Re: [ihc] Mixed Bag: Front Ends, Close Encounters and "Who Is It?"!!

["Jim or Ginger Aos" <jaos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Binder@domain.elided" <binder@domain.elided>
To: <ihc-digest@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:43 PM
Subject: [ihc] Mixed Bag: Front Ends, Close Encounters and "Who Is It?"!!


> [Forgive me if this is a dupe, but I sent it earlier, never got a bounce
and
> never saw it in the Digest... weird!  --pff]
>
> IH All,
>
> Well, it's been a little while since I darkened the Digest's doorstep.
It's
> time once again...  a few little snippets for your reading pleasure, "...
> and I swear it's all true!".
>
> 1)  For the IH content:  Yesterday, on the way home, I was taking a
> non-highway "short-cut".  A side street.  I was going along about 40-45
MPH.
> This street is rather bumpy - from many patch-work fixes, and holes that
> NEED to be fixed.  There's a random assortment of pot holes and patch
> mounds, etc. The steering wheel was kind of bouncing left <--> right, back
&
> forth.  THEN SUDDENLY (and you knew this was coming), the steering wheel
> suddenly started oscillating back and forth at about 30 degrees or so each
> direction (left & right).  Very rapidly, very suddenly.  At first I
thought
> I had a *MAJOR* suspension/steering issue.  Right or wrong, I hit the
brakes
> and pulled over.  I was able to steer, and pull over.  I though maybe I
had
> a blowout or something along those lines.  I pulled over, left the truck
> running (not sure why, but I did), got out, peeked underneath it expecting
> to see Something Awful.  Nope!  NOTHING amiss.  All shocks attached, all
> wheels attached, all tires aired up, etc. I caught my breath, hopped back
> in, took off.  Not another problem since.  Don't know what happened, how
it
> happened, but I sure would prefer it NEVER happen again!  Any ideas,
> theories, etc; would be greatly appreciated.  I think a visit to a front
> end/suspension/alignment type shop is coming up on the docket soon!
>
Pete, I believe that what you experienced was what is commonly called a
shimmy.  It is usually the result of a combinations of worn parts: tie rod
ends, drag link, king pins, etc.  Out of balance tires can be a contributor,
as well as a combination of bumps in the right sequence.  If it's a tire
balance problem, the symptoms generally happen at about the same speed, )30
to 50 mph).  The solution seems to be: good tie rod ends, and drag link
ends, and no excessive play in the steering knuckles.
Good luck Jim A.

> 2) Don't let anyone tell you Scouts are weenies (nor that they're drivers
> have the monopolies on brains, despite what we like to think!).  This a.m.
> on the way to work, I got popped for 80 in a 65!  $125 please. Didn't
think
> the ol' 304 could make that kind of speed.  Well, umm, actually, ahhh, I
> knew it could.  This is NOT a thing my son needs to find out about. He's
13
> and just beginning to get "the itch" to drive. I must set a better
example.
> Ugggghhhh.  New "enforcement" technique (for Tulsa!): Park about 3/4 up
the
> entrance ramp onto the highway (Broken Arrow Expressway) and troll for
> speeders.  It was funny... we can ill afford the $125 right now, but such
is
> our life.  I called my wife to confess my sins.  She sounded as if she was
> in an especially good mood.  I decided not to tell her.  She immediately
> detected I had something on my mind.  She suddenly says "What did you
do?!".
> I said "I did 80 in a 65!".  My, how the band played! But we ended up
> laughing.  She knows me tooooo well.  25 years (married 18+) will develop
> uncanny perceptive powers in your mate!
>
> 3) Always leave 'em laughing:  As a matter of habit (or is it habbit?!
%^}),
> every morning when I go out to the Scout I pound 3-4 times on the hood...
> this is a little ritual I go through every morning to scare out any
> combination of 5 cats in the area that may be residing under the hood,
wheel
> wells, etc. This morning, something funny happened.  The house next to us
> has a new neighbor.  This morning I went out, slapped the hood 4 times or
so
> and right as I was about to get in the door I heard a tired/faint "Who is
> it?"!!!  I thought "No way!".  I got back out pounded 3 more times on the
> hood.  "Who is it?" was heard again through an open bedroom window of my
> (new) neighbor - about 20 feet away.  Ah well... she'll learn!  I laughed
> MOST of the way to work.  Right up until I saw Tulsa's finest in my
mirror!!
>
> Have a great day!
>
> Cheers,
>
> --Pete
>
>
>      .===============.
>      ||             ||
>   []_||_____________||_[]
>    \/-----------------\/ Peter Ferris
>    ||( )| | | | | |( )|| Binder AT pferris DOT com
>    | ----------------- | '77 Scout II, 304, a/t, p/s, etc.
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