Say there Laurence, welcome aboard. I haven't seen anyone spin balance a tire on the car since I worked in the Sinclair gas station back when I was in high school. That be in the late 50's.
I did have my bias ply tires Dynamically balanced at a local tire shop where their machine has a wheel that is applied to the tire while it is rotating. Simulates the load on the tire.
That still didn't help with the lumpy ride though!
I think I would look for something loose in the chain. Any slop what so ever in the front end has the possibility of causing the shimmy, wheel bearings not adjusted properly? You say the steering gear might need rebuilding, which clues me into thinking that there it is still loose even after you have adjusted it. A bent rim possibly? Put an indicator on the rim and see if you have any run out. Are you sure that you have the toe in set properly and that the rest of the front-end geometry is set to spec?
My '50 3600 has a couple of thousand miles on it since the front end has been completely rebuilt, also it's all stock, and I get absolutely no shimmy at any speed, even driving it through all the pot holes produced this winter.
Unless your going to be driving off-road or thru a construction site regularly I can't see where there is a need for a "damper."
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
