Death wobble

Ok all, so I have the bearing coming in today, but I may not need them at all. With the help of my uncle the problem seemed to reside with the bell crank. When applying pressure to the wheel, it caused the bell crank to torque a little wonky, so we tightened it up and so far no problems, I will test again today to see if it shows up. But I seemed to have found the solution 

General,
   You've got it !
   Hit a bump and BOOM Death Wobble full lock back and forth - it feels !

   On page 1 of this Thread, Bill hit on the nail-head. The wobble is a combination of all of the slop in all of the components including frame twist allowable and shackle side-ways play or flex (rubber bushings).
We must remember that the drag link has Springs in it, which can be part of the loosie-goosie wobble contributor once the Wobbles begin. Hang-On !!

   I had just converted a '77 Ford F-350 long-bed crew cab pickup from 2wd to 4wd and was sprinting up the expressway with a big smile !
   UNTIL I hit a badger hole, and General, all I saw behind me was a dust cloud from those two front tires and wheels flopped back and forth like you say !
   Scared the heebie-geebies out of me, and that was with a Dana 60 high pinion axle assembly too. Much heavier than your little Willys.
   The solution was to install a removable Pan Hard Rod from driver's side frame rail to passenger side spring-to-axle-tube mount.
   Once those wobble gyrations begin it is very scary at 55-mph.

   Don Garlits once said "you cannot expect to win a race unless you disassemble each component for a thorough inspection to know what you have."

   General, you cannot safely drive that vehicle until you have disassembled, clean inspected and replaced all moving components in that steering system.

   You can also tighten-up the specs for how much effort is required to rotate each knuckle assembly after you shim the bearings.

   Mid-'70's Dana 44 front knuckles have an adjusting nut to adjust drag.

   In ending, General, to cure the wobbles on my F-350, I modified a pan hard rod from a '78 full sized Ford Bronco and installed it, and NO-MORE-WOBBLES.
All components of the entire steering and axle assemblies were rebuilt and a hydraulic steering damper. There was just too much sideways play in the suspension and frame twist combined. And that is an F-350 frame.

   A note:   I put cross-over steering on an earlier '46 2a, and a Saginaw PS box and could cruise down the expressway at 65-mph and 32-inch tires with one finger and no wobbles or such. And that little L-134 was humming cheerfully at 3,750 rpms.   I felt very safe.
   You'll get it all sifted out.

   My senses tell me you are hoping to solve the steering keeping all pieces in stock form.   Like I mentioned, you may consider a bolt-in panhard rod, but this is something that you will have to fabricate with your selection of components. If it were me, I would utilize what ever stock rod ends you can use which have enough pin rotation for the articulation desired.
   What I would do is to go pluck a pan-hard rod off of a donor late model SUV and modify it to fit your application, because pan-hard rod ends tend to have more movement (back and forth) than a standard tie-rod end.

    I think the data plate recommended max. speed is 40-mph.

    Jpet mentioned a set of fresh tires can have a beneficial effect too.

    Looks like you are in for a few more skinned knuckles to Fix Steering.

So there is no speed at which it starts, just hits a bump, usually I'm going around 15 to 25 just to keep it safe. But it's a bump that I can roll over and it starts the wobble. The wheel doesn't move much when I'm holding it, but I feel the vibration of it fighting a little 

cpt logger wrote: Steve, I think that you posted about the bumperettes in the wrong thread.?!

Not really.....the General just asked two posts above Stev's answer whether anybody knew if they would fit..

Put a block of wood next to a front wheel jacked up until clear of the floor and spin the wheel with your hand and watch the run out. A wobbly/bent wheel will sure start the death wobble even if all the bearings are new. Put the wobbly one on the rear or spare mount. 

Bruce W wrote: General Eisenhower wrote: So I am gonna dig into the kingpin bearings and see what's happening in there.  Can anybody tell me the parts I'd need to replace, like seals etc before I do it, so I can order them, thanks.   Does anybody know if MB bumperettes would fit on a cj2a rear bumper?   First off, you're gonna need a copy of the Service Manual For Universal Jeep Vehicles. You do already have one, right? You will need four bearing cones and four cups. Two on each side and the upper and lower are the same. You may need knuckle bearing shims, so get a set. You will probably need new knuckle (ball) seals. If you have not cleaned and re-packed the wheel bearings then this is a good time to do it and you'll need two new hub seals. If you don't pack them, you'll still need two seals. If it has been a long time since this has been done, you may need new bearings (cones and cups). Inner and outer are the same, two per side. If one is bad, replace them both. You'll probably find that Bubba has used a chisel to loosen/tighten the wheel bearing nuts, so you'll need two new sets. You'll also need a proper socket so you will not become Bubba. When you go to disconnect the tie rod ends, you may find that they are worn, or you may destroy them getting them loose. If one is bad, replace all 4. You will need an ample supply of the lube of your choice, be it chassis grease, corn head grease, CV joint grease, your favorite "knuckle pudding" recipe, or whatever. You may not be able to get the "S" brake lines loose from the hose and/or the wheel cylinder without damaging them, so you may need them. When you pull the hubs/drums off, you may find that the brake shoes are worn out or soaked with oil/grease or brake fluid. If you replace the shoes, replace the wheel cylinders too. Then when this is all done, you can check the rear brakes and we'll start a new list.   So, you see, it can go on and on. Before you're done, you'll probably have the back seat out (old mechanic's joke). If you want to hope for the best and order the bare minimum that you will surely need, I would say bearings, shims, knuckle seals, hub seals, lube. And the Service Manual.   Keep us posted, let us know how it goes, so I can say "Wha'd I say?" (another old mechanic's joke).   BW   Oh, yeah, the MB bumperettes will fit, but you'll need to drill some holes and get rid of the ag hitch if you have one.

Sure, I agree. But still what parts would I need to replace if I tore it apart. I don't want to take it apart and wait a week because I didn't order something 

Steve, I think that you posted about the bumperettes in the wrong thread.?!

You may need knuckle to ball seals if yours can't be reused, and if you repack wheel bearings you will need those seals.