VIBRATION ANALYSIS
For the past couple of years, I've been experiencing a terrible chassis
vibration with the Torino.
It occured at exactly 62 MPH and got worse as I went faster. So, that
meant that as long as I stayed at 60MPH on the highway, it was smooth, but took
forever to get anywhere. So much for Zebra 3 being the hottest machine on
el-road-o (see my sounds page).
I consulted with a few mechanics, and scoured the net looking for the cause.
The best advice I got was from Sam Memmolo (2 Guys Garage). I called his
radio show and asked for some advice. Sam and Dave suggested 2 things -
tires and driveshaft/u-joints.
I bought new u-joints, dropped my drivehaft and changed them, putting the
driveshaft back in the correct phase. No improvement.
I then put on 4 mags and tires from my 97 Mustang GT (yes they fit, but the
backspace is weird). Still no change - car shakes at 62MPH. My slot mags
are all new, and the back tires are brand new, fronts are 2 years old. All
balanced well.
So whats next? A local technican told me that if the whole car shakes,
its a rear end problem. So I jacked up one back tire at a time, and ran
the car at idle in Drive. The car shook even at idle with the left tire
off the ground, not so much with the right. So I pulled off the tire, and
let the brake drum spin - shake was still there. The drum was WAY OUT of round,
and the weights were gone. I had never changed them. I took off the left
drum and let the hub turn at idle - NO SHAKE. I accelerated to 40MPH on the
jack, and no shake. I put the drum back on and the shake returned.
So that must have been the problem.
I bought 2 new Wagner Drums, and installed them. Today, Good Friday,
the roads were very quiet and I took the car out on the highway - vibration was
gone completely. At 64MPH where it was worst, the car was smooth. Now I can feel
the bumps of our crappy roads.
So now the old beast is set to cruise to the local car shows, and Carlisle
in June 2004.