JPhil
Huh?
I'm still suffering from squirrely handling on any but perfect road surfaces, which are few and far between around here.
Most irritating is that the steering feels like it doesn't want to stay neutral--I have to hold it on center, otherwise it pulls to either side, in curves as well as straights. Like trying to balance a ball on top of another ball. The whole car pulls side to side in lane 'troughs' excessively, but very little 'tramlining' on rain groves. It gets yanked around by pavement cracks & bumps that travel across the lane or on one side only. Unpredictable on bad surfaces. Tires handle great, like it's on rails, it's just that the rails are not 'true'.
1973 coupe, small block, TH 400
17 X 8 rims with 255-50 Nitto Invos currently @ 34 psi. Changing tire pressures seems to make little difference.
3600 lbs, with me & a tank of gas, 51%F/49%R weight ratio.
Newly installed spreader bar up front, 1 1/8" sway bar, lowered with 550 springs, VBP bump steer blocks, otherwise stock (VBP) front suspension & steering parts. New VBP power steering valve & ram with old OEM PS pump. Rubber control arm bushings, good condition. Gary Ramadei blueprinted steering box with U-joint column coupling.
Rear dual mount VBP spring on stiffest setting, no sway bar, heim joint strut rods, 7/16" plate to lower strut rod bracket, car body lowered to match front but diff still in stock location--half shafts horizontal at rest. All U-joints & etc in good specs. Rubber t-arm bushings, good condition.
All suspension & drive train components new or rebuilt. Bilstein HD shocks all the way around. Wheel bearings all good. No cracks or other frame problems found. Body mounts 40 years old, that's another project to come.
Alignment specs:
Front toe: .15* D side, .16* P side (total 1/8"+)
Front camber: -0.20* D side, -0.21* P side
Front caster: 2.79* D side, 3.03* P side
Rear toe: .14* D side, .18* P side (total 1/8" +)
Rear camber: -1.0*+/- D side, -1.0*+/- P-side
(It had been set on rack at -1.31* and -1.28* but that was too much--I re-adjusted it at home with level & roller plates to estimated -1*. It helped a lot with fishtailing in lane troughs.)
As it is, the car is not very fun to drive because I have to concentrate too hard on keeping it in control and the unpredictability of it makes me nervous.
Today I am going to recheck the steering ram valve for neutral, see if that may help the pulling. I think I'll give the front just a c-hair more toe in. Re-set the rear spring to the next softest setting as the excessive stiffness jars the whole car on bad surfaces making it harder to control.
Do you think it would help to lessen the rear camber to get the rear more equal to the front?
I know I need to raise the diff to reduce rear toe steer, that is next years project. But overall, I don't think that's causing the greatest part of my problem.
Any advice very much appreciated, thanks
John
PS. Yesterday coming down the canyon I charged into a hairpin curve way too fast (just passed a looky-loo who'd been going 25 mph for miles down the road where you can average 40 in any car). The Vette held the corner great --and I wouldn't have made it on the old 15" Firestones!-- but I felt the steering wheel pulsing very rapidly. It was a white knuckle corner, me going "Shitshitshitshitshit-c'mon baby, c'mon baby!" with teeth gritted and eyes wide and I wondered if it might not have been my hands shaking on the wheel. But I don't really think so, I have never felt that before from the car.
Most irritating is that the steering feels like it doesn't want to stay neutral--I have to hold it on center, otherwise it pulls to either side, in curves as well as straights. Like trying to balance a ball on top of another ball. The whole car pulls side to side in lane 'troughs' excessively, but very little 'tramlining' on rain groves. It gets yanked around by pavement cracks & bumps that travel across the lane or on one side only. Unpredictable on bad surfaces. Tires handle great, like it's on rails, it's just that the rails are not 'true'.
1973 coupe, small block, TH 400
17 X 8 rims with 255-50 Nitto Invos currently @ 34 psi. Changing tire pressures seems to make little difference.
3600 lbs, with me & a tank of gas, 51%F/49%R weight ratio.
Newly installed spreader bar up front, 1 1/8" sway bar, lowered with 550 springs, VBP bump steer blocks, otherwise stock (VBP) front suspension & steering parts. New VBP power steering valve & ram with old OEM PS pump. Rubber control arm bushings, good condition. Gary Ramadei blueprinted steering box with U-joint column coupling.
Rear dual mount VBP spring on stiffest setting, no sway bar, heim joint strut rods, 7/16" plate to lower strut rod bracket, car body lowered to match front but diff still in stock location--half shafts horizontal at rest. All U-joints & etc in good specs. Rubber t-arm bushings, good condition.
All suspension & drive train components new or rebuilt. Bilstein HD shocks all the way around. Wheel bearings all good. No cracks or other frame problems found. Body mounts 40 years old, that's another project to come.
Alignment specs:
Front toe: .15* D side, .16* P side (total 1/8"+)
Front camber: -0.20* D side, -0.21* P side
Front caster: 2.79* D side, 3.03* P side
Rear toe: .14* D side, .18* P side (total 1/8" +)
Rear camber: -1.0*+/- D side, -1.0*+/- P-side
(It had been set on rack at -1.31* and -1.28* but that was too much--I re-adjusted it at home with level & roller plates to estimated -1*. It helped a lot with fishtailing in lane troughs.)
As it is, the car is not very fun to drive because I have to concentrate too hard on keeping it in control and the unpredictability of it makes me nervous.
Today I am going to recheck the steering ram valve for neutral, see if that may help the pulling. I think I'll give the front just a c-hair more toe in. Re-set the rear spring to the next softest setting as the excessive stiffness jars the whole car on bad surfaces making it harder to control.
Do you think it would help to lessen the rear camber to get the rear more equal to the front?
I know I need to raise the diff to reduce rear toe steer, that is next years project. But overall, I don't think that's causing the greatest part of my problem.
Any advice very much appreciated, thanks
John
PS. Yesterday coming down the canyon I charged into a hairpin curve way too fast (just passed a looky-loo who'd been going 25 mph for miles down the road where you can average 40 in any car). The Vette held the corner great --and I wouldn't have made it on the old 15" Firestones!-- but I felt the steering wheel pulsing very rapidly. It was a white knuckle corner, me going "Shitshitshitshitshit-c'mon baby, c'mon baby!" with teeth gritted and eyes wide and I wondered if it might not have been my hands shaking on the wheel. But I don't really think so, I have never felt that before from the car.
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