>
> When I hit a bump at an angle (on the freeway or on the street), sometimes
> the front end will sway dangerously side-to-side. The motion is analogous
> to a rolling motion.
> My first impression is that the shocks were bad, but they were new. Then I
> supected damaged leaf springs.
Tom, sounds suspiciously like "bump steer", which is the dreaded curse of a lot
of hot rodders. It comes from changes in the steering geometry that have
affected the steering arm radius measurements as well as front end modifications
that do not follow the Ackerman principle. A decent explanation is in Tex
Smith's book of hot rod building. Suffice it to say that other than an overhaul
of the front end mods, rodders have tried various solutions to get around the
problem. Sometimes radial tires instead of bias ply will help, as will the
addition of a sway bar. But sometimes they are just stop-gap measures that end
up masking the problem. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't. Ping
me off list if you'd like me to copy the section from Smith's book for you. I
could snail mail it if you'd like.
Wally / Templeton, MA
53 3100
72 Malibu
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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