steering and handeling help, 73 duster

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Well here's the skinny guys..I'm gonna get home check out the steering box..see where that flex is coming from..if it needs a new box ill put one on. Then I'm taking it to the alignment shop and getting it aligned to -75* to 1.0* camber 2.5* to 3.5* caster and 1/16" to 1/8" toe in and we will see what happens..
 
If I do need a new steering box do u guys just recommend a factory box or something after market? It has power steering
 
Firm Feel on the steering box, Stage III. Camber can be 0-.5 neg and drive fine with no wander so there is no need to go aggressive camber wise unless taking corners at high speed is your thing. Get as much caster as possible and have them try to make the cross caster minimal.
 
Firm Feel on the steering box, Stage III. Camber can be 0-.5 neg and drive fine with no wander so there is no need to go aggressive camber wise unless taking corners at high speed is your thing. Get as much caster as possible and have them try to make the cross caster minimal.
Ok thanks and will do
 
Well here's the skinny guys..I'm gonna get home check out the steering box..see where that flex is coming from..if it needs a new box ill put one on. Then I'm taking it to the alignment shop and getting it aligned to -75* to 1.0* camber 2.5* to 3.5* caster and 1/16" to 1/8" toe in and we will see what happens..


Yes, loose steering box mounting bolts happens a lot.

You CANNOT and WILL NOT get decent caster with stock parts.
Moog offsets or adj. UCA's.
 
Yes, loose steering box mounting bolts happens a lot.

You CANNOT and WILL NOT get decent caster with stock parts.
Moog offsets or adj. UCA's.
Ill just get a firm feel stage 3 power box and some tubular uca and get it aligned then I should have no more problems
 
Depends on what your goals are. No reason for a big fat front tire unless you plan on getting hard around corners. 245/60/15 is a good all around size in a 15" wheel.
 
I am running a 215 65 15 on a 7 in wide wheel with 3.5 in backspacing and am having trouble keeping it from rubbing on the fenders of my 73 duster so be careful that you have the spacing right to pull the front tires in enough for fender clearance if your going overly wide.
Also I am having similar issues with handling and am currently (car in pieces right now) replacing the worn out lca bushings with poly and strut bushings with new moog ones
I am wondering how important it is to box the lower control arms to help handling in general?
 
I am running a 215 65 15 on a 7 in wide wheel with 3.5 in backspacing and am having trouble keeping it from rubbing on the fenders of my 73 duster so be careful that you have the spacing right to pull the front tires in enough for fender clearance if your going overly wide.
Also I am having similar issues with handling and am currently (car in pieces right now) replacing the worn out lca bushings with poly and strut bushings with new moog ones
I am wondering how important it is to box the lower control arms to help handling in general?
Ok thanks for the info. Its nice to hear someone that's in the same boat I am..very frustrating, I don't know about boxing in the lcas I've seen people do it but I don't know whats gained from it
 
I keep running into more and more problens with my car. My Dad and I were looking it over lastnight and the steering shaft coming out of the steering column housing on the firewall is laying on the column housing. So what I mean is the steering shaft is rubbing on the bottom of the housing. This can't be right? The steering box bolts are tight but the steering box still flexes? Weak or bent k frame??
 
From everything I have read, and experienced, unless everything is factory spec stuff, like rubber bushings, etc, you will have to "tune" your suspension to your car. Thats why this time around, I purchased tubular uca, adjustable strut rods, boxed my lower control arms, and my k-member is completely welded and reinforced. I will also be getting solid tie rod sleeves with the bigger 11/16 tie rods, and using a tubular lower radiator support, inner fender to firewall reinforcements, torque boxes, and subframe connectors. Case in point, almost all ps boxes move because the k-member itself flexes. You can stop that by reinforcing the k-member. Our cars are 30+ years old, they are no where near as tight as they used to be, so regardless of the parts used, unless you reinforce them, you will have flex and variables. Maybe I am being too picky lol. I just think it best to start with a good solid base, meaning the reinforcements. You can buy the k-member reinforcement kit from firm feel.
I also agree with pretty much everyones ideas, checking toe, etc. I had a Dart that sat like yours, and handled exactly how you described. Honestly, same situation, all new parts, etc. I never got it to handle good. I suspected it was because of the difference in height from front to rear, but I knew nothing about handling at the time.
Good luck!
 
Also, did you go over your k-member really well before you reassembled the suspension? How bad were the old parts worn? Sometimes they are extremely hard to see, but you may have cracks around where the lca pivot goes. That can cause your alignment to be unstable, and might be perfect on the rack but changes when you are driving it.
 
Also, did you go over your k-member really well before you reassembled the suspension? How bad were the old parts worn? Sometimes they are extremely hard to see, but you may have cracks around where the lca pivot goes. That can cause your alignment to be unstable, and might be perfect on the rack but changes when you are driving it.
When I had it all tore down my Dad and I both went over it with a fine tooth comb..found nothing. Next week thursday its going to the frame shop and getting look over and checked for straightness!
 
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