Working on my buddies 06 2500 quad cab 4x4..

Just installed a 2.5'' leveling kit and took it for a spin. Just as I was taking the exit to head back home, I got the Death Wobble.

This morning I took a look at the front wheels and noticed that the front axle has shifted slightly towards the drivers side Im guessing thats the cause of the DW?. SO I need to get it centered again.

Where can I find a adjustable track bar that wont cost me a arm and a leg.
Found some for like 340 bucks. Is there anything cheaper. I mean its just bent bar with a heim joint on one end..

Any help or advice is appreciated

Cheers

 

Suck it up and get Don Thuren's. Hover over the tire guy and make absolutely certain he has "zero'd" out your OC's. Next stop is checking wear on your frontend components. Do to the typical MT right pull,you're probably already running a quality pressurized ss.

 

I used this one from BD Power along with the steering box stabilizer bracket for the steering gear box...Death Wobble has not reared its ugly head in the past 60,000 miles...problem solved and well worth the cost.

http://www.dieselperformance.com/ind...uct/index/180P

 

I'd get the ADJ Track bar that GENOS Garage has listed.. Forget the name of it but it has a generous diff cover clearance bend (especially if you have or plan to get a MAGHYTEC) and it can be adjusted once both ends are mounted. I believe it has grease zerks too.

I bought Don Thuren's Track bar and its nicely made and very HD but I had to grind it flat in an area and also a little off my diff cover for suspension arc clearance (even after he told me it would fit if the OEM cleared). He did say send it back if it dont but I was out all the S&H again on a 40-50lbs piece of steel and it only needed 1/4"-3/8" shaving so I kept it. Also, the one end on his design has to be unbolted for length adjustment. Once installed, it works fine but didnt solve all the DW issues I had. It will recenter the axle geometry though.

Even then my DW didnt go away with the 2" lift. Had to ditch the 315 BFG ATS. These front end with the little wimpy control arms and sloppy steering SUCK. Even with the Steering box brace assy.

 

I need an adj track bar now that I've lowered the truck installing Carli springs. What's up w/the big price difference between the 2nd gen and 3rd gen adj track bars? Can I use a 3rd gen adj track bar on my 2nd gen? Thanks!

 

You can use a 3rd gen bar on a 2nd gen if you get the conversion bracket that converts the frame end mounting point to use the heim joint instead of the ball joint.

If you have gone lower than stock, you may need to custom order a shorter bar since I believe most of the adjustable bars won't go shorter than stock length.

 

Thanks! No, not lower than stock...prob still 3" lift using 3rd gen Carli coils. Wouldn't you just use grade 8 bolt for the heim joint to attach to the frame mount? Why another bracket...I removed the drop brkt.

 

Got it, didn't read your signature the first time to see what you had lift wise.

There are two problems with the adapting the 3rd gen bar to a 2nd gen that require a bracket. One, the 2nd gen mount uses a ball joint on the frame end so the mounting point hole is oriented vertically attached to the frame. The 3rd gen bar with the heim uses a bolt through a horizontal mounting point. The adjustable end is on the axle end of the bar, so you would have to rotate the entire bar 90*, which would throw the geometry off.

Two, the hole for the 2nd gen bar is tapered to fit the ball joint stud, so you can't just drop a bolt through it. You'll need a tapered bushing to make sure you have a tight fit.

I have the conversion bracket from Lazarsmith which requires you to drill out the original tapered hole for the ball joint to accommodate a 3/4" bolt, then has an additional mounting point further back on the frame. I also added an extra brace up front to prevent some flex that I was experiencing in the bracket. Thuren also has a conversion bracket that uses a tapered bushing into the original mount so you don't have to drill it out.

I can grab a picture of mine if you want to see what I'm referring to.

 

yea...pic would help. After reading the install pdf on Geno's...I think I get it. I have the bushing from my drop brkt. I just don't want to have another bracket to lower the bar back close to the differential and risk hitting it. Thx!

 

This is the Lazarsmith conversion bracket on my truck with Thuren adjustable trackbar.



The angle piece I marked in red was the modification that was made to reduce the flex that I was getting along that bolt going up to the tab on the frame.

The Geno's setup from BD uses a bracket that looks similar to what I have seen from Thuren that does not drop as low.

 

Thanks! I reinstalled the track bar tonight w/replacement Luke's link into the factory location. Steering is good and axle is pretty centered but It sure seems that if I hit a large bump the LL is going to hit the diff. These Carli springs really flex so I guess I'll have to see how things ride.

Btw...great service from Luke's link...they over nighted me a replacement...no questions or hassles.

 

After....
New ball joints, blistein shocks, lukes link track bar fix, steering brace, decent tires and a good alignment this dodge steers really good. Literally zero wander or left/right movement. The only worry is cycling the carli suspension to where the track bar may hit the differential.