my 69 XR7 floats at highway speeds . all front end components are new except for the steering box , which is nice and tight . is there a way to fix this ?
Have you done an alignment post install of the parts?
yes . the problem isn’t tracking or handling . at high highway speeds , the nose tends to lift making the steering very lite . i put a digital angle gauge on the hood . the nose rises 2.75 degrees . maybe i’m using thee wrong term (floating) it starts to get a little spooky . it wood be very easy to lose control .
Shocks may not have enough rebound control (extension or upward travel) for the springs. Shocks control the spring as the suspension travels through its range of motion
i didn’t put cheap shocks in . i used KYB shocks . my wife owned a 67 cougar . she says it did the same as this one . at high speeds the nose gets lite . and that new was from ford . does anyone know what the exact specs are for the shocks that belong in a 69 XR7 351w .
You might be just driving too fast. It is the way older cars feel when driven.
I have 6 Cougars they all drive like an old car no matter what you do to them. A full welded frame might help.
with a 75 MPH speed limit to 80 . is there a way to counter this affect . i have a 6 speed manual that i installed, so its not a gas guzzler any more . how about a belly pan or an air dam .
It would be vert interesting to jack the front crossmember to the 2.75 deg position and check the agignment at that position…i think youll be shocked
Our 67 ran straight arrow at those speeds…used 2005 crown vic alignment specs
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KYB shocks = cheapest on the market. Koni and Rancho are good shocks.
i did not know that . i saw a post you made in 2015 for R code 69 XR7 . i looked up the koni shock , and was only able to find front shocks , about 140 each . what did you use for the rear ?
I run my 68 XR 7 on Interstates at 75 to 80 mph and it’s Ok even around tractor trailers. Maybe your steering box isn’t as tight as you think? I don’t notice front end lift or have scary handling.
it runs straight as an arrow , and doesn’t wander , you can even let go of the steering wheel and goes straight . i must have done something wrong in putting this car back together . ill have to go back over everything again .
I have 1968 dated Koni shocks. They made rears then.
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but my car is solid at 120 plus with constant rate springs instead of the variable rate springs the cars were built with. Reduces travel rates which controls floating at high speeds.
Too much toe in can cause the front end to lift. I think you have alignment issues. Several guys on here have Cougar race cars that are traveling a lot faster than you and not having issues.
i have negative wedge system . the alignment is set as follows . camber 1/2 degree neg. to 1/2 degree pos. , castor pos. 1 degree to 2 degree , toe 1/32 to 1/16 toe in . the tires sit flatter on the pavement and on turn sit flatter and less on the edge
Double the caster abd change the toe in to toe out
I am not sure about his but
Toe out on most cars make the stg quicker on turn in I am putting a Heights suspension system on both ends of mine and a 572 cu in Ford engine if we ever get it all end mine as you can see is not stock but it is a 70 so has a little longer wheelbase
The wheelbase is the same on all 1967 - 1970 Cougars.
In my opinion, when you have a toe in car , your toe in goes to zero when the wheel is turned slightly and then goes to toe out when turned out more…ackerman effect
It the point when the the car is at zero toe you get the light feel and even shimmy but if you start with toe out , you never get to zero toe.Yes you have to add caster to make it go straight , it works
I had a sdf 68 cougar that was just a nice old car but the factory ps had no feel. Aligned as a 2005 crown vic made it a whole new car. Same on a 63 merc monterey grang yacht! Our 67 cougar gt got the same treatment and it has a cavilear rack with ford ps pump.
Alot of the new cars are set at toe out