The dreaded death wobble has been a problem on 4x4s for ages. The warning sign is a shudder or shimmy in the front axle while on the road. This can develop into a violent shaking and near loss of control. While many factors contribute to death wobble, some are primary culprits from the get-go. Other than whacked-out tires and rims, the track bar on many vehicles with coil-spring front suspension is often worn out, at the wrong angle, or damaged. Add to this a lift kit, big tires and wheels, and a few hard miles, and you have a recipe for sure disaster.
To combat this issue on the '05-'09 Ford F-250-550 Super Duty trucks with coils, WC Motorsports of Walpole, Massachusetts, has devised a replacement track bar that cures the shakes and wobbles associated with a bad bar. Instead of the spindly factory bar with stock ball joint and bushing ends, the WC bar is made of 1/2-inch 0.25-wall DOM tubing with 7/8-inch chromoly ends that are Teflon lined. The bar bungs are CNC-milled out of 4130 stock, and the bar is powdercoated metallic gray. The mounting points allow the bar to be used in the stock location for up to 4-inch lifts, and on top of the axle mount for 6-inch and taller mounts. The new design is not only stronger, but because the mounting axis has been moved, the bar is parallel with the drag link, reducing bumpsteer and helping to prevent the death wobble. A few more tricks like an adjustable ball joint alignment shim and special alignment specs make this kit one nice addition to your Ford.
We went to Off Road Unlimited in Burbank, California, for the easy install. Owner Maurice Rozzo had us in and out in a couple hours while using a customer's lifted F-250. The customer had thought of selling his truck as the death wobble was just too intense, but after the new bar he even went and bought a boat to tow, since the truck was so stable! Follow along as we install the WC Motorsports bar and see how simple a fix this can be.
Our test truck has a 6-inch...
Our test truck has a 6-inch lift on it and sports LT315-70R17 tires. The owner was ready to sell it rather than deal with the insidious death wobble. In the top photo notice how the stock track bar is attached with a ball joint.....
......(A) at the axle and...
......(A) at the axle and a bushing (B) at the frame. With this lift the ball joint is maxed out, and the angle of the track bar (C) doesn't match the angle of the draglink (D). The bottom photo shows the finished install with the drag link and track bar parallel as they should be.
While no welding is required...
While no welding is required for installation, minimal cutting is needed to get rid of the stock parts. The threaded portion of the ball joint end of the track bar needs to be cut off so the joint can be removed with the proper tool. An air grinder is the easiest way to do this.
With the threads cut off the...
With the threads cut off the ball joint, a remover is used to push the joint out of the cast section on the axletube. This mount is what the new WC Motorsports bar bracket will bolt to. Simply make sure the hole is round and clean for the installation.
The new bracket is installed...
The new bracket is installed on top of the mount for 6-inch and higher lifts, or underneath for up to 4-inch lifts. The 4140 machined steel piece comes with all the hardware needed to bolt it properly into place.
The rod end of the bar fits...
The rod end of the bar fits into the new bracket, and the bracket is tightened down. The bar is adjustable to center the axle under the vehicle and to adjust for manufacturing tolerances.
After the stock bar is removed...
After the stock bar is removed from the frame bracket, the hole is reamed out with a 7/8-inch bit. Some brackets may become squished together if other aftermarket brackets have been used, so the brackets may have to be straightened to stock dimensions for the new rod end.
The new bar bolts into the...
The new bar bolts into the bracket with the high misalignment shims for maximum flexibility. All of the rod ends are Teflon lined, and all of the hardware is Grade 8 or better.
The final steps are to replace...
The final steps are to replace the left upper ball joint shim with a fully adjustable style, and then have the alignment set at your favorite alignment shop. Off Road Unlimited had the whole job done in less than a day. The death wobble was cured for good!