i am sure many know about this ussue, it usually happens to the Jeeps and Dodge pickups. the car basically shakes uncontrollably after hitting a bump or a pothole and does not stop shaking untill one slows down to like 15mph or stops. feels like the front wheels are about to fly off. anyways it happened to my z28 and i wanted to get some input. i changed the whole front suspension, and then discovered that the "frame" is cracked by the stearing box. i know that Jeep has 1/4 inch steel kits for bolting down the frame. but is there anything similar for a thirdgen camaro? thanks!

 

Have the crack welded, then add a steering box brace (aka Wonderbar), which are sold by various board vendors.

JamesC

 

That's good info James. I had an 85 SC that had that same issue, but it usually started acting up when braking hard. I had never heard of a wonderbar when I owned that car years ago

 

Thanks! Somethng like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=360131524055

 

Yes. Several board sponsors fab them, so you might want to look around a bit before making your decision.

JamesC

 

I thought about getting one, but didn't know if I'd get laughed at for having one with a V6

thought they might be too "poser" but if you've got a cracked frame.. what are you gonna do?

 

IMO, every thirdgen car should be equipped with one.

JamesC

 

so the plan for now will be to weld the frame, reinforce with 1/4 inch steel , and put in wonder bar. hope i am not missing anything. anyone done this before?

 

never mind.. i'm an idiot... I was confusing a wonderbar and a strut tower brace...
I see what a wonderbar is now.. yeah, i need one of those

 

a STB wouldnt hurt either, the towers still flex regardless of that engine is int he car.

 

yeah, tower brace I already have ;-)

 

It's amazing how many supports there are on these cars depending on year/model. My 86 Z28 had a gnarly crack in the frame behind the steering box, it did not have a wonder bar from the factory. My 89 iroc, with 150k miles, came with one, and the frame has no signs of stress. I can't say enough about these.

 

yeah, i have a 1992 z28. this was the last year for the third gen, and supposedly most kinks were ironed out. but i guess not all of them. i mean wonder bar costs like $60 , makes me wander why GM thought its not a good idea to put one in. BTW what did you do to fix it up? did you also weld the frame and put wonderbar? was that enough ?

 

sadly, the 86's life was cut short. Never got a chance to fix it. I would clean it, weld it, grind it down and paint over it. Then install a wonderbar.

 

yeah thats the plan for now. unfortunately can't do it myself. don't have the tools or the time. i wander how much the shop bill will run me...

 

Several vendors to buy from, but I'd choose a TGO board sponsor before buying off of eBay.

Besides.....UMI (a board sponsor) makes one just as good & sells it cheaper. http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...roducts_id=125

 

definitelly no ebay.. i got burned number of times buying cheap subpar quality parts from there. just made an initiall reference from there so i know what exactly to look for. UMI sounds good.

 

Yea, the ebay bar will start rusing in a week of two, Im sure.

 

BTW bought the bar from UMI, I let them know that I was reffered from thirdgen.org ;-)

 

Gm added the K frame Braces to replace the "wonderbar"

your 92 Z28 has them

 

My 85 IROC has them both.

JamesC

 

well, the car is almost done. i have a great guy in NJ fixing it for me. i'll take pics when done ;-)

 

Just found out mine was cracked, and has been repaired before, but poorly. Here's some pictures I took.




http://www.flickr.com/photos/25961017@N05/4892342468/




http://www.flickr.com/photos/25961017@N05/4891743801/

 

yeah, i didn't take pics, but mine was just as bad... it cost me $800 to repair. good luck, hopefully u know someone who can do it for u a little cheaper.

 

My dad might be able to. Will have to talk to him once he's home. What did they do to repair it?

 

T.D.S. one of this forums sponsors has a wonderbar . they are great quality & good price . i have one , it's also easy install . good luck .

 

yes, exactly, don't forget to put the wonder bar after you fix it, otherwise it will break again. i got mine from UMI, its pretty good, direct fit, good quality.

 

I think I'm going with Spohn, they ship via USPS, and the others really suck in this area, I've had issues with them damaging and not replacing, putting blame on the person sending the items. It's the same price as the UMI piece, so no real loss there.

How big of a piece of steel did you use to fix yours? I'm thinking of strengthening it all around, three pieces, both sides and the bottom of the frame, weld them all together, and then get that wonder bar for both cars.

Looks like I will start my first fabrication job.

 

First, drill a hole at each end of the crack. Make sure it is the VERY END.

THEN, weld up the crack, and grind the bead flat when done. Then you can safely gusset the area however you want, but it should be fine with just the addition of a wonderbar.

I have a TDS wonderbar in my car, it was a huge difference in stability. It doesn't change much as far as the tune of handling goes (like say a swaybar does) but it definitely stiffened up the front end. The wonderbar by itself is pretty cheap too. TDS is a board sponsor here

 

After thinking about it... The "death wobble" you're describing is usually only in trucks with a front solid axle, and is a result of that. The latest being new Fords (the F350's and whatnot) with solid axles, usually after a lift.

Maybe you should look at your rear end too?

Or check your lugnuts? Have you replaced them or your rims recently? A lot of steels will take flat OR acorn lugs but most alloys NEED acorns to center correctly.

Just tossing some ideas, I hope you get it fixed. Hopefully it will be just that frame crack. I could definitely see it happening, but I wouldn't rule out other things in the meantime.

FWIW... The death wobble in most of the trucks is cured by stomping on the gas, not the brake. It will shake all the way down to 10 mph if you brake, but only 5 mph or so faster if you gas it. It is a lot less violent doing it that way too, maybe yours is the same, but be careful where you're trying it when it happens... My buddies Blazer does it and gassing it makes it go away instantly but the first time it happened to him I was in the truck... It was incredibly scary how much it vibrated and jumped side to side as he braked!

 

mine was cracked all over like yours. i opened up one of the sides, there steel pieces that go across to reinforce it, so I velded extra ones in , then I sealed it, and then reinforsed from both sides and top. so it was quiet a job...

 

Did you buy a kit specifically for the fix, or just bought sheets of steel and cut it yourself?

 

there is no "kit" its up to you to make gussets and patch parts if you find it needed

 

yeap, unfortunatelly there is no kit. so i bought thick steel and fabricated pieces myself...