Ok guys I don't know if I need an alignment or what. My steering wheel is kinda off center too. If I'm driving on a smooth straight road the car seems fine. But when I hit any bump or uneven surface the car will pull like crazy. Someone said it might be "bump-steer"? Also it's hard to tell but maybe seems like the rear end wants to kick/swing out when going over an uneven surface on the highway.

Also if I'm on a straight smooth road, but punch the gas hard, it will not want to stay straight. I have adjustable lca's so if they are uneven will that cause it to go off track?

I love the new found power of my ls1 in my car but now it isn't too much fun to drive with this steering/suspension issue.

Is there anything I can check of somewhere I can start at? Pretty much the whole suspension is stock beside those lca's. I heard maybe tighten the nut on the steering box, check for loose components while turning wheel left to right, etc.

I've tried a search but couldn't get much for what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance!!!!

 

It's not bump steer. Our cars have a large scrub radius with wider wheels so there is going to be an inherent twitchyness about them on uneven pavement.
That said, it can be made worse with a bad alignment. Toe out will exaggerate the effect, as will having only small amounts of caster. If you want the most stability, slight toe in and max caster will help

Not tracking straight on acceleration can be caused by a number of issues, your posi, shocks/springs, lcas could be adjusted improperly. If you have a lot of angle on your lcas and you dont have enough spring/shock to control the axle torquing over, it would definitely cause some rear steer.

 

^^^ Good street alignment specs for these cars are: all the positive caster you can get, shoot for 4 - 4½° w ½° more on the R than the L; about ½ - 1½° negative camber, again w about ½° more on the R; and about 1/32" - 1/16" of toe IN.

Make sure all the suspension and steering components are tight and in good shape, front and rear. If the car is lower than stock, check the rear control arm angle; should be pointed SLIGHTLY downward toward the rear, like NO MORE THAN ¾" lower at the rear end than the "frame" end. If they angle UPWARD from the "frame" toward the rear, they will create wheel hop and various other extreme squirrely behavior under power. THe cure for the defective factory geometry, aggravated by sagging and/or deliberate lowering, is LCARBs.

There are 2 nuts in the steering box; the one in the top, which adjusts the end play in the Pitman shaft; and a BIG one in the steering column end that goes around the coulmn itself, which adjusts the end play in the worm shaft. (actually around the spool valve shaft but w/e) Tighten that one first; it has a giant sheet metal jam nut, and 2 holes for a spanner wrench to turn it with. THEN tighten the one in the top. If you try to take out all the play by tightening the eeeeezy one first, you'll NEVER EVER get it tight, but instead will end up with a bind in the wheel at the center and still having slack turning the steering wheel before the linkage begins to move.

 

Thats some good info guys, thanks for the input. I'll have to get underneath the car here soon and check out the stuff. I just been busy removing the steering wheel and column so I could tighten up those bolts. Since the tilt column was loose also, I started on that first. Got it tight though

But yeah, I heard with wider tires it will contact the road more and feel more of every movement. I do have 275's up front and 315's out back.

I didn't know there were 2 different adjustments on the steering box, I just seen the 1 thats on the very top with the nut and the hex fitting adjuster.

 

Yeah that's the only one most people have seen... which is why so many people have terrible steering and the only cure they know is to buy another gearbox.

Obviously I'm in the wrong business.

 

Well I found a sway bar bushing that is almost completely pushed out. Gonna replace that and the end links with the energy suspension kit. All other components looked tight to me I believe. Once I get those parts replaced ill have it aligned to to specs posted above