Steering wheel vibrations

[charger-project.com]

Hi guys,

I have a very strong vibration in my steering wheel, which I can't seem to figure out where it comes from.
It's there on idle as well as on driving the car.

Appart from that vibration I have also other vibrations and zooming noises coming somewhere from the drivetrain which I am expecting maybe to be related. I think the noises are coming from my fat tyres, where I don't worry about too much.

I completely did a bolt-off restoration of my car (4 years ago finished) and since the rebuild it always had been there. I did change the original rubber bushings for poli-utherane parts, but this just makes the reactions stiffer in my opinion. As I really had no clue anymore what it could be I brought it into several shops but no one can find the problem:
they lined-out the car several times, and all ok.
they balanced the wheels many times, all ok.
now an engineer at the shop told me it could probably be the driveshaft that needs to be rebalanced, but I never heard of someone who did that, you guys have any clue or experience with it? for me the steering vibrations are the most important to solve, as now it looks like I am driving a pre-war tractor..

All help would be apprieciated!

[70 sublime]

Does the motor jump around a bit when just at idle and not in gear ?

[charger-project.com]

I think it does a bit yes, and for sure when the engine is cold. But the steer is rattling like crazy, no fun to drive anymore.

Just remembered that I tightened the bolts under the dash extra hard some while ago but now these white plastic clips broke, can this be an issue? also the steering gearbox looks like it has it's best time is I can turn it a quarter or more without turning the wheels. can this also be related?

[JR]

You can isolate the problem by a series of elimination.

Does the problem happen when the car is sitting still with the wheels not moving?

Then it cant be the driveshaft or axle or wheels because the drivetrain isnt spinning.

Does the vibration vary with engine rpm? Or speed?

Does it happen if you turn the engine off and coast in neutral downhill?

[HPP]

So, is this only in the steering wheel or can you feel it in the seat as well? Engine and drive line issues will shake the whole car. Rear axle or rear tire issue will shake the whole car. Front suspension and front wheel issues will shake mostly the steering wheel, but can also be  felt throughout the car.

Alignment is simply verifying the angles of all the suspension. It is possible for these to all be correct, but to have a  part that  has broke or failed that cannot resist the dynamic load of driving. Broken idler bushings, loose steering box bolts, and bad ball joints happen often and can cause vibration. Even in newer parts. I had an idler bushing fail after only two seasons of use in a drag car that maybe had a few hundred miles total on it.

Balancing wheel/tire assembly is all that is usually needed to produce a vibration free ride. However, sometimes road force highlights an imbalance a basic machine cannot find. The run out of the wheels, or sometimes an out of round condition, or slipped belts in the tires can cause vibrations in the steering that a balance machine cannot find.

If you have access to other wheel/tires, you can try swapping them to see if the symptoms continue or go away. If they go away, you have a wheel /tire issue. If they stay, you have a suspension issue. A swap from front to back, if similar sizes, may also allow this experiment to be done with your own wheels if you don't have access to spares.