Three years back I went through the front suspension and replaced the worn parts, put a 1" dropped coil and did the Shelby Drop. I didn’t do much of anything else since it wasn’t on the road until just recently. I figured that the car would drive a lot better than the first time I took her down to the gas station but it feels exactly the same. It wanders all over the place.
Now that could be because I haven’t had it aligned yet. Or it could be the steering ram I have to replace.
Am I on the right track or is it be something I missed the first time?
Check for play in the steering gear box and the Pitman Arm. Both of mine were shot and driving was a process of constant 1/4 steering wheel turns back and forth to stay in my lane.
I just finished aligning my car using the Street Performance specs as a target
Caster at +4.2 deg
Camber at -1.2 deg
Toe 1/8” in
I was close to this before then pulled out the rack for rebuild and changed my UCAs and adjustable strut rods to pull the wheel back in the wheel well to enhance clearance from the front fender lower corner when at full lock and suspension compressed. I’ve got 245/45-17 front tires-not huge but do need to be a bit careful with wheel location during the alignment.
After you get your alignment done…by a shop tech that actually understands suspension systems… Keep in mind that if you have WIDE tires up front that these will track the uneven roadways WAY WORSE than with stock skinny tires…
Just in case you have WIDE tires…wanted to mention it…and in case you live in a state like CA which chooses NOT to build proper roadways or fix them properly…or even know what “smooth” means!?
The original alignment specs for these cars have very low caster because they were meant for bias-ply tires. Running modern radials with such low caster will completely kill return to center and feel like the steering is wandering randomly.
They have 4.5 degrees of caster but I would try to get even a little more, like 5 or 6 degrees. If you go past 6-ish the wheel moves too far in the wheel well and may cause the tire to rub on the fender.
Wandering is steering gear, not springs, camber, caster, etc. Maybe I am missing something, but it seems like the original proposed solution has tainted the conversation. Sloppy corners, bad rebounds, stiff or bouncy ride…suspension. Won’t hold track left to right…steering.
It could be the idler arm but when the front end was rebuilt 3 years ago all that was supposedly checked and worn parts replaced along with the Shelby Drop and lowering coil.