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I have an 81 I bought about 3 months ago. The wheels on it are American racing wheels - 20" with low profile tires. I do like the look but not the handling on it. Thats 5 sizes up from original and I think it is way too much? Any uneven road or a line in the road and it wants to go everywhere except straight. I think I need to go back to 15" and from what I read online this will correct my issue? But before I do buy different ones I wanted to get some opinions?
How is the alignment?
The last shop who aligned my 70 gave it extra caster, improved the tendency to wander but with the cost of taking a bit more effort to get a response when turning.
I stopped at stock 17x9.5 C4 rims on my '72, because the price of tires jump like MAD when going so much as 18".....and the car handles great....I doubt it's your rims/tires....
check the rear axles for how much end play you have at the diffy, in/out they ends have a habit of wearing on the yokes and can get so bad the shafts can actually pop out of the diffy under enough load, also check the shime/ joints in the trailing arms, on the frame make sure they are solid......
then to the front end, top and bottom inner bushings.....then ball joints top and bottom, then tie rod ends.......I make as ASSumption that the alignment looks good, and tire wear is acceptable.....
another thing, those old tired steeering couplings on the input to the box, that rubber thing, make sure it's in good/tight shape, no slop allowed.....then to check the adjustment on the box itself, that top screw and lock nut....that adjusts the tightness of the input gear to the sector gear on the output....any slop there and you get wandering also....
Bad shocks will contribute to "wander" as well.
Rag joint on the steering shaft. Rotten? Looks like pieces of leather bolted together.
Stock steering box has a minor adjustment available. Loosen a "screw then tighten another", search for exact adjustment. There are 2/3 screws on top of the box, but only certain ones can be adjusted. Just loosen it, DON'T remove it entirely, that bad.
Tires are wearing on the inside some. Thats why I am hoping its the alignment. I have already replaced front and rear shocks. Eventually going to replace the tie rods, ball joints, etc but going to Mississippi from Houston next week for cruise the coast and want it handling a little better than it does now. Smooth road it drives like a champ but better have two hands on it when the roads is not smooth! Its a little aggravating more than anything. I am thinking of atleast replacing the tie rods before I take it for the alignment
Tires are wearing on the inside some. Thats why I am hoping its the alignment. I have already replaced front and rear shocks. Eventually going to replace the tie rods, ball joints, etc but going to Mississippi from Houston next week for cruise the coast and want it handling a little better than it does now. Smooth road it drives like a champ but better have two hands on it when the roads is not smooth! Its a little aggravating more than anything. I am thinking of atleast replacing the tie rods before I take it for the alignment
The alignment shop you are taking the car to should automatically do a preliminary inspection checking for wear items like ball joints, tie rod ends, bearing play, bushings etc. Most shops will not try to align a car if any of these items are out of spec due to the fact you will not be satisfied and road safety.
Yea Im actually taking it to a chevy dealer. I already figured if its 3-400 to fix anything thats wrong (if there is anything wrong?) plus alignment Ill let them do it anything higher ill just buy the parts as a kit and do it myself then get it realigned. Thanks for everyones input! Like I said I really like the wheels on it and sounds like I can keep them with fixing the wandering!
See what the dealer comes back with re alignment and any obvious worn parts in the suspension.
It is just the nature of the beast, when you replace the 15" wheels and tires with + sizes you will have stiffer lower side walls with less ability to absorb the road issues. Lowering the car will also potentially amplify some issues as well, like tie rod allignment etc. that can cause bump steer.
Modern cars and tyres expect a lot more caster than was ever used on the C3.
The C3's suspension geometry is not by default well set for this style of large tire and lowering.
I have 18"s on my 71 and I have experienced wander that is not visible at all on the same roads if I run my 15"s
Good news is you can work to get it handling pretty well.
May take some time to check It all out but if all seems to check ok with dealer, I would start with as much caster as the alignment guy can give you.
So many parts can cause wandering on the C3's. Most of the wear parts have been covered above. With that said, my 78 with the gymkhana suspension and 255/45/17 ZR ultra high performance summer only tires tracks like a new modern sports car on just about any road type. To get these cars to that level I have done the following over 30 years:
1. Replaced every part in the front suspension-upper/lower ball joints, tie rods, idler arm etc
2. Upper/lower control arm bushings-poly bushings...BIG improvement in ride and handling-no unwanted bushing movement that comes with rubber bushings
3. Front Spreader bar
4. Custom Blueprint/rebuilt OEM steering box/rag joint....there is much slop in the OEM steering box from the factory....BIG IMPROVEMENT
5. OEM power steering components...poly PS ram bushing
6. Replace every rear suspension component with poly bushings where possible
7. Competition adjustable heim jointed strut rods-NO RUBBER BUSHINGS...get rid of the stock strut rods with rubber bushings that allow MUCH rear wheel movement
8. Replace the rear trailing arm bushings-IMPORTANT-worn TA bushings will allow the rear end to feel like it always wants to swap ends with the front of the car under power and allow the car to wander much on uneven roads
I can drive my 78 on the highway on a moderately smooth road @ 80mph with one hand holding the car in the lane with zero effort...The 78 L-82 4 speed never drove like that even when brand new with 255/60/15 tires...not even close..it's not the tires.....you have worn suspension components, components that require upgrades like mine above, alignment issues....
These cars are all now just about 40 years old and most more than that. Your car comes up just a tad short of 40 years old but is plenty old enough that nothing with a rubber bushing in it is beyond suspicion as the cause. After replacing all the front end parts that typically get replaced in normal service at some point anyway.....you might still have slop due to age. Rubber bushings usually last plenty long enough in any car or truck......but most are in the wrecking yard long before the effect of age hits them so completely that they create a really noticeable sloppy feel in your steering.
Don't forget the back end of the car. Those rear tailing arm bushings when worn won't allow even a completely reworked front end do it's job of keeping the car on the straight and narrow without extra steering input from you as you hit even the smallest imperfections in the pavement.
The one enduring thing about the C3 that is still impressive, even by todays standards, is the balance of the car's weight and your ability to get the upgrade pieces bolted in easily. Get all the pieces up to spec in your suspension along with up grades and you should be able to create a car that easily handles well enough that your limits as driver will likely be reached before the car runs out of capability.
I used VBP for my car nearly 20 years ago..... I didn't want to have to address the problem of deteriorating rubber bushings again so I went with all poly......today the system still works as well as it did when brand new. If there is any extra noise or vibrations with non-rubber bushings I can't really hear or feel it.
09-26-2016, 09:38 AM
Vette all over the place on uneven roads.
