW again. Got the new shocks, took it immediately to a known DW inducing spot, and sure enough, 71mph+freeze joint = wicked DW. SO, I drove her back over to Alex. Rotated caster to NEGATIVE 4. 5 degrees (had been at 7 degrees POSITIVE), and put on a Fabtech Dual Steering Stabilizer. No DW Since. With the big wheels and tires, it seems to have completely disappeared. Although I still whince every time I go over a bump.
Before running across Alex Hendry Alignment here in Nashville, I always used NTB with great results. When I was in college, I worked for a Hunter rep. I did a lot of machine calibration and training. The NTB shops always had the most knowledgeable techs and ALWAYS kept equipment in good working condition. So if you're going to go somewhere, I'd have to recommend them. WITH THAT SAID, I think they should be able to crank more than 3. 7deg positive out... I am a testament to positive caster not always being a good fix.
Thanks for the compliments on the truck. She's a beauty, and I hate to see her go... I've got a bad habit of buying trucks, making them better and then selling them to start another. I usually don't start with this good of a base stock though!!
