| rcoop1950 | -- 01-01-2016 @ 10:10 AM |
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Just bought a 1948 Ford Coupe for Xmas. Nice car but really wanders left and right once you hit driving speeds. Tires are newer radials. Start with front suspension or steering? Looking for guidance. Coop
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| ford38v8 | -- 01-01-2016 @ 10:48 AM |
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Toe in 1/16" ~ 1/8" total Alan
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| len47merc | -- 01-01-2016 @ 11:28 AM |
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rcoop1950 - any chance you know how many actual miles are on the front end? The number of miles may help narrow this a bit. My bet would be to start with the front-end first and check king pins, tie rod ends, drag link, radius rod bushing, etc.. My experience is with a '47 front end with 37K original miles and the steering box was still solid but the other items noted above needed replacing to address the same behavior you reference. Suggest also doing a search on this forum for 'front end', 'loose steering', etc., and variants. Many members have given excellent trouble-shooting advice on this in the past year - I believe TomO (you can search on his name also) walked another member on this forum through a number of very good and simple analysis processes not too long ago. Steve
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| kubes40 | -- 01-01-2016 @ 11:29 AM |
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Start with the front suspension. Be certain ALL related components are in GOOD condition and properly aligned. Those heavy radials will tend to make the car wander more so than bias ply on the same suspension. Shock absorbers and spring should also be checked carefully. Then finally, be certain the steering gear is in good condition and adjusted correctly.
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| TomO | -- 01-02-2016 @ 8:50 AM |
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First make sure that your tires are properly inflated. I like to see 32-36 lbs in the radials and all 4 tires should be within 1 lb. Next check the date of manufacture on the tires. Old tires tend to get hard and lose traction. This causes wandering. If your tires are more than 10 years old, replace them. I run Coker Firestone 6.50 x 16 on my 40. They are bias ply and I am satisfied by the way that the car handles. Next, read my post about how to check for front end wear here: https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=14&Topic=5182&keywords= If your front end has any worn parts, replace them before you buy new tires or have the toe in adjusted. If you still have the problem, ask some one who has a car like your, to give you a demonstration ride and watch how much he has to correct the steering. These old cars do not handle like the newer cars or stop like them either. Tom
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