'82 Brat death wobble

[abentz]

I have read a few threads on the death wobble topic and would like to gather a couple opinions based on my situation. 

'82 Brat, 4 inch lift, 6 lug conversion, rusty p.o.s..

So right around 35 miles an hour I start to get a bad wobble. The sweet spot is around 35-50 mph. The wobble increases when I let off the gas and decreases when I accelerate. The wobble is not correlated with braking, it actually decreases when braking. When I reach highway speeds it's less intense, but still not confidence inspiring. It feels like it is coming from the front drivers side. I hear a clicking noise when I do sharp, slow turns to the left. I have autozone CV axles because it have not been able to source any OEM axles in Utah. 

My current thoughts: bad inner joint on the drivers side CV axle. Or maybe I did a bad job when I did the 6 lug redrill as it's not perfectly centered. 

Any advice would be much appreciated. 

[DaveT]

Either one could be.  Also, I have had tires partially fail due to bad alignment, where some of the tread separates from the steel belts.  Makes a bubble in the tread, you can see if you jack the wheel you so you can turn the tire, and watch all the way around.

[carfreak85]

2 hours ago, abentz said:

Or maybe I did a bad job when I did the 6 lug redrill as it's not perfectly centered. 

This seems like the most obvious place for an issue to crop up.  Drilled before or after the tires were mounted and balanced?

[abentz]

On 7/19/2019 at 2:47 PM, carfreak85 said:

This seems like the most obvious place for an issue to crop up.  Drilled before or after the tires were mounted and balanced?

One of them was drilled after the tires were mounted and balanced. 

[Numbchux]

As with most death wobble situations, it's likely a combination of things. I've never had anything I would call more than a vibration from a balance/centering problem, but it could be amplified by another component.

First thing I'd do, since it's cheap and easy, is rotate the wheels/tires front-to-back. And when you do it, make sure you torque the nuts on the original studs first, then the 4 you added (thus helping separate any accuracy issues with the drilled lugs from the equation).

Also take a close look at ball joints, tie rod ends, tie rods, and other suspension bushings. Much less likely to cause this issue, but worth looking at is the rag joint in the steering shaft.

 

What kind of lift? I assume the strut rod/transmission crossmember brackets are spaced down from the body? Individual blocks or tied together?

[abentz]

On 7/23/2019 at 1:11 PM, Numbchux said:

As with most death wobble situations, it's likely a combination of things. I've never had anything I would call more than a vibration from a balance/centering problem, but it could be amplified by another component.

First thing I'd do, since it's cheap and easy, is rotate the wheels/tires front-to-back. And when you do it, make sure you torque the nuts on the original studs first, then the 4 you added (thus helping separate any accuracy issues with the drilled lugs from the equation).

Also take a close look at ball joints, tie rod ends, tie rods, and other suspension bushings. Much less likely to cause this issue, but worth looking at is the rag joint in the steering shaft.

 

What kind of lift? I assume the strut rod/transmission crossmember brackets are spaced down from the body? Individual blocks or tied together?

It is an SJR lift. Yes the strut/rod transmission crossmember brackets are spaced down from the body. Individual blocks.