3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

My 3rd gen Camaro has developed a death wobble when the wheels touch down after launch. Everything in the frt. end looks good and it's never done this before, nothing has been changed on the car since a week ago when it had no problems at all. some have said I need a steering dampner. I'll install one but is it masking another problem that needs to be corrected? why did it start all of a sudden?

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Try tightening up the steering box end play. If that doesn't help Ed Quay has a nice kit that will fix it.

rod

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

A racer out here had that happen on an '85 Camaro.The bolts holding the steering box to the subframe were loose. Tightening all three of them down fixed it.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Quay kit. Also check for looseness at the pitman shaft bushing.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

I ordered the Quay kit and their bump steer tie rod end kit. Also found upper strut mounts were cracked, only 29 years old who would have thought? I ordered a set of the heavy steel caster/camper plates to replace the original strut mounts. I'll go over everything in the frt. and already ordered a new center link and idler arm.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

EMan, you are on the correct path.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Eman,

My 3rd gen always wobbled when it landed. It did this in spite of all new front end parts, a bump steer kit and a steering damper. This past winter I went through the front end again but I made a few changes.

I found that the rod ends included in the bump steer kit did not have enough range of motion. This caused the front end to bind up and pull the wheels in odd directions when it was in the air and then when it landed. I put chrome molly rod ends with increased range of travel (available from Summit), and it helped that problem.

I assume your car does not have a front sway bar. Did you replace it with a support bar to tie the front of the sub frame together? I put in a bolt in one from Spoehn. I welded it in, and I also welded the passenger side mount for it to the sub frame, and I also welded the steering box mount to the sub frame also. It seems to have really made the car more rigid. I had the car out a few weeks ago and it did not wobble.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

Charlie

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

GM had stifferner parts for the early Gen III cars to stiffen the front ends and help alleviate just what you are experiencing----look into the 1LE cars for maybe some of those parts

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

I have no sway bar or bumper support bar. I thought about one of those wonder bars, I can fab one up, to tie the 2 frame rails together.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Just out of curiousity, is the Ed Quay kit legal for Stock and Super Stock?
I built one of those cars for a customer, first time I took it out to test I almost soiled myself when the car came down. I had no idea that was going to happen (The wobble). Luckily I had a good grip on the wheel or that could have really gotten ugly.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

How much positive caster can you put into these cars' front end alignment?I think I would shoot for the maximum obtainable here.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Gentlemen, there are basically two types of Gen three Camaro/ Firebirds. Those that have the ed quay VW shock on the front suspension , and those that haven't yet put the ed quay VW shock on their car.Sooner or later it is a must have item. M.J.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Doing alignments for a few years the biggest thing I ran into was that the front subframe behind the steering box where the mounting bolts pass thru have a tendency to stress crack there....

D L Rambo....Stk 1300

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Rambo is right. This was a problem on my car. The steering box frame rail was cracked near the the engine crossmember. I would also recommend having the front bumper support bolted on or a support bar tying the front of the frame rails together just ahead of the steering box. My problem was at the finishline. When the weight transferred back to the front of the car in the shutdown, it would get crazy sometimes. Have the car on the ground and have someone steer the wheel back and forth and look for something moving. I used my cell phone to take a video while I turned the wheel back and forth to find the problem. Stiffened it all up and it is perfect now.

Bret Schlichtig

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

I appreciate all of the responses. I will get the car on the lift this weekend and disasseble everything after checking for any odd movement. New parts will be installed and any stress or cracks will be repaired. i'm thinking of making a "wonder bar" which ties the 2 frt. frame rails together. My car only runs the 1/8th mi. so speed is just at 100mph.
As far as wheel alignment goes anyone have any exact specs they know works on these cars?

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

because the Gen III Camaro/Firebird cars are unibody construction they tend to flex quite a bit. By adding parts usually found on Z-28/TA/GTA/Iroc-z cars you can take almost all of the chassis flex out at launch eliminating flexing & cracking of body components and mounting points--- Some parts to use are

1-hood hinge to firewall brace rod
2-rame rail to front strut tower brace rod
3-wonderbar
4-front subframe braces to k member

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

when you are doing your front end alignment are you setting it up with the car sitting at static height or at launch height?? Depending on the way you are doing it will make a big difference in how the car handles down track.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Eman,

My last alignment was set at

Camber -.5 Degrees
Caster 4.5 Degree
Toe .05 Degree

The 4.5 degrees of caster makes the car go straight as an arrow down track. It also makes it a little hard to steer at low speed.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Look around in the pits, you will see a lot of stabilizers on the tie rod. My brothers car was built and owned by Pete Z and it had a VW beetle stabilizer. This was put on by Pete when he built the car. It was updated a few years ago by Gary Weiscarver and he didn't take it off. It hooks like a bear and 60 foots in the high 1.20 in GT/FA with no wobble. Santhuff front shocks kept it from unloading on the wheelie bars. There may be frame or suspension issues but take a look at the beetle stabilizer. They are cheap and easy to put on. Don Jackson

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Was all of this with the car at rest and you in the seat? or did they raise the frt. a little?

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

Ok, took my car all apart, here's what I found. Ball joints in great shape,idler arm a little loose, center link a little loose at pitman arm, everything else tight. I removed all steering linkage. I removed steering box and examined frame rail, no cracks or any problems, bolts were tight as were the top cover bolts. Reinstalled box and removed cover, box tight and full of grease.
I'm installing all of the new steering linkage. I bougt the Quay bump steeri kit and will drill out the spindles. I'm guessing that using the spacers they provided as is will be OK, that's what Quay recommnded.
Once all of this and the steering stabilizer are installed i will fab a "wonder bar" up to help tie the frt. together.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

The new parts plus the shimmy shock will take of your issue.

Re: 3rd Gen Camaro Death Wobble!!
 

This was with me in the seat (210lbs), and the front raised approx 2" from rest position.

My car measures approx. 28 1/2" to the very top of the front wheel well opening.