I know this is a generic newbie question but there is something that really bothers me about my car. It is "light" in the front end, and I'm not sure if this is normal on a 72 powersteering car or not. When driving I have to keep two hands on the wheel at all times, which is what I should do anyway, but it gets all floaty if I hit a bump. I noticed yesterday one of my tires is most likely out of alignment. I guess my question is, what determines how the car holds the road and makes it steer solidly? Is is a combination of powersteering, suspension, and alighment? Which part is most important for this....I'm going to get it aligned, but when I take it in what else should I be concerned with. Would some kind of stabilizer bar make a big difference? I learned to drive in a 65 with no power steering and I felt safer in that one than I do in this one. I'm a little afraid of adjusting the power steering valve because it took so long to even get it to stop spinning... This one feels like if I floored it the front end may or may not go the direction I point. In the 65 I always knew exactly what the front and back did in relation to each other...this one has a mind of it's own. It's only saving grace at this point is it's so darn pretty. :rolleyes: Thanks for any suggestions, I've worked on this car for so long it was a bit of a shock to be a little intimidated by it. Hanging my head in shame at this point.

 

I have a 74 thats kinda the same way. It has a very vague "on center" feel. Meaning when its pointed straight the steering wheel gives very little input as to whats going on where the rubber meets the road. If it hits a bump or irregularity in the road, it'll dart one way or the other. However, if the steering is not "on center", like when I'm goin around a corner, it gives feedback but is VEEEEEERY twitchy. Is this kinda what you have going on also? I would love to hear how to tame this or get rid of it.

 

Sounds to me that you may want to check out the Idler Arm. They are very prone to wear and in some instances become loose from the frame. Also check the tie rod ends and ball joints.
There is also a good article by Jim Shea @ http://www.corvettefaq.com that explains how to properly adjust your steering box.

Hope this gives some insight.

Stew

 

I had the same problem and found a bad idler arm. It helped but didn't solve the problem. I set my caster to 2.75 degrees and camber to -.75 and that helped. Untill I rebuilt my steering box I never totally eliminated the problem. Those steering boxes are 25 plus years old and the bushings get too sloppy.

 

check for any leaks in your power steering shocks . mine leaks a little which causes me to sway from side to side as im going straight ( that boat feeling ), but on turns it feels fine. my mechanic said its a time consuming fix and will easily cost over a grand. so ill deal with it till next summer , i just picked up a whole unit cheap. the way i see it , i have 6 months to learn how to install it. i was also told that this is a common corvette issue.

 

Also, take a look at the control arm bushings. They can be visually inspected. Make sure they are not dry rotted or worn too bad.

 

Be sure to have the rear suspension checked as well. The trailing arm pivots, shocks, bearings, and bushings all can have an influence on how well your car tracks on the highway.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'm printing them out to check things with. And yes Brett, it's sort of similar to what you're talking about...I really liked the idea of the boat swaying feeling, it's just like that. I'm hoping it doesn't turn out to be serious, at least until I recover from some of the other things this year.