Steering drift

[T-Test]

Take the damn thing to a front end alignment shop and be done with it. And if that shop can't/want bend axle t get it right, find another.

Or you can do as i did and buy a tire scribe to accurately get the center of each tire and then make/buy a toe in/out bar to set the toe. I made mine out of 1/2" conduit with couplings and home made pointers that slide on the conduit. Then just measure with a tape and lock it down..

 

[Gerry]

X2. At least if you use an alignment shop you will accurate measurements and data to base any future changes you make.

Take the damn thing to a front end alignment shop and be done with it. And if that shop can't/want bend axle t get it right, find another.

Or you can do as i did and buy a tire scribe to accurately get the center of each tire and then make/buy a toe in/out bar to set the toe. I made mine out of 1/2" conduit with couplings and home made pointers that slide on the conduit. Then just measure with a tape and lock it down..

 

[Kurt64]

Shops that I checked with around here don't want to mess with it, and we don't have any speed shops anywhere near hear. I still have a couple guys to check out.

 

[T-Test]

Shops that I checked with around here don't want to mess with it, and we don't have any speed shops anywhere near hear. I still have a couple guys to check out.

Call them and tell them they are NOT an alignment shop just because it is hard to do or tedius and if they give you any lip, tell them to call me.

 

[rbsWELDER]

Bruce,

Can you provide a photo or sketch of your conduit set up?

Thanks!

 

[T-Test]

This is the principle of doing a toe gauge. Jack car up and scribe tire as close to center as possible Set bar in front of tire and take measurement (width) at the scribe mark.. Move bar behind tire and take measurement (width) at the scribe mark . Toe IN would mean that the distance would be greater behind the tire than in front of it and just the opposite for toe OUT. You only need about 1/8" in or out to get it to steer properly but all cars are not the same (caster/camber/tires) and you have to adjust accordingly.

My bar has steel conduit couplers that I reamed the inside out to make them slide on the long piece of coduit. It takes 4 of these--2 for the stands and 2 for the pointers that were made from tin instead of rods. Either will work. Use a tape measure to check between the pointers after each movement in front of and behind tire. Easy peasy.

 

[rbsWELDER]

Thanks!

 

[EX JUNK]

A cheap and good way to check toe would be to place a pop can to the front and one to the rear of each front tire. Then suspend a yard stick on top of the cans so that it touches the edge of the tire on the front and rear. Do the same to the other side. Now measure the distance between the yard sticks both front and rear. If the measurement in front is less than the rear you have "toe in".

Jim

 

[fletcherson]

It's true that tires may not be the best for taking measurements, but its probably the best way to get a relatively accurate alignment without having to spend a lot of money for some measurement you may never use again.
Just sayin'.

The proof is in the pudding... if it produces the desired handling results, it’s good enough, imho.

 

[Kurt64]

UPDATE...I bought a digital angle finder and checked the caster. It was at 9.2 degrees which I would think could cause major drifting issues. I reduced it to 7 degrees which from what I've read, is the upper limit. I didn't want to make too much of a change until i try it out. Any opinions?

 

[2old2fast]

9* would track straight , be a little more difficult to turn at low speed , would not cause drifting , mines at 9* , tracks beautiful ...
Have you checked your toe- in ? Have you tried adjusting it? Either you have something loose or misaligned, if you don't understand frt. end geometry , search out someone older who does and listen ....

 

[Kurt64]

9* would track straight , be a little more difficult to turn at low speed , would not cause drifting , mines at 9* , tracks beautiful ...

Steering is tight at low speed (I realize that it is the nature of the beast anyway), so maybe it will help a little with that issue anyway...thanks for the info. I was thinking that it may be causing the "grocery cart" effect similar to rake and trail when setting up the front end on a motorcycle...death wobble, drifting, etc. They are common when the geometry is incorrect.

 

[2old2fast]

What's the caster angle on a chopper ?

 

[Kurt64]

What's the caster angle on a chopper ?

Is that a serious question or a poke at my comparison?

 

[Neshkoro]

Any where from a little to a whole bunch!

 

[Kurt64]

Any where from a little to a whole bunch!

Been around motorcycles all my life and have built a couple...I'm new to the bucket world. It was the first comparison that popped into my head.

 

[T-Test]

Your drifting problem is caused by toe in/toe out--tire air pressure or loose king pins/heims or wheel bearings and not the castor unless you have a difference of more than maybe a degree between the two sides. In other words the front end is not square to the frame. Check all of that at home and if you can't fix the problem then I would suggest you find a shop some where that will. Firestone, Goodyear or any other place that sells tires and does F/E alignments. If you check all of these things and don't find a problem, then there's not much else you can do yourself. Not trying to be harsh, but you've been at this a while. Something is not right/correct with that car.

 

[Kurt64]

I just returned from a drive and it is much better than before. I'm beginning to think that it was a combination of wheel bounce, alignment, tire pressure, etc...everything that I've been working on. Being a first time T-bucket owner and working on one of these is a real education. It's unlike any vehicle I've worked on. I'm very thankful for this website and the people who are willing to give out advice .

 

[T-Test]

I just returned from a drive and it is much better than before. I'm beginning to think that it was a combination of wheel bounce, alignment, tire pressure, etc...everything that I've been working on. Being a first time T-bucket owner and working on one of these is a real education. It's unlike any vehicle I've worked on. I'm very thankful for this website and the people who are willing to give out advice .

These cars are no different than any other cars except in H/P to weight ratio and wheel base. The fundamentals of chassis setup and engine/trans/rear end install is all the same. Too much Toe OUT is the main reason most cars hunt and seek the groves in the pavement as well as skinny tires.
Maybe I forgot if you said you were mechanically inclined or are learning as you go. But I hope you don't give up until you get it right so maybe you can enjoy it till you die.

 

[Neshkoro]

If you are chasing perfection, you might as well just pull your hair out now. Sometimes perfection can't happen. We might have to live with some quirky things that happen with these cars. If you can't make it perfect, I guess you try to make it as good as you can, and let it go.