1969 Barracuda Fastback
Wheel alignment and more test-drives:
Well, another lesson learned! Confident to have the ride height perfectly set, I drove to a well-established shop to do my wheel alignment. I told them not to change anything on the ride height and provided specific wheel alignment specifications. They did a very good job and treated the car properly.
Ok, me excited went immediately for a longer test-drive. When I got home, I performed a general check including the ride height – on both sides 1 inch too high! :BangHead:
Since I didn’t drive much before getting the wheel alignment done, I was not sure, if the ride height changed on the way to the alignment shop or during the test drive. Anyway, I made another appointment, paid again, and this time we set the ride height at the shop and constantly checked it during the alignment procedure. So, in case the front suspension still settles a bit and changes the height again, I will just bring it back to the initially set ride height and can be sure to have a correct wheel alignment.
Was it necessary to do it twice? Yes, I need to support Ohio's economy :)!!! The alignment turned out not to be much off but on steering and brakes no compromises. Plus, I invested in a Firm Feel Stage II power steering and didn’t want to run the risk to lose any of the advantages of this upgrade.
So far, I really like the power steering upgrade, immediate responses and the steering wheel/car/road connection feels quite good – thank you Hawk for suggesting this upgrade.
First I was not sure about the speedometer gear I selected during the transmission rebuilt. Comparison between GPS and speedometer on the dash showed an almost perfect match +/- 3-5mph (at least up to 75mph) - happy about that.
Currently, I am slowly extending the radius for the test drives and working on a satisfactory kick down linkage, choke, and throttle cable setting – my initial setting provided not enough kick down pressure. I also need to locate and eliminate some annoying rattle noises in the car.
So, still a never-ending story…
Wheel alignment and more test-drives:
Well, another lesson learned! Confident to have the ride height perfectly set, I drove to a well-established shop to do my wheel alignment. I told them not to change anything on the ride height and provided specific wheel alignment specifications. They did a very good job and treated the car properly.
Ok, me excited went immediately for a longer test-drive. When I got home, I performed a general check including the ride height – on both sides 1 inch too high! :BangHead:
Since I didn’t drive much before getting the wheel alignment done, I was not sure, if the ride height changed on the way to the alignment shop or during the test drive. Anyway, I made another appointment, paid again, and this time we set the ride height at the shop and constantly checked it during the alignment procedure. So, in case the front suspension still settles a bit and changes the height again, I will just bring it back to the initially set ride height and can be sure to have a correct wheel alignment.
Was it necessary to do it twice? Yes, I need to support Ohio's economy :)!!! The alignment turned out not to be much off but on steering and brakes no compromises. Plus, I invested in a Firm Feel Stage II power steering and didn’t want to run the risk to lose any of the advantages of this upgrade.
So far, I really like the power steering upgrade, immediate responses and the steering wheel/car/road connection feels quite good – thank you Hawk for suggesting this upgrade.
First I was not sure about the speedometer gear I selected during the transmission rebuilt. Comparison between GPS and speedometer on the dash showed an almost perfect match +/- 3-5mph (at least up to 75mph) - happy about that.
Currently, I am slowly extending the radius for the test drives and working on a satisfactory kick down linkage, choke, and throttle cable setting – my initial setting provided not enough kick down pressure. I also need to locate and eliminate some annoying rattle noises in the car.
So, still a never-ending story…
