Severe front wheel shimmy at 55 +- MPH

Another thing you may want to try (it is on my 37 Cabriolet) is to use a damper between the unused hole on the center pitman arm and the frame. This worked wonders for my Cord which was a constant "shimmyer" until modified. It never shimmys now...


Hal Bjorklund
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I'm going to add my .02 to Cord shimmy. Amoungst everything else, they shimmy from too much caster. If a Cord sets lower in the rear than the front, it is bound to shimmy sometime, too much caster. Also to add to Josh's list: old, soft, and oily motor and transmission mounts! I've had Cords with all of the above loose, worn out, near junk, and no shimmy.

Stan

Thanks for the help. I do plan on changing to radial tires.
Jeff

This was the single biggest problem faced by Cord owners in the last decades of the twentieth century. Reams of material have been written on it, including a three-part series I did in the early '90s. Issues included:

- Center steering arm bearing, bolt and bolt holes
- Caster correct
- Wheel runout within tolerances
- Toe-out correct
- Universal joints without excessive looseness
- Front wheel bearings in good condition
- Front hub tight in bearing (the real solution to both of the above is the Richardson conversion)
- steering linkage ends (tie rod ends tight, spring ends properly adjusted)
- Fenders secure, not free to shake
- Door wedges and strikers properly adjusted
- Front spring u-bolts tight
- NO cracks in frame (even tiny ones)

Most of all, tires. Change to radials, and I'm guessing that the problem may go away even if all the above aren't perfect! (One should still strive for perfection, though

My experience has been that the brake drum hub fit to the front bearing wheel bearing is critical. I found that you should jack up the front end and grab each tire to check for any movement. If there seems to be any movement in the wheel to hub, not the king pins or steering mechanism, try to tighten the axle nut to 350 foot-pounds (a bunch). I had to replace a bearing and switch brake drum hub to get a tight fit. The hub should be tight when inserted into the bearing. George Arakalien often builds up the the brake hub surface with hard chrome and grinds to obtain a tight fit. I found that "CV"'s can also cause some problems. Hope this helps...

JEFF

YOU MIGHT TRY FINDING A TIRE SHOP WITH EQUIPMENT TO BALANCE WHEELS AND TIRES ON THE CAR. THIS SPINS ENTIRE ROTATING MASS AND BALANCES EVERYTHING. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD BEST RESULTS WITH THIS METHOD.

I have a 1936 Cord 810 Phaeton with a severe front wheel shimmy when I hit about 50-55 MPH. I've had the wheels hi speed balanced, checked the steering linkage and steering box, rebuilt the shocks, and set the wheel toe out as per Cord specs. Has anyone else had this same problem and does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks, Jeff