hey, so yesterday i was picking up the car from the tranny shop and on the way home, i was following my girlfriends dad on the highway cause my speedo is WAY off.
anyway, he is in front of me, a tour bus is in the right lane next to me and i am in the left lane when all the sudden mike jumps into the other lane and there is a deer in front of me.
i jam the brakes (almost get rear ended) and swerve, barely missing the deer.
the jackass that had been tailgating me for the last 3 miles hit it.


after this event, i thank the heavens that the camaro kept me on the road for the whole thing because although i didnt over correct, the rear brakes were locked and the car stayed on track and responded exactly as i intended.
(i assume it was the rear because i heard the tires lock but the car steered)

the question is, it got me thinking about my steering, and i cant help but notice that it is very very dead on center with about 4" of play from side to side before the car begins to steer.
once it is cornering, it does a marvelous job, but that initial turn of the wheel is a bit
especially when dodging deer.


anyway, im going to take it in to get a full alignment done soon, but would like to replace any bushings that need replacing BEFORE i do.

any suggestions where to look?
i have litterally had the car in my possession for a grand total of a 3 days and have not looked into the suspension yet.

my inital thought was "replace every thing with urethane" but i hear thats not a good idea.

im thinking:
delrin bushings in the a arms if i can afford it
urethane sway bar link bushings and frame/bar bushings in front and back
look at shocks

where do i go from there?
im new to suspension




btw, its an 85 IROC Z28

 

I'd get the del-a-lum a-arm bushings available from Global West if they are within your budget, ball joints, innner and outer tie rod ends, etc. Might be interested in the front end kit Spohn offers if everything's bad. It's a bit pricey, but you won't have to worry about anything in the steering linkages I wish I had went this route instead of piece-meal like I have.
The sway bar bushings don't have a large affect on the steering, but they should probably still be replaced. Read through this thread. It should cover you basic questions.

 

cool thanks.
yeah, i read that thread immediately after posting.

so how do i know what size sway bars i have?
the difference is only 3 mm.

 

I think with that much play, I'd check the steering gear box for wear.

 

On the rear, I'd get a set of wrenches and find out. It's the easiest way, I think. The same idea works for the front, but you'll need larger and harder to find wrenches. You can get a micrometer (I think that's what they are called).
I was working with the assumption that the steering gear box has wear... they almost all do, lol.

 

You could also get away with using an adjustable wrench and then use a ruler to measure the gap. The easiest way to do it is by using either a caliper or micrometer.

 

I've got some play on my steering too, any adjustment there? Thanx. Later.

 

You can adjust the steering box to help some. There's an article on here somewhere about it.

 

, I'll do a search. Later.