[79vette]

Turns out the toe in is ~1", which is WAY too much, and probably what was causing the problem. I did get an alignment when I did all the front end work a couple years ago, but there is no way the alignment shop did that. I must have bashed the tie rod on a rock or something recently and not noticed it, because if the toe had been that far in for a long period of time I'd expect to have really noticeable tire wear.
I reset it to ~1/8" and I'm hoping that fixes the death wobble.

Now I have a new problem though. I noticed the front brake calipers were dragging when I was checking out all the steering parts, and I assumed the old calipers had corrosion in the bores and we're sticking. So I had the rotors turned and replaced the calipers/pads

With the new calipers and pads installed before I bled the system the hubs spun free, but after bleeding and pumping the pedal a couple times now they drag again. Loosening the bleeder screw at the caliper allows fluid to weep out, but the caliper does not release. With the bleeder open it seems like any residual pressure should escape and the caliper should release, but they do not. Loosing the bolts between the master cylinder and brake booster also does not cause them to release. It seems like something is restricting fluid flow enough that the return spring in the caliper cannot retract the piston all the way, but I have no idea what it could be. Calipers are new, flex hoses are new, master cylinder was new ~1 year and 7000 miles ago.

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Does it have a steering stabilizer on it?
Assuming you had the front alignment done when you did all the work before

Yes it has a steering stabilizer, but its old. This was really bad oscillation on a paved road though. I always though steering stabilizers were for rough roads/off road to keep the wheel from getting wrenched out of your hand. On the highway it might help mask a problem, but I don't think it would be needed for regular driving?

I did have an alignment done, but I didn't review the printout. I just drove off the lot and assumed it was good (mistake).

Originally Posted by kwmech

Check the frame for cracks around the steering box. How do you check the toe in by yourself

I use a set of tape measures and an aluminum fixture that bolts to each rim. See pictures below. You can take the difference between the 2 tape measure readings and with a bit of trigonometry determine the toe angle. See pictures.

The aluminum arms are 33.25" long and I can measure accurately to at least 1/16", so it should get 0.1 degree precision or better.

Frame seems free of cracks around the box