jlg2000 - Yes it's the same on both sides. My guess on that is when the local tire shop "did me a favor" and greased the bearings, they didn't get things tightened up correctly, so both front hubs were loose for a while.

japetras - Thanks. Idler arm is new.

soaring3 - Yeah, I think it's going to be in the front end....there's nothing left in the back that spins or is worn out etc. However....not holding my breath.

Ok so here's where I am. Since the front drums are junk and I've already replaced one hub, I'm going for two new drums, one new hub and a another new set of bearings for the left side. Right side has a new hub and the bearings still look good. The jury is still out on the spindles. I've heard that I can take the spindles to a machine shop and have them resurfaced...but I don't know. Anybody heard of that one? I've got one trick to try to see if the spindle grooves are the issue. If it works I'll let you know what it is. If it fails....well I'll just keep that one to myself in an effort to minimize the laughter.  

Bottom line...if the front end shakes at a given speed such as yours at 53 MPH, you have a balance problem.  Start with the tires and wheels.   Take your car to an alignment/ balancing shop and have them analyze it.  We can't do that via the internet.  

Soaring3 - I took your advise and wasted alot of money, so cool it with the arrogance ok?

I had the tires balanced and shaved to insure they were as round as possible and within tolerances etc and it still shakes. I still think it's the spindle grooves not allowing the bearings to seat in the races properly. With new rims, hubs, bearings and tires (balanced 4 times now) there's nothing left. Recently the shake was significantly reduced by installing an export brace and monte-carlo bar. The front end is much stiffer. Still haven't found the root cause but I'm getting there.  

sbwils
I experienced much of what you have, front end shake, replaced wheels, tires, several balance jobs etc. I rebuilt front suspension and steering.  What I found causing the problem was a bent wheel hub. None of the tire shops found it.. I purchased a dial indicator (less than $20 at harbor freight)and found the bent hub. It was not bent enough to see the wobble but easily detectable on the dial indicator set to measure wobble at the wheel rim.
hope you find the problem.  

BlueMustang....you say you had a bent hub that was causing your problem.  Now, did your front end shake at only a certain range of MPH,or did it shake all the time?  My guess is that it shook at just about any speed.  The OP's problem is that he only has the shake at 53 MPH or there abouts.  That is a classic case of wheel and tire alignment and balancing problems.  Not arrogant, just the facts.  I'm outa here.  

My problem started to be noticable at about 35-40 mph and got a little  worse with increased speed. Also when braking to a stop at slow speed, the steering felt slighty unsure like it was wandering some.  

the propshaft might be loose or out of balance