I noticed the corvettes and heavy duty trucks have it. Its a hydraulic strut that attached to one wheel it looks like.. i'm guessing its for stabilizing while hitting bumps? Just curious what its true purpose is for and if anyone fabricated one to fit on a camaro/firebird?

 

Sounds like your describing a very common item for 4x4s. A Steering Stabilizer.

 

huh... interesting idea... I didn't know that 'vetts used them, I wonder if it would help some running wide front tires.

It would be easy to do on a 3rd gen, they make them for 4x4's that just bolt on/around the center link, since 3rd gens use an old school steering box steering setup it would install exactly the same way.

 

i dont see why you would need a shimmy shock on a thirdgen..... on 4x4s its used to dampen bumps and stuff, and also to help cut down on death wobble..... not something you really get with a car...

 

Put some big fat tires on one and run it through some rutted roads... same thing as big truck tires and bumps...

 

I've thought about adding one for a while since installation would be very simple. But that, along with many other projects I just don't have the time for at the moment.

 

I'd like to know how much of a difference it is. Yeah my buddies 70 vette has it in the front, i was shocked, but it runs so smooth over bumps, it glided without issue. in a 3rd gen i feel like im going to steer to the side hitting bumps :P

 

The hydraulic ram on corvettes is the power steering assist cylinder, although early non power C2s had a similar thing, it's a steering dampener. Very common on bikes.

The corvettes steering system is junk, it uses a center link mounted switching valve that switches assist left and right for that external ram. The movement in the tie rod end of that switch is ALWAYS there, this gives on center sloppyness. Add sloppy steering boxes in the mix and you have a common C2 & C3 ailment.

This is what you mean right? The big black hydraulic cylinder?

 

yes and one end is connected to the tie rod, other is to the mid range

 

no end is connected to the tie rod, one end is mounted on the frame, the other on the centerlink.

 

the one on 4x4's is for drag link setups anyways. camaros use the linkage system. i see no purpose for a steering stabilizer or ram assisted power steering on our cars. best mod is a rack imo.

 

sounds good, thanks

 

Ed Quay makes a steering stabilizer for Drag third gens, its to stop the shimmy on landing from wheelstands

 

a lot of cars use them, my jeeps both had them, Mercedes uses them, BMW uses them, its does help a lot , more so at high speeds