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Wed May 18, 2016 12:59 pm

I have a sandrail with a 1965 bug frontend. The tires wobble horizontally at all speeds. When its parked, you can push on the front tire and there's a considerable amount of movement. Are my tires just unbalanced, or do I have worn out steering components?

Wed May 18, 2016 1:46 pm

Take off the spindle nut and check the wheel bearings. Then put in new grease and tighten the nut down properly.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7522609

Hands at 9 and 3, give it some force like your turning the wheel. Then hands at 12 and 6 do the same thing. That will tell you a lot.

Wed May 18, 2016 1:49 pm

Does the wheel wobble on the wheel hub or does the whole wheel and hub assembly wobble?

If it's the wheels there is an axle nut underneath the grease cap that tends to get loose. You tighten it down until the wheel doesn't wobble but still turns freely and then tighten a set screw to lock it.

If your wheel hub is the part wobbling then you need to check your ball joints etc. Also, your steering box may have come loose from where it's clamped onto the front axle.

Wed May 18, 2016 2:55 pm

Aerindel wrote: If your wheel hub is the part wobbling then you need to check your ball joints etc. Also, your steering box may have come loose from where it's clamped onto the front axle.

If it's a '65, he doesn't have balljoints :)

Wed May 18, 2016 3:55 pm

firehorse02 wrote: Aerindel wrote: If your wheel hub is the part wobbling then you need to check your ball joints etc. Also, your steering box may have come loose from where it's clamped onto the front axle.

If it's a '65, he doesn't have balljoints :)

:)

Good point. Wasn't paying attention.

Wed May 18, 2016 7:23 pm

The wheel and the whole assembly wobbles. I think it might be the link pins, because that part is what moves when I push on the tire. Does that make sense?

Thu May 19, 2016 5:50 am

Bad tie rod ends? Had a rail that was fine off road but when I hit any pavement wheels would shake.

Thu May 19, 2016 7:48 am

I don't feel it in the steering wheel at all either.

Thu May 19, 2016 3:16 pm

The link pins are almost certainly loose. There is probably a lot else that's loose in that front end too.To adjust the link pins, you loosen the pinch bolt on the end of the trailing arm (don't remove the bolt, just loose), then use a wrench on the end of the kingpin to rotate the linkpin. It has a groove in the side that works with the pinch bolt to screw the linkpin in and out. Snug it so the link is pulled against the arm. Back it off just a hair, then tighten the pinch bolt. Do this at all 4 link pins. This should be done about every oil change. Grease the zerk fittings while you're at it.

Now...If the linkpins still wobble after the adjustment, and there's a good chance of it, the pins and bushings need replacement. If the linkpins are in such need, the kingpins most certainly are too. Fortunately, a linkpin VW front end really doesn't need alignment like most front suspensions do. a press and reamer for the bushings are required for the job. But it should be done by someone who is familiar with VW linkpin front ends. Most mechanics these days have no clue about them. Once the kingpins and bushings are installed, and the linkpin bushings pressed in and reamed, then the trailing arm offset needs to be measured, and the stacks of linkpin shims arranged according to chart and then assembled on the arms.

Thu May 19, 2016 8:55 pm

Well I live in rural montana so I'll have to take a crack at it myself. What chart are you referring to? This has been very helpful thank you

Thu May 19, 2016 10:07 pm

There are charts to be found in most any VW repair book. I'll check to see if I can find one to link here.

The deal is that with the spindle removed from the arms, you place a straight edge across the end of the lower arm so it extends past the end of the upper arm. The lower arm is supposed to stick out a little farther than the upper. Then you measure the gap between the straight edge and the end of the upper arm. The difference should be like 6mm to 10mm. The chart will tell you that for a certain amount of space, you put so many shims on the outer side of the lower link pin and so many on the inboard side. The so many on the outboard side of the upper and so many on the inboard side. This should set your spindle at the correct camber. It is NOT to adjust the camber. If the camber is not right with the shims set right, then an arm or 2 is bent and needs to be replaced.

Thu May 19, 2016 10:23 pm

Here is a link to Chirco's page with the info. The chart and diagram is original VW manual . I recommend that you save the image in your computer.

http://chircoestore.com/tech_articles/?p=225

The charts often refer to 8 shims per linkpin and one "retainer with dust seal" The seals come in some shim sets, but not in most. Without the "dust seal" which is a thick shim with a rubber rim, you install a total of 10 regular shims per link pin.

Fri May 20, 2016 12:59 pm

I think I read somewhere that cb performance sells a reamer?

Fri May 20, 2016 1:40 pm

So does Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=adjustable+reamer

Fri May 20, 2016 3:32 pm

The best king pin bushing reamer that the average person can buy and use is the one that CarCraft in Corona, CA sell.
The way it is made it centers on the bushings for a true fit between the bushings.
It is the classifieds here on the Samba.
I been using one just like it since the 1970s.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/6274062.jpg

Sat May 21, 2016 10:14 am

Yeah, I agree with Joe that reamer that Car Craft offers is a good tool. It's the specific right size for stock VW king pin and link pin bushings.

But at $130 it's almost 2x the cost of the HF adjustable set, that goes big enough to do trailing arm bushings as well as king and link pin bushings. If you go to VW supply houses, you can buy a reamer for trailing arm bushings for about the same price as the Car Craft king pin bushing reamer. Then you're in for 4x the cost of the HF set.

I used to have a Sunnen Hone, like a suspension shop would have. Although many shops these days do not have any equipment for reaming bushings as these days. Virtually all cars are designed with ball joints and such so that when a part has a hole worn too large, you replace the entire part. Bushings are almost never encountered anymore. Got a bad taper for a ball joint?...replace the spindle. Got a loose hole for a tie rod end?...replace the spindle. Most late model cars replacing the control arm is done rather than replace the ball joint on the arm. McPherson struts? Replace the entire strut assembly. My son just replaced the control arms on his pickup because new arms with ball joints installed was less expensive than buying just the ball joints separately. Not counting the cost of the inner rubber bushings or the cross shafts. I sold the Sunnen years ago when I downsized my shop and I had a set of adjustable reamers like the HF set anyway. I have an old Ford pickup with king pins I need to ream bushings for once in a while also, so the adjustable set works for me. If you have a hotrod, or a classic pickup like mine, the adjustable reamer is a good thing to have.

With an adjustable reamer, you can creep up on the right size in small increments. You can also mess up and ream too big. Then you need to go back and buy another set of bushings. But like any tool, things can be done wrong with it. I'm not saying that to ream bushings one needs to be a trained machinist. A socket, an end wrench or a screw driver can mess things up pretty good if not used properly as well. And most all of us on here use those tools. An adjustable bushing reamer is a pretty simple tool.

The slots for the cutters are tapered and the back side of the cutters are tapered the other way. So as you move the cutters along the shaft, the cutters make a larger or smaller diameter. Loosen one nut and tighten the other, and you have just changed the diameter. Simple...Right? Once the bushing is installed, you simply adjust the reamer using the 2 nuts at the ends so it fits inside the bushing. Then adjust it so it touches the bushings. snug the nuts so the cutters don't wobble. Start rotating it with an open end wrench on the square end of the reamer shaft. do a few rotations, then slide the tool out and see if the pin fits in the bushing. It should barely slide in and be snug. If it falls right in, you went too far. ... Simple.

The cost of the HF set is probably less than a shop would charge for reaming the bushings...provided you could FIND a shop that could/would do it.