QU20096 King Pin Dampener and Seal Plate Kit

QU20096 King Pin Dampener and Seal Plate Kit for 1966-1971 Ford Bronco with Dana 30 open knuckle front axle and 1966-1971 Ford F100 with Dana 44 open knuckle front axle. QU20096 fits under a King Pin and is designed to dampen shocks to eliminate "Death Wobble". QU20096 fits the first generation of Ford open knuckle front axles. These axles use king pins and bearings instead of the ball joints used on later production Ford 4x4s. USA Made.

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Dan the Gear Man® Tech Notes:
How it Works
Determine Shim Pack Thickness
Location
Combating Death Wobble
Matching Parts
Applications

Tech Note 1: How it Works
QU20096 consists of 3 parts: A domed sealing plug that fits under the bearing cup, a compressible dampener disc, and a dampener thrust plate. The dampener is designed to eliminate "Death Wobble" by creating additional turning preload without increasing the actual knuckle bearing preload. I found installing the dampeners under just the top king pins provided adequate dampening without unduly increasing turning force. QU20096 was a fix Ford introduced in the 1968 model year to combat "Death Wobble", we recommend you also install these parts on 1966 and 1967 model year vehicles.

Tech Note 2: Determine Shim Pack Thickness
Determine your shim pack thicknesses BEFORE installing the dampener and outer seal! Correct turning preload before Dampener installation is 5-10 lb.-ft.. Preload is adjusted by shims under the king pin caps.

Tech Note 3: Location
A domed sealing plug is used between each of the four knuckle bearing cups and the axle housing yoke. The rounded side of the dampener is placed against the plug, then the dampener thrust plate, knuckle bearing, and outer seal are installed. Be sure to pack the bearings and grease the dampeners as these parts can not be lubricated once everything is assembled.

Tech Note 4: Combating Death Wobble
The 1966-1971 Ford Bronco/F100 open knuckle axle design with king pins was not used on any other make or model 4x4. It uses the same knuckle bearings and shims as smaller Dana closed knuckle axles. The Dampener Kit was introduced in 1968 to combat "Death Wobble" which is an uncontrollable front end shimmy. "Death Wobble" was not a huge issue with the closed knuckle axles because of the drag of the big knuckle seals. "Death Wobble" can be caused by a number of conditions even on current production vehicles, but it can usually be tamed by maintaining all front end parts in good repair, keeping the front end aligned, and having some type of steering dampener installed.

Tech Note 5: Matching Parts
QU20231 King Pin Seal
QU40773 Knuckle Bearing Shim Kit
QK4617 Knuckle Bearing and Shim Kit
QU20091 Upper King Pin Shim
QU50627 Timken® Knuckle Bearing Cup
QU50628 Timken® Knuckle Bearing

Applications:
Ford:
Bronco with Dana 30 Open Knuckle Front Axle: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971
F100 with Dana 44 Open Knuckle Front Axle: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971