Wheels come to mind initially. If you've gone aftermarket on the wheels,
and have changed the offset, you can drastically change the force required
to turn the steering wheel.
Otherwise, jack the car again, but put jack stands under the a-arms to get
the suspension in the on-the-road positions, and then check the steering for
stiffness. If it's supple, the problem is with the tires, re-the above
paragraph.
You can also create a stiff(er) steering with oversize tires, and very
sticky tires. Generically, skinny tires made from hard rubber rotate on the
pavement pretty easily. Wider tires with sticky compounds don't rotate as
easily, especially the sections of the tire further out from the center of
rotation.
----- Original Message -----
From: "wbeech" <wbeech@flash.net>
Subject: [TR] Tight Steering
> Still going through this car and I find that the entire front steering
> linkage, control arms, shocks and bushings are all new. I guess I should
> be
> real happy as this could not have been an inexpensive procedure. It looks
> very well done with all the zerk well lubricated & safety wire in place.
>
> My question is this:
> When I drive the steering is extremely heavy, hard to turn and does not
> return to center after a turn. There is a little play in the steering
> wheel, 3"-4" side-to-side but I don't think that is related to the
> stiffness. When I jack the front end up, the steering freely moves from
> lock-to-lock, just over two turns. Could something be too tight that just
> shows up when the weight of the car is on the wheels??
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