brake shimmy (bad!)

["D.A.K." <dak@rochester.rr.com>]

What do you make of this?

On my '87 5KTQ, I get a terrible shimmy when I brake at highway speeds (about
70mph). When I'm driving on surface streets (around town), it is smooth.
The steering wheel shakes violently when this is happening.

Some may remember my recent front suspension overhaul. I did the control arms,
tie rod ends, and upper strut bearings and bushings. I had the shimmy before
all of that work. I thought it was bad ball joints and had confirmed play in
one of them.
I have the car sheduled for an alignment next tuesday and would like to figure
this out by then. I'm using my old snow tires for now (so I don't trash my
new tires). Could something like low tire pressure, slightly warped brakes
or something else cause this? I replaced my front brake disks/pads 1.5 years
ago.

My wheel bearings/axles are in good shape. The steering rack is Jorgen from 2.5
years ago.

Thanks for any insights!

David Kavanagh

PS. Also, my drivers side door handle is almost non functional now, my key
sometimes gets stuck in the ignition (can't turn totally off to extract it),
and several other maladies... When it rains, it pours. I'm currently planning
to have this car last another 5 years for me. Let's hope!!