Play in Front End AFTER New Parts
 

So, anyone with power steering knows how much play is in the wheel when the car is off and the steering isn't locked, about 2-3 inches before it gets real hard to move, right?

Well, my '70 Buick Stage 1 GS, after putting all new tubular control arms, all new ball joints, tall upper ball joints, all new springs and shocks, new idler, drag link and sway bar bushings and a new/reman close ratio steering gear box last year with a performance alignment 2 months ago, it doesn't feel as tight as it should be.

The car has stock disc spindles, stock ride height with stock springs and stock 15" chrome wheels. I like the stock look but want it to corner on rails, which it does much better than stock.

Going down the road at slower speeds it feels like it is wandering, like the gear box is worn out or the idler is shot. They feel good as individual parts but it still seems to have play at center around 25-45.

The alignment was +4 caster, -1 camber and 1/16" toe in total. I realize the added caster can make it harder to steer and may be magnifying the effort to move the wheel.

Could my toe need adjustment? Would I need to go closer to 0 or closer to 1/8" to make it more stable?

What about the rag joint? Tie rod ends, and wheel bearings?

Checked the wheel bearings, they were good. Rag joint was new with the steering box swap. Tie rods aren't new but had no play when I replaced the drag link along with the idler. Alignment shop didn't note anything either

Bearings in the steering shaft don't have any play either. I will double check all that this weekend just for good measure because I did have the column apart and the bolt at the outside firewall was a little loose when I disassembled it.

It feels like I can move it 2-3 fingers worth at 30 MPH without it affecting the direction. Sort of like the old farm truck my grandpa had when I learned to drive a stick. I know it will never be as tight as a rack but it should still be at least as good as say a Grand National.

You have to be missing something. How about the pitman arm?

Pitman arm is non-wear item on an A-body. I'll go over it again this weekend. I'll have the wife wiggle the wheel while I work my way down the steering shaft, trying to find some play.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

The proper way to find play in a front suspension is with it loaded. Jack it up by the lower control arm and grab the wheel at 3 and 9 and then 12 and 6. With the suspension at droop, the parts are out of their normal range and won't show slop.

Was your alignment done on a rack with lazers? If everything is tight and it is still wandering I'm thinking your alignment might not be where you think its..

Whose control arms did you use? For example....Global West recommends 6.5* of positive caster, 1/16 toe in.

If not alignment I'd say the steering box is bad.

Yes, I had it on jack stands under the control arms. I'll see what I can find again this weekend and check the toe myself to see what it is. I'll probably add a little more or take some out to see how it acts. Trial and error won't kill me... much! One wheel bearing is just a shade loose but the next hole makes it bind so I'm not thinking it is the problem. Perhaps I'll find a washer, buy another nut or shave the back of the nut to get the next hole to be tight enough.

One other thing, the tires are not new and the fronts had noticeable but not severe wear on the outside edge from factory parts and alignment. I do corner hard for a 40 year old muscle car but I always have. Even my Tundra has the front edges rounding off after only 5000 miles.

Maybe swap tires from front to rear if they are the same size and see what happens. With wife turning the wheel back and forth thru just the amount of slop you should be able to see where the movement gets lost.

I don't have the same size front and back. 275-60/15 out back and 235-60/15 up front. I can probably snag a set of some where and try that, too! I'm due for new ones as they have got to be pretty old despite lots of tread and no cracks.

That's what I figure. If she'll wobble the wheel, it will show up pretty easily one place or another. The gear box is still under warranty so if it is that, I'm covered. You never know if they just did a Krylon rebuild on these things.