steering vibration damper ?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 3,330
Likes: 13
From: Europe , Luxembourg
steering vibration damper ?
Hi
I own a 68 big block convertible, no PS, no PB , no AC.
I saw in several catalogs a non power steering vibration damper installation.
Is this a option as my car doesn't have this ?
Is it required ?
Thanks. Gunther :seeya
I own a 68 big block convertible, no PS, no PB , no AC.
I saw in several catalogs a non power steering vibration damper installation.
Is this a option as my car doesn't have this ?
Is it required ?
Thanks. Gunther :seeya
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
Re: steering vibration damper ? (WESCH)
The information that I have says that 1963 through1968 small blocks with manual steering used the shock damper. I really can't say why the big blocks didn't require the damper. Maybe the added weight of the big block dampened the front suspension and the steering.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Re: steering vibration damper ? (Jim Shea)
Jim, that whole topic is of slight interest to me, as I used to have a chebby 3/4 ton van some decades ago...a '75 to be exact...and that van developed a weird problem...fine for years, then one day on the freeway that thing went nuts....wheel vibration went crazy, only way to stop it was near a panic stop to slow van down....then around 30 mph or so it settled down again......only to do it again unexpectedly abouta month later...lucky the wife wasn't driving either time.....well anyway, after the VERY through investigation by me and some damn fine shops I knew at the time....
it was given a clean bill of health, then finally someone mentioned a vibration damper....a shock absorber mounted to the drag link and frame as a lateral damper.....well after that, no more problems....
but....
just what in hell WAS the problem....vechicle was fine for about 3-4 years....50 k miles at most....then all of a sudden it's like it was possessed for something....scarey as hell....tear the wheel right out of my hand, power steering and all....like it hit some sort of resonance or something is all I could tell....but since nothing was loose enough or loose at all,...just where was/why??? the problem???? any ideas???
GENE
it was given a clean bill of health, then finally someone mentioned a vibration damper....a shock absorber mounted to the drag link and frame as a lateral damper.....well after that, no more problems....
but....
just what in hell WAS the problem....vechicle was fine for about 3-4 years....50 k miles at most....then all of a sudden it's like it was possessed for something....scarey as hell....tear the wheel right out of my hand, power steering and all....like it hit some sort of resonance or something is all I could tell....but since nothing was loose enough or loose at all,...just where was/why??? the problem???? any ideas???
GENE
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
Re: steering vibration damper ? (WESCH)
Strange things can happen when you set things into resonance. That is exactly what the damper is designed to do, dissipate or absorb energy so that a system doesn't resonate. We called the phenomenom "wheel fight" if the vehicle was being driven. We also called it "shudder" if it occurred when you were parking. We did find that with time, certain suspension and steering systems could go into resonance because the frictional characteristics of ball joints, linkage pivots, gear mesh, etc changed. That is why prototype durability vehicles are closely monitored to determine if they have any tendency to "wheel fight" or shudder. I think that today, GM and/or Delphi can probably computer model a suspension and steering system and predict its tendency to resonate.
On most of the Saginaw power steering gears, (not the Corvette linkage booster type) if you remove the pressure hose and look straight into the gear port, you will see a spring loaded metal plate that acts as a one way check valve. Oil from the pump can travel easily into the gear by just pushing the plate down against a real light spring. But any back drive (wheel fight) pulsations are dampened because the oil is prevented from backing up.
On most of the Saginaw power steering gears, (not the Corvette linkage booster type) if you remove the pressure hose and look straight into the gear port, you will see a spring loaded metal plate that acts as a one way check valve. Oil from the pump can travel easily into the gear by just pushing the plate down against a real light spring. But any back drive (wheel fight) pulsations are dampened because the oil is prevented from backing up.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
Re: steering vibration damper ? (Jim Shea)
So the question as to why only the 1963 through 1968 small blocks required the damper. Probably during the development of the 1963 Vette, a ride engineer discovered a problem or a potential problem with wheel fight. So a linkage damper was added. When the big block came along mid-year in 1965 they probably discovered that they could save money by eliminating the damper because all of their testing that went into releasing the big block indicated to wheel fight problems.
The steering system then remained unchanged over the years. Big blocks with no dampers, small blocks with the dampers. Now the C3 comes along and tires, springs, shocks, and a lot of things change for 1968. However, the steering system was basically carryover. Someone probably got a bright idea to save money and eliminate the shock damper on all small blocks as well. Maybe the idea came up too late to be validated for 1968 start of production, so with some further testing to confirm that wheel fight was no longer a problem, the shock damper was finally removed for good in 1969.
The steering system then remained unchanged over the years. Big blocks with no dampers, small blocks with the dampers. Now the C3 comes along and tires, springs, shocks, and a lot of things change for 1968. However, the steering system was basically carryover. Someone probably got a bright idea to save money and eliminate the shock damper on all small blocks as well. Maybe the idea came up too late to be validated for 1968 start of production, so with some further testing to confirm that wheel fight was no longer a problem, the shock damper was finally removed for good in 1969.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,188
Likes: 1
From: Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
Re: steering vibration damper ? (Jim Shea)
Having done a lot of wheel alignments and such (all Makes) in the early 70's the wheel fight issue was very common on mid to late 60's vehicles. (customer complaints ) going along with what Jim said above I found nothing wrong with some gm's yet changing the Damper or more often than that was the idler arm. Even thou they looked and felt good it corrected the problem. of periodically " wacky twilight zone steering":)
