1960 Anoying Vibration

[60eldo]

 So I got my car last July, put on 4 new toyo tires, balanced all, and I have a small vibration, but it bugs me, around 50-60 mph. So today I raised just the back 2 wheels and brought it up to 60 and I felt the vibration, so I took off the back 2 wheels and had them balanced and the rims checked all was OK just out 1 0z, put them back on went for a drive  NO DIFFERENCE. So Im thinking, the vibration was there when I spun the wheels at 60 mph, so this problem is somewhere in the back end ,,,right?  BTW the vibration I felt was in the steering wheel,,,how can that be with front tires not moving.

[35-709]

Vibrations can easily carry through the frame and other components.  Next up if it were me, u-joints.  Also check your rear transmission mount.   If you have a driveshaft shop nearby (lots of them specialize in trucks but can work on cars too), I would take the whole driveshaft and let them put it on their machine.  They will tell you in no time if it is u-joints, bent shaft, or shaft out of balance.  Ask around at shops that do truck work, they should know where a driveshaft shop is. 

[David Greenburg]

Also check the center carrier bearing.  It can be rebuilt.  I take it this vibration has been present as long as you’ve owned the car. 

[60eldo]

   Yes, its not really bad but I have to find it just cause, it bugs me,,its a mission, I feel like Im Inspecter Clouseo,,,SWINE RABBIT

[Matt CLC#18621]

Do not believe TOYO tyres are designed for 1960s Cadillacs.

Friend recently put Cooper tires on his 2016 7 Series BMW and the ride was horrible.

Regards,

[60eldo]

   Im thinking that too,,,,,hard ride I noticed right away. I had cokers on my 60 eldo and loved em

[60eldo]

 Still having the vibration. So had the wheels balanced again 4th time 3 different places, on the car, new ball joints, alighnment, and I still have a vibration starting at 35mpg, to 70 nothing has helped.Its in the steering wheel and seat??

[35-709]

Had the driveshaft to a driveshaft shop yet?  Just throwing parts at it can get expensive. 

[60eldo]

No, I think that has to be next cause its vibrating at such a low speed

[David Greenburg]

Driveline alignment on these cars is a common issue. All of the ‘59-‘60 cars I have owned have had some degree of vibration around 55-60 that smooths out at 64-70.  On one of my cars, the trans mount was collapsed.  A new one didn’t help because it turned out that it was slightly lower than the original.  Shims there helped. Often the problem is a worn center carrier or actual alignment of the driveshafts, which can be addressed by shims.  The vibration problem has been discussed extensively here in the past, and I believe someone actually tracked down the special driveshaft alignment tool referenced in the shop manual. What happens if you put the car in neutral when it’s at the speed when you experience vibration?  If it goes away, I’d suspect the driveline; otherwise the suspension, tires etc.

[60eldo]

 Yes David when I put in neutral it goes away at 50 mph

[Big Fins]

Not only could the drive shaft be out of balance, but out of phase. That rubber bushing from the rear section to the final yoke is a known problem maker. It twists causing an out of phase condition which feels like it's out of balance.

Also the straight line from tailshaft to rear yoke when standing at rest. A high rear or a tail dragger can do this too.

[Quentin Hall]

I’ve noticed a harmonic vibration that comes into play in several 59s and 60s in the speed range you indicate. My 59 Biarritz did it and I went through everything. I took individual belts, tires, wheels, tail shaft etc. I suspect that it is just that a harmonic vibration. I noticed it in my rear view mirror at 55 mph. Once you drove through it it disappeared . I have seen several other discussions presenting the same issue over the years.

[David Greenburg]

I share Quentin’s conclusion. I suspect some vibration at that speed could be “normal” or at least normal at this age, given dried out body mounts etc. The engineers may have figured that at that time, most people drove either slower (around town) or faster (flying across Texas), so maybe this wasn’t a bad window for the harmonics.  They weren’t planning on the 55 mph speed limit etc.

[76eldo]

If the vibration lessens or goes away when you put the car in neutral then it’s absolutely in the driveline. Get the drive shaft balanced and the center carrier bearing checked out as was mentioned way before.

Also we know that Diamondback has a great product and can do any whitewall you want on a premium radial. Why try other tires? Never skimp on tires. They will last you for the life of the car if you only drive a few thousand miles a year.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

If the vibration lessens or goes away when you put the car in neutral then it’s absolutely in the driveline. Get the drive shaft balanced and the center carrier bearing checked out as was mentioned way before.

Sorry Brian, but if the vibration diminishes greatly when shifting to Neutral, then I wouldn't be looking at the driveline, simply because the driveline is still spinning at the same speed, and any unbalance there will still be apparent.

I would be looking further towards the front, as in the Transmission and Engine.

Especially forward on the neutral components within the transmission, as these are still spinning, when the vehicle is rolling in Neutral.

Harmonics are hard to locate, but there is the harmonic balancer, on the crankshaft, and other spinning components within the engine.

Bruce.

[76eldo]

It’s spinning but not under a load. I’d look at the driveshaft and the carrier bearing.

[Quentin Hall]

Carrier bearings on Eldorados are very prone to failure due to the full travel of the suspension when they leak down. I bought a nos one and it too failed .
I was standing beside my old 80s 4x4 Hilux and looked at the carrier bearing and it had a much better up down flexibility. So I bought a new Toyota one. Put the 59 one beside it and found it easy to adapt with a new bracket welded on to attach to the x member. The 59 bearings popped into place like it was made for it. No more problems.

[txturbo]

So I got my car last July, put on 4 new toyo tires, balanced all, and I have a small vibration, but it bugs me, around 50-60 mph. So today I raised just the back 2 wheels and brought it up to 60 and I felt the vibration, so I took off the back 2 wheels and had them balanced and the rims checked all was OK just out 1 0z, put them back on went for a drive  NO DIFFERENCE. So Im thinking, the vibration was there when I spun the wheels at 60 mph, so this problem is somewhere in the back end ,,,right?  BTW the vibration I felt was in the steering wheel,,,how can that be with front tires not moving.

i would say it’s something in the driveline. Check all of the u-joints and carrier bearing. Check for being out of phase also. Also check mounts. Pinion angle needs to be checked. If it is in the driveline it can’t be ignored because the vibration will destroy the rearend.

[1959Fleetwood]

Hello Johnny,

On your question, in the last sentence you said that you felt the vibration in your steering wheel with the front wheels not turning...
Last spring i had a 1960 6 window sedan in my shop with the same problem like yours. I know from the owner of that car that he does do some maintanance by him self. The car came in with the vibration occuring around 50 Mph. You could feel the vibration in the steering wheel and the seat as well. After checking the complete driveline including pinion angle, motor mounts ect. it turned out that the vibration came from the front of the engine, so you think of a bad harmonic balancer, well, there was nothing wrong in that area. The problem came from a missing bushing from the visco clutch. This bushing goes into the back end of the visco clutch and has to mate with the water pump bearing shaft to center the clutch and fan.  So while turning the visco clutch and the fan i discovered that they made a elliptical circle instead of a perfect round circle. It appeared that the owner took off the visco clutch and fan for some reason but dropped the bushing without knowing and therefore misalligned the fan and clutch when they were put back in place. Replacing the bushing inside the visco clutch eliminated the vibration in the steering wheel and the dashboard.
Hope this helps,

Matern Harmsel
CLC 15331